Is this model of getting weight loss prescriptions legal?

A health law expert has examined the LillyDirect platform, which now facilitates dispensing of the pharmaceutical company's own GLP1 medicine in Australia.

He talks through the regulations that apply to this model to see how it stacks up. 

Norman Swan is a director of a company that has a share in an online pharmacy business.

Guest/s

• Dr Christopher Rudge, lecturer at Sydney Law School, and Deputy Director of Sydney Health Law 

References

• Weight loss drug will be easier to access as Eli Lilly disrupts the pharmacy model

• ABC News: Doctors condemn Eli Lilly move to dispense GLP-1 medication Mounjaro direct to door

  Lilly Australia told ABC News that LillyDirect operates within existing regulatory frameworks and that the service would improve affordability and convenience for Australians. A spokesperson said: "Australian doctors prescribe the medicine, Australian pharmacists review and dispense prescriptions, and Australian healthcare, pharmacy, privacy and regulatory requirements apply at every stage."