Leading pharmacists warned buying fake weight-loss jabs online could risk people's health. The National Pharmacy Association has issued a warning over the potentional "explosion in the unlicensed sale of medication online". The NPA said that with shortages of the licensed drug - Ozempic - likely to last for months, those trying to skip the queue and buy online could make themselves seriously ill.
Ozempic is available on the NHS for those with type 2 diabetes while Wegovy is similar but branded for use to aid weight loss - it can be prescribed for this at specialist weight management clinics. However, there are strict criteria for who can get each drug. Read more: County Durham charity boss's plea for help as 900 mile suicide prevention run at risk Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East with our free newsletter Pharmacists are experiencing a shortage of Ozempic, due to high demand - and said some medical professionals were prescribing irt "off-label" for treatment of obesity.
The NPA, which represents more than 5,000 independently-run community pharmacies, is urging patients to speak to their pharmacist or GP instead of buying medicines online from sellers who are not registered and regulated in the UK. It also warned that problems obtaining Ozempic are likely to continue into next year. Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, told the PA news agency: "Pharmacists remain deeply concerned that the current medicine shortages crisis could le.