An urgent health alert has been sounded after officials revealed that the death count linked to weight-loss and diabetes medication users in the UK has reached a concerning high. New data points to 82 British lives claimed in association with drugs like Mounjaro, as reported by the Times.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) disclosed the figure for fatalities up until January 2025. A breakdown of the statistics shows 22 deaths occurred following the use of the drug for slimming down, whereas the remaining 60 deaths are connected with its application in treating type 2 diabetes.
Alison Cave, MHRA’s Chief Safety Officer, said: “The decision to start, continue or stop treatments should be made jointly by patients and their doctor, based on full consideration of benefits and risks.”
The usage of such drugs has surged significantly, with estimates suggesting that over half a million individuals in the UK are currently using them. Known clinically as GLP-1 receptor agonists and commonly referred to as weight loss jabs, these treatments curb appetite and are accessible through the NHS for those with a heightened BMI.
In addition to NHS availability, scores of Brits receive these drugs through private prescriptions from online pharmacies. Freshly tightened regulations were introduced last month for those procuring weight loss injections online, enforcing more rigorous screening procedures, reports Surrey Live.
Following this clampdown, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has said that online pharmacies must move beyond patient questionnaires and engage in an adequate two-way consultation before prescribing these potent drugs.
In a bid to ensure the safe prescription of weight loss jabs like Wegovy or Mounjaro, new guidelines have been established that will require a thorough verification of an individual’s body mass index (BMI). The move means it will no longer suffice to prescribe these drugs after just an email exchange, completing questionnaires, or by submitting self-snapped photographs.
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This directive from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which oversees pharmacy regulations, is a response to growing unease about the unsafe prescribing and distribution of such medications online, especially the diet injections in question. The decision follows revelations that some patients managed to acquire these drugs without adequate checks, and certain online pharmacies had been found to be setting quotas on the number of prescriptions processed each hour.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), along with other organisations, has been advocating for more stringent rules, particularly after cases emerged of individuals with past eating disorders, or those who maintain a low body weight, being prescribed these treatments incorrectly. Under the new mandate, prescribers are required to independently validate “weight, height and/or body mass index”, with further clarification: “By ‘independently’ we mean that the prescriber uses a different way to verify the information provided to them by the person.”
These methods could include a video consultation, direct face-to-face interaction, delving into clinical records, or engaging with another healthcare provider—for example, consulting the GP of the patient. Simply using a telephone call would not meet the necessary standards for confirming details when issuing medication intended for weight loss.
The updated regulations also mandate that medical practitioners must request the patient’s GP details and secure their consent to discuss the prescription with them. The prescriber is expected to “actively” share all pertinent information about the prescription with other healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s care.
“If the person does not have a regular prescriber, such as a GP, or if there is no consent to share information, the prescriber should then decide whether it is safe to prescribe,” the guidelines stated. The rules also stipulate that all companies must prove they are free from conflicts of interest, such as offering “incentives to prescribers to issue prescriptions”.
Many individuals are shedding up to 22.5 per cent of their body weight within the first 18 months. The NHS is gearing up to offer Mounjaro to severely obese patients.
Wegovy – a higher-dose version of Ozempic, initially developed for diabetes treatment – was launched on the NHS in September last year. However, its availability is restricted to specialist weight-loss clinics in certain parts of England.
Approximately 4.1 million people meet the NHS criteria for Wegovy, which includes a body mass index over 35 and related health issues. The private market lowers the threshold to 30, making the injections accessible to around 15 million adults.
The latest MHRA stats have raised some eyebrows as they link 18 deaths directly to the use of Mounjaro, while another set of medications—Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy, all containing semaglutide—were associated with 29 fatalities. Furthermore, 35 deaths have been connected to Saxenda and Victoza, which include liraglutide in their formulation.
The tragic case of Susan McGowan, a 58 year old nurse from Scotland, highlights the potential risks after she passed away having had just two low-dose injections of Mounjaro over the course of two weeks. It’s also come to light that nearly 400 individuals were hospitalised following the use of weight-loss drugs.
Pointedly, the NHS website cautions: “Never take an anti-obesity medicine if it has not been prescribed to you. These types of medicines may not be safe for you and can cause serious side effects.”
Despite these concerns, semaglutide is often lauded as groundbreaking, with research crediting it with the ability to curb alcohol dependency and even decelerate signs of ageing. A particularly extensive study following two million participants found ties between semaglutide and improved heart health, fewer infections, a reduced tendency for drug misuse, and a lesser incidence of dementia.
In response to these safety issues, Lilly UK, the company behind Mounjaro, emphasises that the wellbeing of their patients remains their utmost concern, with a representative stating: “Lilly is committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety data.”