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A weight loss medication used to treat type 2 diabetes will soon be available from UK pharmacies for overweight and obese people.
Semaglutide (sold under the brand name Wegovy) will be available from pharmacies including Boots, Superdrug and Lloyds Pharmacy.
While patients will need a prescription to access the drug, some pharmacies, such as Boots, will be able to offer the full service – prescribing and dispensing the drug.
How does semaglutide work?
Semaglutide is injected into the body once a week. It works by supressing appetite, making you feel fuller for longer and regulating food intake.
The drug was approved for use in the UK after studies found it can effectively help patients to lose weight when used alongside a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and increased exercise.
One study showed that 85% of people taking semaglutide (alongside a healthy diet and exercise regime) lost more than 5% of their body weight over a 68-week period, while nearly a third (30%) lost more than 20% of their body weight.
However, researchers also found that those taking the medication are at risk of regaining much of the weight they lost when they come off of the drug.
Semaglutide can also have side effects, and Lloyds Pharmacy says that more than one in 10 people might experience headaches, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, tummy ache or nausea.
Others may also experience dizzy spells, indigestion and bloating among other symptoms.
Concern that wider availability of semaglutide could exacerbate eating disorder behaviours
Although the drug will only be available to people who are overweight or obese, there is concern that wider availability of the drug could “further entrench eating disorder thoughts and behaviours.”
Just last year, there were worldwide shortages of semaglutide (sold under the brand name Ozempic) after the drug’s weight loss benefits were touted on the social media platform TikTok.
The trend came following reports that many Hollywood celebrities regularly used the drug for its slimming benefits. This led many people who were not overweight or obese to start taking the drug, and various charities have now warned of the impact this could have on people with eating disorders.
Tom Quinn from the charity Beat told the BBC that Wegovy or other weight-loss medications “should only be sold under the strictest possible conditions, with stringent physical and mental health checks to ensure patients are well enough.”
This is because these medications can be very attractive to people with eating disorders, and can make those affected “even more unwell”.
“It is vital that people are aware of the dangers of abusing medication in order to lose weight and there should be more education on their effects,” he said.