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Boots has temporarily paused home deliveries of weight loss injections amid concerns these medicines cannot reliably be kept at the appropriate temperature when it hits above 30 degrees outside.

The move follows testing from the chain’s online doctor service that found gel-pack cold chain storage may not keep the products at the required temperature of below 8 degrees Celsius in the current heatwave.

Of eight dispatch packages tested on June 25 this year, all were found to be above 8 degrees upon arrival.

The company advised patients to collect from their local pharmacy instead, adding that new packaging set to be introduced in the coming weeks will allow for GLP-1s to be transported in temperatures of up to 35 degrees.

Mandeep Kaur, the pharmacist lead with Boots Online Doctor’s weight loss service, said: “Weight loss injections are sensitive to temperature. It’s important to store them as recommended, since exposure to temperatures outside the recommended range may affect the medicine’s quality and effectiveness.

“We’d always encourage patients to check their medication when it arrives and before administering them: look out for the solution appearing cloudy, discoloured or containing visible particles, or the packaging feeling warm to the touch on arrival. If in doubt, don’t use it and contact your provider.

“This is exactly why we’ve made the decision to temporarily pause deliveries during this summer’s heatwaves rather than risk sending out medication we couldn’t be confident had stayed within the recommended temperature range, which may impact its effectiveness and quality.

“Patient safety has to come first, even if that means a short-term inconvenience.

“It’s also worth knowing that not all weight loss injections have identical storage requirements – some brands allow a little more flexibility once they’re out of the fridge than some other brands.

“But the margin isn’t unlimited, and once the medication has been exposed to temperatures above 30C, it needs to be checked and replaced if it is not suitable for use, rather than relying on that flexibility to cover for a hot delivery.”