Fat shots should only be used to treat obesity or diabetes and should not be abused by holidaymakers trying to get ‘beach body ready’, the country’s top doctor has said.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, warned that the drugs could be dangerous and are not a ‘quick fix’ for people who ‘just want to lose a few pounds’.
His intervention comes amid growing concerns about the number of normal-weight and underweight patients seeking care in emergency departments after the jabs caused serious side effects.
In some cases, users are even thought to have eating disorders. Many are young girls.
It is understood Brits are getting jabs from private beauty clinics or online pharmacies after completing a simple questionnaire with few checks.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis (pictured), medical director of NHS England, warned that the drugs could be dangerous and are not a ‘quick fix’ for people who ‘just want to lose a few pounds’
An Ozempic injection pen. The jabs are available on the NHS for patients who meet strict criteria, but can also be bought privately with a prescription, along with other brands
The drug semaglutide, which suppresses appetite, was initially used to treat diabetes under the brand name Ozempic. But a higher dose version, sold as Wegovy, has been marketed as an obesity treatment after research showed it could help people lose 15 percent of their body weight in 68 weeks. The jabs are available on the NHS for patients who meet strict criteria, but can also be bought privately with a prescription, along with other brands.
Speaking at the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester yesterday, Sir Stephen said: ‘We know these new drugs will be a powerful part of our arsenal in the fight against obesity – but they must not be misused.
‘Buying medicines online without a doctor’s supervision can lead to complications and dangerous consequences. Medicines, including Ozempic and Wegovy, should only be used by people who have been prescribed them for obesity or diabetes. I’m concerned about reports of people abusing them. They are not intended as a quick fix for people trying to become beach-body ready.”
Dr. Vicky Price, a consultant in acute medicine and president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said she had seen an influx of young girls in A&E suffering side effects from the drugs. She added: ‘Almost every shift I’ve done lately has had a complication due to a young girl taking the new weight loss medication they bought from an online pharmacy. No one has been overweight.’