Medical leaders are sounding the alarm over a severe and worsening shortage of vital diabetes and weight-loss medications across England, creating a desperate 'postcode lottery' for patients and fuelling a dangerous black market.
The supply crisis, impacting blockbuster drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, has left the NHS scrambling to implement strict prescribing guidelines. Experts from the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS) have issued a stark warning that the situation is pushing vulnerable individuals towards unregulated and potentially harmful sources.
A Deepening Crisis of Supply and Demand
The medications at the heart of the shortage—semaglutide (sold as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for obesity) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro)—belong to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Their remarkable efficacy in managing blood sugar and promoting significant weight loss has led to unprecedented global demand, far outstripping manufacturing capabilities.
NHS England has been forced to advise doctors to only prescribe these drugs to new patients for Type 2 diabetes, prioritising them over those seeking treatment for obesity alone. This has created a fragmented system where access depends entirely on a patient's diagnosis and location.
The Dangerous Rise of the Illegal Market
With legitimate routes to treatment blocked, BOMSS experts report a sharp increase in people turning to online pharmacies and illicit websites to obtain counterfeit or compounded versions of these injectables.
This poses a grave health risk:
- Unverified Contents: Black market jabs may contain incorrect dosages, undisclosed ingredients, or be manufactured in unsanitary conditions.
- No Medical Supervision: Patients bypass crucial medical oversight, including necessary health screenings and ongoing monitoring for side effects.
- Financial Exploitation: Vulnerable individuals are often charged exorbitant prices for products that may be completely fake.
Call for a National Strategy
The crisis has exposed a critical need for a coordinated national strategy. Healthcare professionals are urging the government and pharmaceutical companies to work together to stabilise the supply chain and ensure equitable access for all patients, whether they are managing diabetes or obesity.
Until manufacturing can meet the soaring demand, the NHS faces a difficult balancing act: protecting the drug supply for its most vulnerable patients while combating the unregulated market that preys on those it cannot yet treat.
