SHIFT Newsroom · Scotland
Scottish GLP-1 prescribing varies by area: what the new report can and cannot tell us
A report published on29October found substantial differences in recorded NHS GLP-1 prescribing between Scottish health boards. It raises questions about how accepted medicines reach patients, but does not tell an individual whether they can obtain treatment today.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, supported by LCP Health, analysed routinely collected prescribing data from September2020 to August2025. Its final three-month comparison found around a tenfold difference between the highest- and lowest-prescribing boards, after accounting for population size.
The limits matter. Small island populations can produce large swings in rates. The data combine diabetes and weight-management uses, exclude private prescribing and measure medicine quantities rather than individual access or treatment outcomes. This is an industry-body analysis, not a clinical trial or a ranking of care quality.
For wider context, see SHIFT's explanation of Scotland's prevention plans.
Sources: ABPI announcement,29October2026; original report and methods. Relevant methods, limitations and GLP-1 results checked1November; underlying patient-level data were not available.
SHIFT’s take
For someone seeking support, the useful question remains which local assessment and referral pathway applies. The report does not change eligibility or create a new entitlement. Ask your existing clinical team about the route for your circumstances.
Known facts
- This is an industry-body analysis, not a clinical trial or a ranking of care quality.