PRESCRIPTIONS handed out for semaglutide - a drug used to treat diabetes and more commonly known as Ozempic - more than doubled in Barnsley last year, new figures show.
Semaglutide is commonly known by the brand names Wegovy or Ozempic.
It works by helping the body produce more insulin, reduces the amount of sugar produced by the body, and slows down digestion.
Early last year, supply issues with the drug led to the NHS also offering tirzepatide as an alternative for diabetes patients.
This is commonly known as Mounjaro.
Figures from the NHS’ Open Prescribing service shows semaglutide appeared on GP prescriptions an average of 489 times a month in the year to November across the Barnsley area.
This was a significant rise from 226 the year before.
Last January the UK Health Service Authority warned of potential shortages of the drug due to increased demand, although these had been resolved by the beginning of this year.
Meanwhile, tirzepatide prescriptions steadily rose over the course of 2024, appearing on 116,000 GP prescriptions in November.
Figures show this appeared on GP prescriptions 545 times in Barnsley in November, the latest month for which there is available data.
While supply issues may have slowed the increase in prescriptions of semaglutide, across England the number of GP prescriptions has still risen, even with the alternatives.
There was a monthly average of 124,000 prescriptions in the year to November, up from 103,000 a year earlier.
These figures are for diabetes patients, as the drugs can currently only be provided by GPs for this reason.
However, they can also be prescribed for obesity through specialist NHS weight loss services or private providers.
Professor Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said rising demand for these drugs was a reflection of their effectiveness.
However, she warned the supply of these drugs for diabetes patients should ‘remain a priority’ as demand for weight-loss drugs increases.
She added: “We fully support these safeguards to ensure safe prescribing practices and reduce risks associated with online supply of medicines.
“The inclusion of measures to ensure prescribers independently verify information provided by the patient, and weight loss medicines being added to the list of high-risk medicines, is a key step toward protecting patient safety.”
Concerns about the misprescribing of these drugs for weight loss has led to the General Pharmaceutical Council tightening the criteria under which they can be given to patients by online pharmacies.
Duncan Rudkin, chief executive of the organisation, said there have been ‘too many cases of medicines being supplied inappropriately online and putting people at risk’.
Under the new rules, the prescriber will need to independently verify ‘weight, height and/or body mass index’.
“This could be through a video consultation, in person, from the person’s clinical records or by contacting another healthcare provider such as the person’s GP,” the new guidance states.
“Verifying information through a phone call would not be appropriate when supplying medication for weight loss.”
The NHS has previously urged online pharmacies to ‘act responsibly’ when prescribing the drug.
