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The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has urged women to use effective contraception when taking type 2 diabetes and obesity medicines in its updated guidance amid concerns people are not using the drugs safely.

The medicines regulator said in some cases, women should use contraception for up to two months between stopping their course of medicine and trying to get pregnant.

It also warned ‘skinny jabs’ should not be taken during pregnancy or breastfeeding or whilst trying to get pregnant and urged women who get pregnant while using them to speak to a healthcare professional and stop taking the medicine as soon as possible.

The MHRA sajd there was not enough data to show whether taking GLP-1 medicines including Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, Saxenda and Victoza harms unborn babies.

However, it cautioned Mounjaro could reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives in overweight people. The MHRA said overweight people taking the drug and using an oral contraceptive should also use a non-oral contraceptive.

“This only applies to those taking Mounjaro and is especially important for the four weeks after starting Mounjaro and after any dose increase,” the medicines regulator said.

Regulations and guidance must keep pace with huge demand for skinny jabs

National Pharmacy Association medication safety officer Jasmine Shah said it was “important that regulations and guidance keep pace” with the huge demand for weight loss medicines.

“Community pharmacies have been experiencing unprecedented levels of interest for weight loss injections,” she said, insisting the General Pharmaceutical Council had “taken on board” the NPA’s concerns about “a small number of patients” who have accessed weight loss jabs “without proper consultation or examination of historical medical records”.

"Medicines are not like ordinary goods for sale; they must be handled with great care because they have the power to harm as well as to heal,” Shah added.

“We also reiterate warnings from the MHRA to avoid any potential fake weight loss injections sold on social media or via beauty salons, which could pose a serious risk to someone's health. We urge anyone who have concerns about this medication to speak to their pharmacist for advice.”