A weight-loss injection which suppresses the appetite is now available at all Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy branches.
After Britain was confirmed as the most obese nation in Europe, the jab – which is named Saxenda, or is sometimes referred to as Liraglutide – is intended to suppress a person’s appetite and works by mimicking a hormone called GLP1, which is the hormone that is released after you eat to let you know you’re full.
When combined with a low-fat food plan and moderate levels of activity, users of Saxenda should expect to lose 5% of their body weight over three months.
It is not recommended if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or have certain health conditions, such as liver or kidney problems.
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Users of Saxenda should expect to lose 5% of their body weight over three months / Credit: Saxenda | Novo Nordisk
On Saxenda’s website, it says that common side effects for those taking the injection include nausea, tiredness, constipation and low blood sugar, among other things, and among the serious side effects it lists “thyroid tumours, including cancer”.
It is important to note, however, Saxenda is a weight-loss aid and not a cure that works without major dietary and lifestyle changes.
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First approved in the UK in 2017 and initially only available through private prescription, Saxenda was recently rolled out on the NHS under strict criteria, which means that to get access to the jab at the likes of Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy, you will have take an online questionnaire and match such criteria that changes depending on the individual.
Saxenda is now available at all Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy branches / Credit: Flickr
In most cases, you have to be 30 or above on the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale and have tried other methods of losing weight before being accepted for Saxenda.
During the online consultation, you will be asked about your medical history and symptoms, and your answers help assess your suitability for treatment.
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If accepted, you can pick up your jabs in store or have them delivered for free to your home. Saxenda comes in a 3ml pre-filled injection pen, with a single pen lasting 17 days and a pack of three covering 4.5 weeks.
A pack of three pens costs £150 and a pack of five is priced at £240.
Saxenda® (liraglutide 3mg) is a once daily prescription medicine and always needs to be prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional.
Boots Saxenda® prescriptions are issued by a doctor and collected in store. Lloyds pharmacy dispense their prescriptions under a Patient Group Directions (PGD). PGD’s are documents in the U.K. National Health Service that permit the supply of prescription-only medicines to groups of patients, without individual prescriptions.
Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport
Emily Sergeant
A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.
Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.
At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.
Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.
He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.
#JAILED | A man who deliberately drove into a police officer in Stockport has been jailed.
Harvey Bell (12/08/2005) has been sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute and was disqualified from driving for two years.
— Stockport Police (GMP) (@GMPStockport) June 4, 2025
Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.
The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.
“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.
“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”
She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.
“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site
Emily Sergeant
It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.
The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.
The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.
IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.
IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.
Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.
IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.
Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.
The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.
“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.
“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”
Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester.
Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.
Emily Sergeant -
7th March 2022 
