Holidaymakers should not use anti-obesity drugs to lose weight and get “beach body ready” for the summer, the nation’s top doctor has warned.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, medical director at NHS England, said weight-loss jabs should only be used to treat obesity or diabetes.
He spoke out after reports that people, especially young women, were ending up seriously ill in A&E after obtaining the drugs by lying and using them without any medical reason.
Semaglutide - sold under the brand names including Ozempic and Wegovy - works by targeting an area of the brain that regulates appetite.
Also known as GLP-1 agonists, the drug helps increase the production of insulin and was originally developed for managing type 2 diabetes.
Ozempic is a self-injection medicine and is only licensed for treatment of diabetes, but Wegovy is available through private pharmacies, including online.
Wegovy can be prescribed for adults with a BMI over 30, or a BMI over 27 with weight-related conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease or sleep apnoea.
But doctors have reported that some people who are not overweight - including those struggling with eating disorders - are accessing the medication.
One doctor told website Chemist and Druggist a girl was taken to A&E after buying Wegovy through Boots Online Doctor.
The girl was reportedly “not at all” overweight. She arrived at A&E “feeling unwell, like she was going to pass out and couldn’t stand up” and struggling to eat.
She was diagnosed with starvation ketoacidosis - which occurs when dangerously high levels of ketones build up in the body - and needed urgent treatment.
The doctor said another patient had “ended up going to intensive care” after developing pancreatitis after taking weight loss drugs.
They claimed that in the last couple of months, almost “every time” they had been on shift, they had seen “some patient who, to a lesser or greater degree, is having a complication from getting these weight loss drugs” - typically sourced via private means.
“They're really dangerous drugs - it's shocking,” said the doctor.
“It isn't people who need those drugs that are doing this. This is people with probably an element of eating disorder and body dysmorphia and that's what terrifies me.
“At some point, we're going to have a death, aren't we? And then at that point, people might do something about it.
“It would just be really lovely if we could actually do something prior to that happening through common sense and recognising this is grossly wrong.”
Prof Sir Stephen Powis told the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester: “We know these new drugs will be a powerful part of our arsenal dealing with obesity but they should not be abused.
“Buying medication online without a doctor’s supervision can lead to complications and dangerous consequences.
“Drugs including Ozempic and Wegovy should only be used by people prescribed them for obesity or diabetes. I’m worried about reports that people are misusing them. They are not intended as a quick fix for people trying to get beach-body ready.”
Dr Vicky Price, president elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said medics were treating patients suffering serious problems, such as pancreatitis and ketoacidosis, after having the jabs.
She said: “Almost every shift I’ve done recently has seen a complication from a young girl taking the new weight-loss drugs that they’ve bought from an online pharmacy.
“None have been overweight. They’ve paid £100 to £200 and just lied about their weight.”
A Boots spokesperson told Chemist and Druggist it was “concerned” to hear about the case of the girl admitted to A&E, and said it “would like to investigate it fully”, encouraging the patient or doctor to get in touch.
“Patient safety is our number one priority,” said a spokesperson. They added that there are “a number of safeguards in place to ensure Boots Online Doctor prescribes weight loss medication where clinically appropriate and in line with the product licence”.
“Patients are required to complete an online consultation, which is reviewed by a Boots Online Doctor clinician to determine if treatment is appropriate.”
The spokesperson said this included “answering questions on their medical and psychological history and supplying a photograph”.
They said people are are “only supplied with a prescription if they provide their GP’s details” and Boots Online Doctor informs each patient’s GP of the prescription.
“All patients receive follow-up care and support from Boots Online Doctor clinicians through the platform’s messaging function and clinicians may also call patients if required,” they said.
Mark Voce, the General Pharmaceutical Council’s chief strategy officer, said: “We take patient safety extremely seriously and will be looking into issues relating to the supply of weight-loss medicines by online pharmacies.”For help and support on eating disorders contact Beat Eating Disorders on 0808 801 0677.
