Wegovy: NHS Availability and Private Prescriptions

Wegovy is a weight-loss injection that was made available in the UK in 2023. Since its early days, many people have seen its potential as an incredibly useful tool for weight loss, including the NHS Obesity treatment teams.

In this post, we will discuss Wegovy’s availability on the NHS, and who qualifies for an NHS prescription for Wegovy.

Wegovy

Wegovy was created by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, the company behind the established weight-loss injection Saxenda. While it was originally trialled as a medication to help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar, the effects and subsequent weight loss led to Novo seeking a patent to use the medication for weight loss as well.

Wegovy contains the active ingredient semaglutide. This is a type of medicine called a GLP-1 receptor agonist. Wegovy works by controlling your appetite, causing you to feel fuller and less hungry and experience less craving for food. Alongside diet and exercise, these effects can help you to lose weight – up to 15% weight loss over the course of a year.

It’s injected once a week in the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm. The injection can cause unwanted side effects, such as nausea and vomiting. To reduce the likelihood of these side effects, the dose is gradually increased over the first 16 weeks of treatment, to the maximum dose of 2.4 mg once a week.

Clinical trials of Wegovy showed that it demonstrated superior, clinically meaningful, and sustained weight loss compared with placebo. The clinical trials used patients who were obese or patients who were overweight and had at least one weight-related medical condition. For more information, see our in-depth post about Wegovy.

When Will Wegovy be Available on the NHS?

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides health guidance in the UK. In 2022, NICE recommended that Wegovy be made available on the NHS for people living with obesity. By 2023, it had been added as part of the NHS’s efforts to combat obesity.

However, currently Wegovy is only available through Tier 3 and 4 Weight Management services, meaning access will require not only speaking to your GP, but also having them refer you to a separate service for weight loss. You will also need to fall within certain criteria to qualify for Wegovy.

What are the Criteria to get Wegovy on the NHS?

Wegovy should be used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

Wegovy should only be prescribed to adults with at least 1 weight-related medical condition who have a BMI of at least 35. Weight-related conditions include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and sleep apnoea.

It also states that it can be prescribed in exceptional circumstances to patients with a BMI of 30 to 34.9. This only applies to people who are referred to NHS tier 3 weight loss services by their GP. A GP may refer someone for several reasons, such as other treatment options failing or weight-loss surgery being under consideration.

The BMI threshold is lower for people from Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family backgrounds. This is because people from these ethnic groups face an increased risk of long-term health conditions at a lower BMI than the white population. The threshold is reduced to 32.5 for people from these ethnic groups.

Currently, Wegovy can be prescribed for as long as it helps you lose weight. Many doctors will choose to review your progress at set points to ensure you are still seeing a benefit from the medication. The NHS also limits the prescribing of Wegovy to tier 3 or tier 4 specialist weight management services. See this Obesity Empowerment Network page for information on NHS tiered services.

It is also worth noting that, like many medications available through the NHS, Wegovy will be listed under the name of its active ingredient (semaglutide). This is because, once a generic equivalent to the medication is available, the NHS will choose to source that where possible, as it will be much cheaper, while still being just as effective as the branded medication. 

Is Wegovy Free on the NHS?

Currently, the price of Wegovy on the NHS depends on where you live; in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, all NHS prescriptions are free. If you live in England, the usual £9.90 prescription charge will apply. Each pen will last for four weekly injections. 

Where Can I Get Wegovy on a Private Prescription?

You can request a prescription for Wegovy online from Simple Online Pharmacy. Our UK registered doctors have substantial experience with prescribing weight loss medications, and can evaluate your suitability for Wegovy. 

The criteria for prescribing Wegovy on a private prescription is different to the NHS criteria. This is because the NHS considers the cost-effectiveness of treatments when recommending the prescribing of a new medicine, which means NHS criteria are often more strict.

Wegovy on a private prescription can be given to patients with:

• A Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30kg/m2 or higher
• Or a BMI of 27kg/m2 to 30kg/m2 in people with at least one weight-related health condition

It should be prescribed alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Most clinicians will review how much weight you have lost (the most common metric is at least 5% of your body weight over six months); if this has not been achieved, they may look for alternative treatments.

Key Takeaways

• Wegovy is a GLP-1 receptor agonist medication, which slows digestion and makes you feel less hungry.
• The NHS began prescribing Wegovy through its weight loss services in 2023.
• Wegovy is only available on the NHS through specialist Weight Management Services, which can be difficult to gain access to.
• Wegovy is also available through private prescriptions, including from Simple Online Pharmacy.

References

NHS (2023). Treatment – Obesity. [online] NHS. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/treatment/

NICE (2022). NICE recommends new drug for people living with obesity | News and features | News. [online] NICE. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/nice-recommends-new-drug-for-people-living-with-obesity

Obesity Empowerment Network (2017). NHS Tiered Care Weight Management Pathway. [online] Obesity Empowerment Network. Available at: https://oen.org.uk/managing-obesity/nhs-tiered-care-weight-management-pathway/

www.novomedlink.com. (n.d.). WegovyTM (Semaglutide) Injection 2.4 mg Official Physician Site. [online] Available at: https://www.novomedlink.com/obesity/products/treatments/wegovy.html

Authorship

Clinically reviewed by: Jahan Zaib Aslam, GPhC reg: 2235732

Updated 24/06/2025