Weight-loss jab users have reacted with fury to a new rule they fear will cut them off from treatment as health bosses clamp down on patients abusing the drugs to get thin rather than taking them for health reasons.
Online pharmacies have quietly introduced a requirement for patients to submit full-body photos or videos when they need to renew their prescriptions for the jabs.
The checks, brought in under pressure from health chiefs, are designed to ensure the jabs are being used only by those who still meet clinical criteria.
Under NHS guidelines, Wegovy should only be prescribed to patients with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 35 – or more than 30 if they have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure.
Access to Mounjaro is even more tightly controlled. Patients typically need a BMI of more than 40 and at least four obesity-related health problems to qualify.
The sale of these drugs without a valid prescription from a registered medical professional is illegal.
The move means patients who have lost significant amounts of weight may not be able to continue taking them.
One user of Mounjaro – one of the most commonly prescribed jabs – who gave his name only as Thomas, shared a message from his supplier on Reddit.
It read: ‘As you have been on the medication for over six months, can you please provide us with a short video [or photograph] of yourself clothed, head to toe.
‘If you can also ensure your clothes are tight fitting, this will help clinicians gauge your progress.’
The message added: ‘This is a new regulatory requirement set in place by the regulator and is mandatory.’
Online pharmacies have quietly introduced a requirement for patients to submit full-body photos or videos on request before continuing their prescriptions
The checks, brought in under pressure from health chiefs, are designed to ensure the jabs are being used only by those who still meet clinical criteria
The Mail contacted pharmacies that supply the jabs – and they confirmed the new rule.
A spokesman for Superdrug Online Doctor, which offers Mounjaro and similar drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, said: ‘Patients are required to provide additional live photos for our clinical team to review during their weight loss journey with us, in order to ensure safe prescribing decisions.
‘The timing of this review is dependent on the individual patient’s weight loss journey and its request is at the discretion of the doctor.’
They added these checks were to ensure a patient had not become dangerously underweight while using the drugs, to the point they could no longer be safely prescribed.
A spokesman for Asda Online Doctor – another provider – also confirmed the policy of providing photos for both new and repeat prescriptions.
They added: ‘To patients concerned about their ongoing access to medication, we want to reassure you these checks are not intended to block treatment.’
The measures are part of a wider crackdown on patients using the jabs – designed to help obese patients reach a healthy weight – for cosmetic reasons.
It comes as concern grows from doctors over a rise in slim women being hospitalised after securing the drugs illegally by falsely claiming to be overweight in order to pass online eligibility checks.
In response, Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, urged online pharmacies to act responsibly and emphasised that ‘drugs including Ozempic and Wegovy should only be used by patients who are prescribed them for obesity or diabetes’ adding that ‘they are not intended as a quick fix for people trying to get beach-body ready.’
Health Secretary Wes Streeting also expressed his deep concern, saying: ‘I’m genuinely terrified that someone is going to die.’
He stressed the need for ‘much closer clinical oversight and regulation’ to prevent tragedies stemming from non‑clinical, vanity-driven use.
As a result, earlier this year a number of online pharmacies announced new safeguards to prevent patients at a healthy weight from accessing weight-loss jabs.
These included dated full-body photos from the front and side, half-hour video consultations, and mandatory follow-up images to show ongoing progress on the medication.
However, on Reddit, Thomas said the message left him worried, adding: ‘I visibly don’t look overweight anymore but would like to stay on so I don’t relapse.’
He questioned whether he’d now be refused treatment, despite legitimate use.
His fears follow research suggesting most patients regain the weight within ten months of stopping the jabs.
It is estimated that 1.5million Britons use weight-loss jabs each month
Other Reddit users reassured him, saying that as long as the drug was prescribed legally, there was little to worry about.
‘They’re all doing this now,’ one commented. ‘Just send the photo. If you don’t, they’ll cut you off—they’re checking you’re not underweight.’
Another added: ‘Unfortunately I think this is necessary.
‘Far too many people who are a healthy weight are abusing the ease of access to these drugs to lose half a stone out of sheer vanity.’
NHS data shows just under 125,000 patients in England were prescribed Mounjaro in 2024.
And the wider market for slimming jabs – including Wegovy and Ozempic – is booming, with an estimated 1.5million Britons now using them each month.
Often dubbed the ‘King Kong’ of weight-loss drugs due to its potency, Mounjaro can help users shed up to 24 per cent of their body weight over 72 weeks.
Wegovy has been shown to help patients lose around 15 per cent over a similar period.
But these jabs are not without risks. While gastrointestinal side effects such as diarrhoea and vomiting are common, users have also reported insomnia, tremors, shortness of breath and tinnitus.
The latest restrictions come just a week after women were warned that weight-loss jabs – including Mounjaro and Wegovy – may reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraception and could pose a risk to unborn children.
