New Report: Weight Loss Service

Introduction

News articles have journaled the popularity and usage increase in weight loss drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro and others similar medicines over the past couple of years. This article outlines how these medicines effect contraception and detail how RWA Pharmacy’s newest report can help customers support patients with this.

How do these drugs work?

Weight loss drugs such as the ones listed above work by copying the hormone GLP-1, which stands for glucagon-like peptide one. The hormone manages hunger and slows down digestion, thus aiding weight loss.

BBC News reported that Patients reported losing 14% of their weight within 72 weeks of taking Wegovy. Mounjaro patients reported a weight loss of 20% within the same 72 week time period.

The weight lost can be regained quickly once patients stop taking the drug. This is why it always needs to be prescribed with an exercise and diet plan.

Like all medicines, there are side effects in taking these drugs. Common side effects include nausea, constipation and diarrhoea to name a few. However, in recent months, there have been reports and warnings issued around taking certain weight-loss drugs and the effectiveness of contraceptives.

Are these drugs available on NHS?

Medicines such as wegovy are now available on the NHS in England, Wales and Scotland, enabling many patients who are obese (which is defined as having a BMI of at least 35) and who have a minimum of one other weight-related health condition – for example, hypertension. Otherwise, drugs like this are only available to patients who have cardiovascular disease and are overweight, but maybe not obese. These drugs are prescribed alongside a set diet and exercise routine for a maximum of 2 years.

The results of taking weight-loss medication such as these has been transformational for many users. However, as usage rates rise, so does knowledge around some other side-effects these drugs may bring.

How does this impact contraception?

In recent months, the UK media have published articles suggesting a link between weight loss drugs and pregnancy.  Women who are taking these drugs should consult their doctors straight away and stop using the medication should they become pregnant. As a result, understanding contraceptive options is vital for those taking the weight-loss drugs.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have now issued a notice to the UK public. The Guardian reported on this story in June 2025;

Mounjaro may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives such as the pill in people who are overweight, and that women taking the medication should use barrier contraceptives such as condoms. It said it had received 26 pregnancy-related reports for Mounjaro.

MHRA received 40 reports relating to pregnancies and so are issuing notice for women to be extra cautious on the use of contraceptives while using these weight-loss drugs as the ingredient tirzepatide may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. This ingredient is found in Mounjaro.

What does this mean for pharmacies?

NHS pharmacies are likely to have many patients who are taking weight loss drugs that have the potential to become pregnant and may be taking oral contraceptives. In order to support patients, pharmacies may need to discuss contraception choices and best practices with patients before taking their weight-loss drug.

In order to facilitate this, RWA Pharmacy have created a new weight loss and contraception module. The report has been created to enable pharmacies to monitor usage trends, patient adherence and follow ups, ensure safe prescribing practices – especially around contraception and support operational planning across pharmacy groups.

What does the RWA Pharmacy report do?

1. Dispensing Activity

Our report tracks the monthly dispensing volumes of various weight loss drugs such as (Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic). It breaks each product down by dosage and formulation, with totals calculated monthly and cumulatively.

2. Branch-level Analysis

Dispensing data is segmented by branch for group customers. It is then further categorised by:

• NHS vs. Private prescriptions
• Item types and schemes (e.g., FP10, PGD, Nurse Independent Prescriber)

This allows the pharmacy to monitor service uptake and performance across locations.

3. Patient Tracking

The report includes detailed patient-level data:

• Visit history: First visit, latest visit, expected return.
• Dispensed packs: Number of packs given at last visit.
• Status: Many patients are marked as “Overdue”, indicating missed follow-ups.
• Contraceptive considerations: Especially for female patients on GLP-1 agonists like tirzepatide, with flags such as:
• “No Contraception – Consider Non-Oral”
• “Oral Contraception – Review Needed”
• “Contraception Recorded”

4. Clinical Guidance:

The report highlights a key clinical advisory:

Tirzepatide may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. Patients should be counselled on alternative methods or referred for contraception services.

Conclusion:

RWA Pharmacy is delighted to offer this new report to our customers and help them support their patients. If you are a pharmacy owner or indeed already a customer of RWA Pharmacy and would like to learn more about our newest report, get in touch today!