Summary

Medicines can help in health-related weight management, provided the person also makes changes to what they eat and does enough physical activity. Pharmacists are well placed to safely assess and initiate treatment with GLP-1s and, with their teams, to provide support during and after treatment. Establishing a structure for clinical history-taking, use of additional sources of information, and accurate consultation records are essential.

Useful resources

• Weight loss medicines in England. Research briefing. House of Commons, 2025
• MHRA drug safety update. GLP-1 receptor agonists: reminder of the potential side-effects and the potential for misuse
• The evolving role of GLP1-RA in obesity. RCGP e-learning podcast. Available on RCGP website (members only) and free to non-members at Apple Podcasts
• The King’s Fund. GLP-1 drugs on the NHS: Can, and should, we roll them out at scale?
• Example of NHS regional guidance on safe and appropriate use of GLP-1s. West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership Guideline for the Safe and Appropriate Use of GLP-1s and Incretin Therapies
• NICE has produced a suite of resources to support the NHS rollout of tirzepatide, many of which are relevant and useful for pharmacy use, including an initial assessment checklist and discussion aid. NICE TA1026

In Toolkit 4 we look at designing and implementing a weight management service.