Home deliveries of weight loss injections have been temporarily paused by Boots due to safety concerns as temperatures across the country rise above 30C.
The pharmacy chain explained that the decision was taken to safeguard the medication during transit amid the ongoing heatwave.
The suspension follows fresh testing conducted by the Boots Online Doctor service, which demonstrated that cold chain packaging cannot reliably hold weight loss drugs within their required temperature threshold when external heat surpasses 30C.
Patients are currently being advised to collect their medication directly from a local store.
Injectable treatments such as Wegovy and Mounjaro must remain stored below 8C to ensure their quality and overall effectiveness.
Boots highlighted that the gel-pack cold chain packaging commonly utilised throughout the healthcare sector for refrigerated pharmaceuticals had never been tested above 30C, despite UK heatwaves becoming increasingly frequent.
During recent assessments, eight test packages dispatched by Boots on 25 June ahead of temperatures exceeding 30C the following day all recorded internal readings above 8C upon arrival. The results showed that standard delivery packaging is unable to consistently keep the drugs cold enough 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. 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.”
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