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How to check a weight loss provider is legit (UK)

Anyone can build a convincing website. The check that matters is whether a real, registered pharmacy or clinic stands behind it. Here is how to confirm that in a few minutes, and what a safe provider should ask of you.

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The short version

  • The pharmacy that dispenses is on the GPhC register (Great Britain) or the PSNI register (Northern Ireland).
  • The clinic or online doctor that consults is registered with the CQC (England), HIS, HIW or RQIA elsewhere.
  • The prescriber is on the GMC register, or a nurse or pharmacist prescriber register.
  • A safe provider checks your weight, height and BMI properly. A sale after a few tick boxes is the warning sign.

Start with who is behind the brand

A weight loss brand you reach through an advert is often a shop front. One company runs the consultation, a separate pharmacy dispenses the medicine, and the brand name may belong to neither. That is legal, but it means the name on the website is not the thing to check. Find the pharmacy and the clinic behind it first, usually in the footer, the terms or the privacy policy, and check those.

Check each one on its register

  1. Find who is actually behind the brand. Many weight loss brands are a shop front. The medicine is dispensed by a separate pharmacy, and the consultation may be run by a different clinic. Look in the website footer, the terms and the privacy policy for the named pharmacy and its GPhC number, and for the clinic or prescribing company. If you cannot find a named, registered pharmacy, stop there.
  2. Check the pharmacy on its register. In Great Britain, search the GPhC register by the pharmacy name or premises number. In Northern Ireland, use the PSNI register. A registered pharmacy has a number, a named superintendent pharmacist and an address that matches.
  3. Check the clinic or online doctor. A service that consults and prescribes should be registered: with the CQC in England, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, or the RQIA in Northern Ireland. In England the CQC also gives it a rating. An online only service based in Scotland may not hold a Healthcare Improvement Scotland registration, so check the pharmacy behind it instead.
  4. Check the prescriber. A real service names who can prescribe. A doctor is on the GMC register; a nurse or pharmacist prescriber is on their own register. If no prescriber is named anywhere, treat that as a warning.

You do not have to do this by hand. Our checker does the lookup for you: put in a name, website or postcode and it returns the registration, the rating and the date we checked, with a link to the register so you can confirm it yourself.

Expect a real assessment, not a form

Since February 2025 the GPhC has treated weight loss medicines as high risk. A prescriber must check your weight, height and BMI independently, rather than accept a questionnaire on its own, and a phone call is not accepted. So a video call, a photo or video with identification, or a message to your GP are a sign the provider is following the rules, not an obstacle. A site that takes payment after a few tick boxes, with no real assessment, is the one to walk away from.

Red flags

  • No named, registered pharmacy or clinic you can find anywhere on the site.
  • No prescriber named.
  • No check of your weight, height or BMI before it sells to you.
  • A price far below everyone else.
  • Pressure to buy now, or a discount that expires in minutes.
  • It asks only for a photo and takes payment, with no consultation.
  • It shows the pen with a price, or uses a street name for the medicine. Advertising a prescription only medicine to the public is not allowed, and a provider that ignores that is worth a second look.

What each regulator covers

RegulatorCoversWhere
GPhC (PSNI in NI)The pharmacy and pharmacists who dispenseGreat Britain (PSNI: Northern Ireland)
CQC, HIS, HIW, RQIAThe clinic or online doctor that consults and prescribesEngland, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
GMC, NMCThe individual doctor or nurse prescriberUK wide

Let us do the check

Common questions

What is the difference between the CQC and the GPhC?
The GPhC registers pharmacies and pharmacists in Great Britain, so it covers who dispenses the medicine. The CQC registers and inspects clinics and online doctor services in England, so it covers the consultation and the prescriber service. Many weight loss providers touch both: a clinic that assesses you and a pharmacy that dispenses. Check each on its own register.
An online pharmacy sold me Mounjaro after a short questionnaire. Is that allowed?
A questionnaire on its own is not enough. Since February 2025 the GPhC has treated weight loss medicines as high risk, and the prescriber must verify your weight, height and BMI independently rather than take your word from a form. A video call, a photo or video with identification, or a message to your GP are the accepted ways. A sale after a few tick boxes and nothing else is the thing to avoid.
The brand is not on any register. Is it a scam?
Not always. The brand may be a front for a registered pharmacy that dispenses for it. Find that pharmacy's name and GPhC number, usually in the footer or terms, and check it. If you cannot find a named, registered pharmacy or clinic anywhere, do not buy.
They asked for a video call and my GP details. Is that normal?
Yes. That is the provider following the rules, not an obstacle. A service that checks who you are and talks to your GP is doing the safety step the regulator expects.

Sources

This guide explains the checks in general terms as of 2 November 2026. It is not legal or medical advice. Always confirm a provider on the regulator’s own register before you buy.