Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of people with type 2 diabetes impacted by the GLP-1 shortage.

Information on the number of people impacted by the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) shortage is not held by the Department. There continues to be a global supply issue with some GLP-1 receptor agonists, but following the Department’s ongoing engagement with manufacturers, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and others operating in the supply chain, the overall supply position has improved, with additional stock being secured to boost availability of these medicines for patients.

We issued updated guidance to healthcare professionals, in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert, on 3 January 2024. This provides advice on how to manage patients requiring these medicines. Our guidance remains clear that GLP-1 receptor agonists that are solely licensed to treat type 2 diabetes should only be used for that purpose and should not be prescribed for weight loss.