High profits Demand for the new drugs has been leapt on by pharmacies

Demand for the new drugs has been leapt on by pharmacies

- Nicola Davis

It is a trend rooted in profit-making. Adverts featuring prescription-only weight-loss medications are splashed across the internet – and the phenomenon is causing concern among experts. But the question remains: who is driving the boom?

Consider drugs for other conditions, be it asthma or high blood pressure: a quick internet search might throw up a couple of online pharmacies, but not page after page of results offering discount codes for consultations, special offers for returning customers or money-off deals.

However, when it comes to the booming business of weight-loss injections, a web search reveals a different story.

Boots offers returning customers 10% off each time they reorder a weight-loss treatment – a promotion that appears at the bottom of a page featuring Wegovy, Mounjaro and other prescription-only drugs.

The website of the online pharmacy Pharmacy2U lists the prices of medications including Wegovy and Mounjaro together with a promotional code entitling customers to £40 off their first four weeks’ supply.

Taking a different approach, Daily Chemist is emailing £25 credits for weight-loss orders to customers, together with a link taking them directly to prescription-only weight-loss medications. Such emails have been sent to people who have previously told the pharmacy they have a healthy weight.