Written question WQ97204
- Asked by
- James EvansConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 7 days
Question
What guidance and criteria are provided to GPs about prescribing GLP-1 receptor agonists weight loss injections such as semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide to NHS patients, and are there any updates or planned changes to this guidance concerning the role of primary care in initiating and managing prescriptions?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The All Wales Weight Management Pathway (Adult weight management pathway 2021 | GOV.WALES) sets out our approach to the development of weight management services for patients in Wales, consistent with NICE guidance. GLP-1 receptor agonists should only be prescribed through specialist services as set out within the All-Wales Weight Management Pathway. Work is currently being undertaken to determine if and how tirzepatide, and other weight loss medications licensed in the future, will be made available in the NHS in Wales. This work will consider implementation arrangements for primary care alongside the current specialist weight management services, assessment of capacity and costs, and developing safe and efficient delivery models that are scalable and sustainable.
It is not possible to provide the total number and breakdown of GLP-1 weight loss injections prescribed to NHS patients in Wales in the last year. This is because these medicines are licensed for the treatment of both diabetes and weight management. Whilst some GLP-1 branded formulations are only licenced for weight management, other formulations are licenced for both indications and some medicines are prescribed using their generic drug name.
Prescription data is not collected against a licensed indication; it is therefore not possible to accurately identify the number of prescriptions attributed specifically to weight management treatment.