The UK’s General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has formally recognised Oushk Pharmacy as one of the first digital pharmacies to meet its new standards for the remote supply of medicines requiring additional safeguards, including GLP-1 weight-management treatments.

The recognition comes as regulatory scrutiny intensifies around the online prescribing of medicines such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, driven by rapid growth in demand for weight-loss treatments and concerns around patient safety, governance and inappropriate access.

Introduced in early 2025, the GPhC’s strengthened standards aim to improve consistency, transparency and patient protection for medicines supplied at a distance. Online providers are now required to demonstrate enhanced clinical assessments, robust governance frameworks, full supply-chain traceability and clearly defined aftercare arrangements for patients receiving treatment.

Oushk was an early adopter of the new framework, implementing prescriber-led video consultations for all GLP-1 prescriptions. As part of the process, patient identity and BMI are verified during the consultation, ensuring individuals meet prescribing criteria before treatment is supplied. Patients who do not meet eligibility requirements are excluded from receiving weight-management medicines.

Additional changes introduced by the pharmacy included enhanced checks for contraindications, increased senior clinician oversight and independent reviews of patient-facing information to ensure accuracy and clarity. Oushk also updated its dispensing workflows to improve traceability and introduced a more structured follow-up process for patients receiving GLP-1 therapies.

Hira Malik, superintendent pharmacist and co-founder of Oushk Pharmacy, said: “This is an important moment for online pharmacy. Digital prescribing has expanded rapidly, and these standards make clear what good looks like when medicines requiring additional safeguards are supplied remotely.

“We made a deliberate decision to implement the framework early and in full. This recognition demonstrates that online pharmacies can operate with rigorous clinical governance, clear accountability, and strong patient safeguards, and it sets a benchmark the wider sector can align to.”

The recognition places Oushk at the forefront of a regulatory shift designed to raise standards across the digital pharmacy sector. The GPhC has made clear that providers supplying medicines requiring additional safeguards must be able to show how safety, governance and clinical decision-making function in practice, rather than relying solely on policies or automated systems.

Weight-management medicines have become a particular focus for regulators due to their popularity, potential side effects and the risks associated with inappropriate prescribing. The GPhC’s updated standards reflect growing concern that some online models may prioritise speed or convenience over robust clinical oversight.

By embedding mandatory video consultations and strengthening governance processes, Oushk’s approach reflects a move away from transactional prescribing models towards more traditional clinical interactions, adapted for a digital setting. The pharmacy’s model also aligns with broader regulatory expectations that online providers should mirror the standards applied in face-to-face care wherever possible.

Oushk Pharmacy launched in January 2024 and operates as a UK-registered online pharmacy, providing access to prescription medicines following clinical assessment and in line with professional and regulatory guidance. As regulation around remote prescribing continues to evolve, the company’s early adoption of the GPhC framework highlights how digital pharmacy models may adapt to meet higher regulatory thresholds while maintaining patient access to care.