{"id":120981,"date":"2025-11-07T19:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T19:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/120981\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T19:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T19:01:09","slug":"fears-over-postcode-lottery-for-nhs-weight-loss-drug-access-in-scotland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/120981\/","title":{"rendered":"Fears over ‘postcode lottery’ for NHS weight-loss drug access in Scotland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poverty campaigners have warned that access to NHS weight-loss medication in Scotland is becoming a \u201cpostcode lottery\u201d.<\/p>\n

Just two of Scotland\u2019s 14 regional health boards are currently offering new generation GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, while around 300,000 people are believed to be accessing them privately.<\/p>\n

For many, paying privately for weight-loss drugs is now unaffordable.<\/p>\n

Debbie, from Glasgow, had been paying for Mounjaro until the price rose sharply in September.<\/p>\n

She has since been forced to stop the injections and has joined an 18-month NHS waiting list for specialist weight-management support.<\/p>\n

\"DebbieSTV NewsDebbie said she was put on an 18-month waiting list for specialist weight management support. STV News<\/p>\n

Debbie said: \u201cThe last time I paid for it, it was \u00a3199, and I was struggling to justify that. Then I got an email saying the same dose was going up to \u00a3301, and I thought, \u2018Well, I can\u2019t\u2019. So now I\u2019ve lost nearly three stone \u2013 but how am I going to keep this weight off?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting to the stage of desperation for that type of rise. If I could get the same medication cheaper, I would.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve since been put on an 18-month waiting list for specialist weight management support through my GP.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charities say Debbie\u2019s experience is far from unique, warning that healthy eating and weight management are harder to achieve for people on lower incomes, especially amid rising food costs.<\/p>\n

A community worker at Debbie\u2019s cooking class said: \u201cWe know that people living in low-income communities often have less access to healthy foods and tend to have poorer health outcomes and shorter life expectancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when you think about medications like these, people who can afford them may already have better health to begin with. That\u2019s why this debate about access is only going to get wider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, demand for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs continues to soar.<\/p>\n

One Glasgow-based online pharmacy, among the UK\u2019s largest providers, told STV News it now dispenses the jabs to thousands of patients every month.<\/p>\n

They estimate that hundreds of thousands of Scots are currently being prescribed the medications privately.<\/p>\n

Public health experts fear that could widen the gap between those who can afford private prescriptions and those who rely on the NHS.<\/p>\n

With obesity already costing Scotland\u2019s health service millions each year, questions are being raised about when the treatments will become more widely available on the NHS.<\/p>\n

Public health minister Jenni Minto confirmed that two more health boards are expected to begin prescribing GLP-1 medications soon, and another five are working towards it.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cWould I like all health boards to move at the same speed? Of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I also have to respect their devolved powers \u2013 each board must make the right decisions for the people they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new Scottish Government trial will also offer up to 5,000 people in the country\u2019s most deprived areas free access to the drugs, in a bid to improve understanding and inform future rollout.<\/p>\n

\"DemandSTV NewsDemand for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs continues to soar.. STV News<\/p>\n

However, experts have also raised concerns about people turning to the black market for counterfeit weight-loss drugs, which are often sold online in sophisticated packaging resembling legitimate brands.<\/p>\n

Health professionals are urging anyone considering the medication to go through regulated pharmacies or speak to their GP.<\/p>\n

For Debbie, and many others trying to maintain healthier habits without medical support, the wait for access to treatment feels long.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope the NHS can help soon,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about losing weight, it\u2019s about getting my life back.\u201d<\/p>\n

STV News is now on WhatsApp<\/p>\n

Get all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n

Follow STV News <\/a>Follow STV News on WhatsApp<\/p>\n

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n

\"WhatsApp<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Poverty campaigners have warned that access to NHS weight-loss medication in Scotland is becoming a \u201cpostcode lottery\u201d. Just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[163,85,46,482],"class_list":{"0":"post-120981","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-medication"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}