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Boots issues important 'couldnt be confident' update for customers using weight loss injections

'Patient safety has to come first', the high street pharmacy said

[Shoppers and visitors out on Oxford Street pass Boots the chemist ]

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Boots is pausing its delivery of weight loss jabs

Boots is temporarily pausing home delivery of weight loss injections during the heatwave due to safety concerns, it has said. The pharmacy chain said it had made the decision in order to keep the medication safe in transit amid temperatures set to exceed 30C across the country.

It followed new testing by the Boots Online Doctor service that found cold chain packaging could not reliably keep weight loss injections within their required temperature range once outdoor temperatures exceeded 30C. It is advising patients to collect their medication from a local Boots store instead.

Weight loss injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro must be kept below 8C to maintain their quality and effectiveness, but Boots said the gel-pack cold chain packaging used across the industry to transport medications that require refrigeration had never been tested above 30C despite the increasing frequency of UK heatwaves.

Eight tests sent out by Boots on June 25, coinciding with outdoor temperatures exceeding 30C the next day, found each one recorded temperatures above 8C on arrival, indicating that standard packaging could not consistently keep the medication within its required temperature range throughout transit.

The chain said it had already temporarily paused its home deliveries of the jabs on several occasions this summer as successive heatwaves hit the UK. It said new packaging was expected to be introduced in the coming weeks, enabling the medication to be sent out at temperatures of up to 35C.

Mandeep Kaur, pharmacist lead for the weight loss service at Boots Online Doctor, said: Weight loss injections are sensitive to temperature. Its important to store them as recommended, since exposure to temperatures outside the recommended range may affect the medicines quality and effectiveness.

Wed 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, dont use it and contact your provider.

This is exactly why weve made the decision to temporarily pause deliveries during this summers heatwaves rather than risk sending out medication we couldnt 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. Its also worth knowing that not all weight loss injections have identical storage requirements some brands allow a little more flexibility once theyre out of the fridge than some other brands.

But the margin isnt 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.

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