A woman who lost over two stone (12kg) with the help of weight-loss medication has raised concerns over its accessibility after she was able to purchase the drug without any in-person medical checks or consultation with her GP.
Shirleyann Metcalfe, 64, told i she was almost instantly approved for online pharmacist Voy’s GLP1 weight-loss programme – which uses drugs such as tirzepatide used in many weight-loss drugs as part of its “clinically proven treatment”.
Although weight-loss drugs have been hailed as a gamechanger for the NHS, given that more than a quarter of the UK is obese, doctors and health officials emphasise they should only be taken under medical supervision and alongside improvements to diet and exercise.
Ms Metcalfe had initially gone to her GP to try but was told they were not prescribing weight-loss jabs.
Reflecting on her initial purchase on Voy’s website, she feels their checks were not thorough enough and said that she applied [or the medication and after completing their brief online forms, they said “‘Oh, yes, you’re okay’. That’s it. It was delivered the next day”.
“I do feel that it should be prescribed by your GP. I don’t really think it’s good for a pharmacist to be doing this because I don’t think they’re checking properly.”
Ms Metcalfe, from Yorkshire, said she was “really nervous” about taking the medication as she had “a lot of illnesses in the past”, including cancer, sepsis, and fibromyalgia – a chronic condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. But she said she was “desperate” to lose weight and reduce her chances of being unwell again.
As part of the application process, Ms Metcalfe said Voy asked her to fill out a series of brief online forms and to send two images of herself: one of her whole body and another of her feet on a set of weighing scales. But she said she was approved for the medication “an hour later”.
Ms Metcalfe, who did not suffer any harmful side effects from the treatment, added: “Who’s to say that’s me? How do they know it’s those people in that photograph?
“They say it has to be a picture from today, but it could be a picture of their mate.”
Voy – a registered pharmacist in the UK – say on its website that “GLP-1 medications replicate the body’s naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone, which sends signals to the brain to control your appetite and metabolism.” The medications within their programme use a similar technology to the popular weight-loss drug Ozempic.
Voy also says it champions “responsible prescribing” beneath the “our promise” section on the online pharmacist’s website. “We only prescribe clinically proven weight loss medication if you’re eligible”, Voy says.
But after proceeding with the purchase on Voy, Ms Metcalfe said: “I don’t believe they’re doing it properly. I know people are getting it and they aren’t even obese.”
Ms Metcalfe said she subsequently used a Wegovy weight loss pen – a brand of the GLP-1 hormone replicator distributed by Voy – for 10 weeks, as instructed by the programme – she lost two stone (12kg).
Voy said clinical trials showed users could lose between 9 per cent and 20 per cent weight, depending on the specific jab if used for between 68 and 72 weeks.
Wegovy, which Ms Metcalfe used, was £195 a month and included a four jabs to be administered once a week.
Dr Earim Chaudry, chief medical officer for Voy, responded to i‘s request for comment: “We uphold the highest standards of patient safety, and this applies to every prospective patient. Our prescribing process has been reviewed and approved by our regulators, who we work with closely to ensure safe clinical practice.
“The process of assessing eligibility takes place after the purchase stage before any medication is prescribed or dispatched. A patient’s information is reviewed by a clinician who makes the decision of whether or not to approve and prescribe.”
Dr Chaudry said Voy requires a patient’s BMI, medical information, full-length photo, and photo ID – which are both compared to “verify the patient’s identity and BMI” – before the medication is dispensed.
“If the clinician has any doubts, they will request additional verification, such as a weight check on a video call. In addition we have a number of other hidden clinical safety checks in place that a patient must pass. This process results in a significant proportion of prospective patients not being prescribed medication.
“Clinical safety is at the centre of our service and we have one of the most robust prescribing processes in place amongst digital obesity clinics.”
