New Irish fast-track home delivery weight-loss service

Lloyds Online Doctor has expanded its weight-loss service in Ireland, allowing eligible patients to have their prescriptions delivered to their door. Patients who have clinical weight-loss consultations via the Lloyds Online Doctor website will now have the option of getting their prescriptions fulfilled and delivered to their door by a pharmacy delivery partner1 or collecting them from another pharmacy of their choice.

The new option comes amid a national shortage of GPs, leading to delays in people being able to obtain prescriptions. With an estimated one million people in Ireland living with a BMI over 30, demand for weight-loss treatments continues to rise, placing further pressure on already stretched primary care services.

New home delivery weight-loss service

At the same time, constrained access through traditional routes has contributed to a surge in unsafe alternatives entering the market. Demand for weight-loss medications has driven a near-3,000% rise in illegal GLP-1 treatments seized by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) last year, highlighting the need for safe, regulated and clinically supervised access.

The expanded service aims to address these challenges by combining safe and rapid access with high clinical standards. Patients complete an online consultation assessed by qualified clinicians – ensuring only appropriate treatments are prescribed – then have their medication delivered quickly and securely. They can also arrange to collect it in-person from any pharmacy across the Republic.

The service, which will bring down the typical time taken to receive prescribed treatments from several days to 24-48 hours, aims to reduce delays while maintaining medical safeguards. The provision of Saturday consultations online as well as six-day delivery will also give patients more flexibility in managing their medication needs. The delivery also applies to patients who are with Lloyds Online Doctor for erectile dysfunction, contraception, and hair loss services.

Dr Kieran Seyan, Chief Medical Officer at Lloyds Online Doctor, comments: “This represents an important step in improving patient access in Ireland, enabling prescribed medication to be delivered directly to patients in a safe and efficient way. At a time when access to primary care can be variable in some parts of the country, our service provides an additional route for patients to obtain a clinician-reviewed prescription, where appropriate, without requiring an in-person appointment.

“We are seeing growing demand for weight management services, where access to safe, regulated treatment is essential. By combining clinician-led assessment, independent pharmacy review and the option for home delivery, this approach enables us to support more patients while maintaining robust clinical standards and governance.”

1Fulfilment and delivery service provided by Healthwave Pharmacy (medications are paid for at the pharmacy and are not included in the consultation fee)

About Lloyds Online Doctor

Lloyds Online Doctor is a digital healthcare service focused on improving access to regulated clinical care in Ireland. Launched in July 2013, it provides online consultations and clinician-led assessment for a defined range of conditions, where appropriate, with prescriptions issued following clinical review.

All doctors are registered with the Irish Medical Council and practise within the island of Ireland. Lloyds Online Doctor is the trading name of Algorithmic Health Ireland Limited, an Irish-registered company wholly owned by Pharmacy2U, which operates LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor in the UK.

Clinical governance and medical oversight are led by Dr Kieran Seyan across Ireland and the UK. Services operate in line with Irish medical regulatory requirements, with prescribing carried out in accordance with applicable professional and regulatory standards.

See more breaking stories here.