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The National Pharmacy Association chair Olivier Picard has welcomed reports the Government plans to roll out weight loss injections on prescription in pharmacies as part of a UK-wide trial but cautioned they must be properly funded to provide jabs on the NHS.

Reports have emerged that Labour is in talks with a pharmaceutical company to fund the pilot, which would see pharmacies provide injections such as Ozempic and Mounjaro to patients for the price of an NHS prescription after a short consultation.

Pharmacies, including online pharmacies, have been providing weight loss injections through private prescriptions but the Government is keen to widen access to the jabs. The health secretary Wes Streeting has said they could be used to increase productivity by helping unemployed people lose weight and return to work.

Picard (pictured) said the availability of “medicines that could cut damaging levels of obesity shouldn’t be restricted to those who can pay or disadvantage deprived communities”.

“We’re yet to see the detail but this announcement has the potential to make sure that people who need these treatments the most could access them for free,” he said.

“Pharmacies are the most accessible part of the NHS and there are many pharmacies in deprived areas despite recent challenges.

“Pharmacists are experts in medication and many have extensive experience delivering weight loss injections as part of a package of care including lifestyle advice. They are best placed to help roll this treatment out on the NHS, with the right funding support.”

Independent Community Pharmacist has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care for more details about the trial.

A Labour spokesperson told Sky News: “As the government shifts the NHS from sickness to prevention, we will be looking across the board at how these drugs can be made available to more people who can benefit from them.

“The NHS is already tackling obesity in innovative ways, including through community care models and digital technologies, to help deliver these drugs as part of a rounded package of care.”

Company Chemists’ Association chief executive Malcolm Harrison said allowing people to get weight loss injections on prescription from pharmacies will "significantly widen access for patients and could help to significantly reduce levels of obesity nationwide".

"It will be a great step towards delivering greater preventative care, one of the three shifts of the government’s plans for the NHS," he said.

"Community pharmacy has a proven track record of delivering preventative healthcare interventions at scale, such as vaccinations and blood pressure screenings. If appropriately funded, this is a service community pharmacy would be well placed to deliver."