East London patients can get cholesterol injections at local pharmacies

Public Services Desk 2026-10-22 13:04 2 min read

Shelves stocked with various pharmacy health and beauty products in a London warehouse.

For Ashleen Back, getting her six-monthly cholesterol injection at a local pharmacy took 20 minutes. Previously, treatment at hospital could take most of a day because of the journey and long waits. The 70-year-old from Chadwell Heath is among the first patients in an East London pilot moving some inclisiran treatment into community pharmacies.

The scheme is intended for people with heart disease who need additional cholesterol-lowering treatment and can find it difficult to attend hospital appointments. It aims to ease pressure on hospital lipid clinics and bring care closer to patients.

A shorter trip for repeat treatment

Back had previously received inclisiran at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. She said her first injection there lowered her cholesterol, which has remained low since. The pharmacy appointments have made it easier to fit treatment around caring for her mother and helping with her grandchildren.

East London patients can get cholesterol injections at local pharmacies

Inclisiran is given as an injection under the skin and is usually administered twice a year. In clinical trials, it lowered LDL cholesterol, often called “bad” cholesterol, by around 50 per cent. Lower LDL is known to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. The treatment is approved by NICE for people with heart disease who meet certain criteria.

Where the pilot is operating

Selected community pharmacies across East London are providing the injections. The first three participating locations are Anjis Dispensing Chemist in Waltham Forest and Rohpharm Pharmacy branches in Ilford and Plaistow. Further pharmacies are expected to join.

The pilot is funded by the British Heart Foundation and run by Barts Health NHS Trust and UCLPartners. At least 180 other people with high cholesterol are due to be referred to local pharmacies for treatment over a 14-month period. The initiative is part of wider work by the Barts Health team to test ways of improving heart disease prevention across East London.

Who can access the injections?

The pilot is for patients with heart disease who need more cholesterol-lowering therapy beyond tablets and meet the relevant treatment criteria. The source says patients will be referred to participating pharmacies; it does not describe a route for self-referral. Patients should check with their treating clinical team about their own eligibility and access.

Hospital lipid clinics are already stretched, and the clinic at St Bartholomew’s serves a population of 2.5 million people in East London. Repeat hospital visits every six months add to that pressure. If the pilot succeeds, its clinicians hope it could inspire similar schemes in other NHS trusts. For now, access depends on referral and participating pharmacy availability.

Source: British Heart Foundation News

Context & actions About this article

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This article is based on the British Heart Foundation’s report about the East London pharmacy pilot, published 22 October 2026.

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