Image caption, Kathleen McLaughlin says she is grateful to be one of the patients accessing the jabs on the NHS
ByLisa Summers, Scotland health and social care correspondent and Georgina Hayes, Scotland health producer- Published2 minutes ago
Fewer than 800 Scots have received jabs for weight loss on the NHS despite them being approved for use three years ago, BBC News has found.
While private prescriptions for Wegovey and Mounjaro have soared, fewer than half of Scotland's health boards currently offer the treatment specifically for weight loss - and then only as part of small pilot schemes.
Leading doctors have described the situation as "discriminatory" and argued that the lack of access on the NHS is widening health inequalities.
The Scottish government said the medicines were part of a range of treatments for obesity, and that individual health boards were responsible for decisions on the availability of medicines.
A third of Scots are classified as obese, which can lead to serious health complications including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
Medications like Mounjaro and Wegovy have been prescribed for people with type 2 diabetes for many years, and are thought to have been used by thousands of patients.
These GLP-1 injections suppress people's appetites, causing them to feel fuller sooner - but are not suitable for everyone and can have side effects.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Mounjaro is one of the weight management drugs
Mounjaro has been approved for use specifically for weight loss on the NHS in Scotland since 2023, and Wegovy was approved in 2024.
We sent a freedom of information request to every health board in Scotland, asking them if they prescribe the jabs to patients specifically for weight loss.
Five told us that they do prescribe the drugs as part of pilot projects which allow a small number of patients to access the jabs on the NHS.
They are: NHS Forth Valley, NHS Borders, NHS Lothian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Western Isles and the NHS State Hospital.
The figures showed that a total of 705 patients had received injections for weight loss by September 2026.
It has been estimated that at least 300,000 people are accessing the drugs privately, according to the company Simple Online Pharmacy.
Scotland's nine other health boards say they do not currently routinely prescribe for weight loss specifically, although some are looking to introduce access.
There may be some exceptional circumstances where patients in those areas are able to access the drugs.
Image caption, Kathleen has been losing weight to prepare for surgery
Kathleen McClaughlin, from Laurieston, is one of the patients who can access the injections on the NHS.
The 54-year-old was referred to NHS Forth Valley's programme by her gynaecologist because she needs surgery, but her weight was too high for it to go ahead safely.
Having "tried and failed many times" to lose weight, she now has arthritis and other mobility issues.
"It stops your life progressing. You're just vegetating your life away," she said.
Kathleen did not want to pay privately for the jabs, concerned about not having the right support.
"I didn't want to go down that route without having somebody by my side to guide me through it," she said.
Image caption, Strict criteria were used to select patients for the Forth Valley pilot
The pilot in Forth Valley involves regular check-ups with a pharmacist and dietician.
Studies have found that people who come off weight loss injections can regain their lost pounds four times faster than those who stop conventional diet and exercise.
To keep the weight off, experts say a package of measures is key, from healthier eating habits to exercise regimes and health monitoring.
Kathleen has lost four stone since April - equivalent to 13% of her body weight - and says both her physical and mental health have improved.
"I can't believe that I'm having the opportunity when so many other people are having to pay for it or not having even the chance for it," she added.
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Strict criteria were used to select patients for the programme, which is based at Falkirk Community Hospital.
They needed to have a BMI of 40 or above and be living with at least four serious medical conditions, or in need of life-altering surgery.
It currently involves 48 patients, while a further 18 receive the drugs directly through their GP practices.
However, the weight loss service is not accepting new referrals while the pilot is under way.
Claire Colligan, NHS Forth Valley's associate director of pharmacy for primary and community care, says the board wants to expand the programme but needs to ensure it is manageable.
"It's very frustrating for people to know that these medicines are available and that they're not able to access them through the NHS - but these drugs are not going away," she said.
"We'll have more understanding of how they work, which groups to target."
'Colossal amounts of money'
Access to weight loss drugs on the NHS is governed by strict criteria across the UK.
Last year, BBC Scotland News established that very few people were accessing them on the NHS in Scotland.
Dr Mark Strachan, a diabetes specialist and president of the Royal College of Physicians, said it was "unacceptable" that there had been "no meaningful progress" since then.
"The NHS is spending colossal amounts of money every year to treat the complications of obesity," he said.
"And the NHS pays for these rather than paying for interventions that would treat the underlying obesity and reduce the health consequences."
Doctors have previously warned that if everyone eligible for the jabs could get them on the NHS then it would bankrupt the health service overnight.
Dr Strachan said they were "safe" and "cost-effective", and could be rolled out in a targeted way to those at most risk.
Image source, Royal College of PhysiciansImage caption, Dr Mark Strachan is a diabetes specialist
"The problem that we're seeing at the moment is that many health boards aren't rolling out these medicines at all, even to those who are in the highest possible risk categories and individuals who would would benefit the most from them," he said.
This lack of access was "discriminating against people with obesity", he added.
Dr Strachan said he had found himself in the "unusual situation" of being able to prescribe the drugs for someone with type 2 diabetes, but then unable to prescribe them to someone else for weight loss complications later the same day.
He is also concerned about high levels of private use without the input of health professionals.
"I can't think of many classes of medicines where there are such high levels of private prescriptions," he said.
"That goes against all of the norms that we have within the NHS in Scotland around safe prescribing practices."
With people on lower incomes more likely to be obese, Dr Strachan said the gap between private and NHS access was also increasing health inequalities.
Image caption, Dr Jane Sehgal said weight loss was a complex condition
Dr Jane Sehgal is a GP and health coach based in Edinburgh who supports people who are paying privately for GLP-1s.
She said weight loss was a complex condition to manage responsibly.
Dr Seghal said it could be affected by a range of factors like sleep, stress, work-life balance and relationships - and that people needed to address the impact of their lifestyle and behaviour.
Sabriena Clayton, 48, had struggled with her weight her entire life, despite exercising regularly and eating well.
She started paying privately for GLP-1 medication two years ago after her BMA rose to over 30 - within the range to qualify for NHS use.
She has now lost three stone.
"At the start it was like a switch going off in my brain where I just didn't think about food and could make really healthy choices," she said.
"I just feel so much more at ease with myself. I'm literally not carrying around weight in my head or on my body."
Scotland's Public Health Minister Maree Todd said medicines were one of a range of effective treatments for obesity, alongside a balanced diet and exercise.
"Individual health boards are responsible for decisions on the implementation and availability of medicines, including obesity medicines," she said.
"Health board decision-making is supported by the National Consensus Statement on the use of GLP-1s, which recommends that obesity medicines are introduced in a phased manner depending on a patient's body mass index and any obesity-related conditions."
