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Guide

GLP-1 prescribing requirements for online services.

Last reviewed 18 October 2026

GLP-1 weight loss medicines such as semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are prescription-only, and weight management is the category regulators watch most closely online. In short: the patient must meet the licensed criteria, their weight and height must be verified rather than just typed in, a named prescriber must check for reasons not to treat, and every step must be recorded. This guide sets out each requirement and what your system has to store. It is our reading, not legal or clinical advice; check the sources at the end.

1. The patient meets the licensed criteria

For weight management, the product licences broadly cover adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with at least one weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea. Check the current summary of product characteristics for each product, as details differ. Your assessment should calculate BMI from verified figures, ask about weight-related conditions, and stop or refer anyone outside the criteria. Prescribing outside the licence is a clinical decision a prescriber has to justify and record, not a default.

2. Weight and height are verified, not self-reported

The GPhC's February 2025 guidance says that for weight management medicines, a questionnaire alone is not enough. The prescriber must independently verify the information the patient gives, for example through a video consultation, an in-person check, or access to the patient's clinical records. Store how verification was done, who did it, when, and the evidence itself, such as a recorded measurement or reference to the GP record.

3. Screen for reasons not to treat

The assessment should ask about, at minimum:

  • pregnancy, breastfeeding or plans to become pregnant;
  • a history of pancreatitis, or personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer;
  • current or past eating disorders;
  • diabetes and the medicines used for it, especially insulin or sulfonylureas, because of the risk of low blood sugar;
  • other GLP-1 treatment, from any source, including another online provider;
  • planned surgery or anaesthesia, following the MHRA's warning about the risk of aspiration.

A concerning answer should hold the order for a prescriber, and some answers should end the consultation outright.

4. Contraception and pregnancy advice

The MHRA has reminded prescribers that these medicines should not be used in pregnancy, that people who could become pregnant should use effective contraception, and that tirzepatide may make oral contraceptives less effective, particularly when starting or increasing the dose. Patients should also be told how long before a planned pregnancy to stop treatment. Record that the advice was given, not just that a leaflet exists.

5. Share information with the GP

The GPhC expects the patient's GP to be told about weight management prescribing where appropriate. If a patient has no GP or will not consent to sharing, the prescriber has to make an individual, risk-based decision and record why they did or did not go ahead. Store what was sent, when, and whether it was received.

6. Dose increases and repeat supply

Each step up in dose and each repeat is a new clinical decision. Before resupplying, ask about side effects, current weight with fresh verification where needed, and changes in health or other medicines. If a patient has missed doses, they may need to restart at a lower dose. Do not let a subscription send stock out automatically without a prescriber's review. Our guide to repeat supply, reassessment and cancellation covers this in detail.

7. Marketing and the product choice

Prescription-only medicines cannot be advertised to the public in the UK, and the ASA has acted repeatedly against weight loss injection adverts. A patient can say which product they would prefer, but the prescriber decides with the patient during the consultation. Your shop has to let the prescriber change or refuse the request without a manual workaround.

8. Keep the record

Every point above only counts if you can show it on request. That means a dated, tamper-evident record of the questions as asked, the verification evidence, the prescriber's decision and reasoning, the advice given, GP correspondence and each repeat. The GPhC's April 2026 review of weight management services found gaps in exactly these areas; see our note on that review.

How Sync-RX handles this

Sync-RX provides consultation forms with BMI questions, image upload and rejection screens for ineligible answers, flags from BMI, keywords, subscription timing and image authenticity checks, identity checks through Veriff, LexisNexis or video verification, clinician review and signed prescriptions locked once issued, document exchange with GPs through Docman, and repeat cycles with wellbeing check-ins. See GPhC expectations for online prescribing for the wider picture, or talk to us about your own setup.

Sources

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