A new report from the London Assembly Health Committee: Weight loss medicines in London – warns the vast majority of people are currently obtaining weight loss drugs privately with counterfeit or unregulated ‘skinny jabs' being sold through social media, beauty salons, gyms and other informal settings.

Chair of the London Assembly Health Committee, Emma Best, said: ‘Weight loss medicines have the potential to transform the lives of many Londoners living with obesity, but right now access is deeply unequal. While thousands of people are able to buy these treatments privately, only a tiny fraction are receiving them on the NHS.'

The report points out only around 3,000 of a potential half a million people in the capital were receiving NHS weight loss drugs, resulting in a growing ‘two-tier system' of access.

The report calls for:

• accelerating the NHS rollout of weight loss medicines so eligible Londoners can access treatment sooner
• developing a London-wide clinical pathway and wraparound care offer to ensure patients receive consistent support alongside medication
• ensuring patient voices are included in the design of services and treatment pathways
• strengthening regulation and enforcement to tackle illegal and counterfeit weight-loss drugs, including the creation of a dedicated cross-agency taskforce.