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People who stop taking weight-loss medication need ongoing support to maintain their weight, according to an updated quality standard from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
The ‘Quality standard for overweight and obesity management‘, published on 5 August 2025, has recommended that people should be offered support for at least one year after their weight-loss medication or programme has ended, to reduce the risk of regaining weight.
In the guidance document, NICE has outlined expectations for healthcare providers, including offering patients regular feedback for at least one year, support to develop new routines to help maintain their weight and an action plan they can use if they do begin to regain weight.
The standard has also emphasised the importance of offering advice to improve health and wellbeing at the end of medication or a weight management programme.
Service providers should also have clear protocols in place for the support they will continue to offer.
For people currently living with obesity and still using medication for it, NICE has also recommended wraparound care focused on improving diet and nutrition and increasing physical activity.
The guidance has highlighted that people with a learning disability — whom NICE considers at higher risk of obesity than the general population — should be supported to access weight management medication and programmes.
Service providers and healthcare professionals should ensure their teams are trained to “consider the individual needs of people accessing the service” and that the information is fully accessible, the standard said.
Currently, GPs can prescribe Mounjaro (tirzepatide; Eli Lilly) on the NHS, while Wegovy (semaglutide; Novo Nordic) is only available on the NHS through specialist weight management services.
Jonathan Benger, deputy chief executive and chief medical officer at NICE, said: “Successful weight management doesn’t end when medication stops or when someone completes a behavioural programme.
“We know that the transition period after treatment is crucial, and people need structured support to maintain the positive changes they’ve made,” he added.
“This new standard makes sure services provide that vital continuity of care, and it supports the NHS ten-year plan to shift from a ‘sickness service’ to a genuine health service focused on prevention.”
Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, commented: “Pharmacies take their responsibilities seriously to provide full wraparound support to patients trying to achieve a healthy weight.
“We know that although medication can be effective in speeding up weight loss in some people, it is not a silver bullet and patients need to make long-term lifestyle changes to make their weight loss sustainable.”
Gregg added that the NHS rollout of weight-loss treatment is small, with only a “handful” of patients receiving it, while most eligible patients will continue to be seen by their pharmacy.
“If the government want to scale up the NHS rollout to help more patients, they should use the massive skills and expertise of pharmacies and fund them to reach millions more of those most in need of help,” he said.
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association, said: “Through their accessibility and convenience, pharmacies are well placed to provide a wraparound weight-loss care service, to ensure patients can continue on their journey of a healthier lifestyle, even after they have stopped using GLP-1 [glucagon-like peptide-1] medicines.
“However, any proposed NHS service would need to be fully costed and appropriately funded.”
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, added that to meet rising demand safely, “the government must provide a fairer funding model for our sector”.
“Currently, we’re being asked to do more without the investment needed to do it sustainably. Pharmacies can deliver the continuing care weight-loss and other patients need, but only if they can keep the doors open,” she said.
At the launch of the NHS ten-year plan on 3 July 2025, prime minister Keir Starmer said that the future vision included a shift to preventive care, including “innovative weight loss services — available in pharmacies”.
Hannbeck added: “The NHS ten-year plan rightly commits to expanding pharmacy provision in tackling long-term conditions. If the government [is] serious about patient safety and delivering better long-term outcomes, then pharmacies must be placed at the heart of the solution — and properly funded to deliver it.”
