Am I entitled to the weight loss injection in the UK?

The biggest misconception: you don't just 'qualify' based on weight alone

Many people search this question expecting a simple BMI number to unlock access. The reality is more layered. Yes, weight thresholds matter, but both Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) are licensed medicines, not wellness products, and a prescriber assesses you as a whole person before any treatment starts. Your current medications, medical history, kidney function, any personal or family history of certain conditions, all of it feeds into that decision.

Think of the threshold not as the finish line but as the entry requirement to a clinical conversation. Reaching a BMI of 30 makes you potentially eligible; it does not make you automatically entitled. Our clinical team reviews every application personally, not via algorithm, to make sure treatment is genuinely appropriate.

One thing worth knowing early: if you have a South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean background, UK guidance applies BMI thresholds that are 2.5 kg/m² lower. So the standard 30 and 27 cut-offs become 27.5 and 24.5 for qualifying conditions. That adjustment exists because the health risks associated with excess weight appear at lower BMIs in those populations. The NHS tirzepatide page covers the eligibility basics at a patient level.

What the NHS actually offers right now, and what that means in practice

NHS access to weight-loss injections is rolling out in carefully defined phases, governed by NICE guidance and NHS England commissioning decisions. Right now, tirzepatide on the NHS requires a BMI of 40 or above alongside four or more of five specific conditions: high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. From around June 2026, Cohort 2 opened the door a little wider to people with BMIs of 35 to 39.9 who also have four or more of those conditions.

Wegovy through the NHS is routed differently, via specialist weight management services, under NICE guidance TA875, for a maximum of two years, and waiting lists in many areas are substantial. Even if you meet the criteria on paper, your GP's practice may not yet be participating in the expanded prescribing programme, because involvement is optional under the 2026/27 GP contract.

If you don't tick every box for the NHS, or if you'd rather not wait, a private regulated pharmacy is the legal alternative. That is not a workaround; it is simply the other licensed route. You can read more about how to get the weight loss injection through both paths.

Private eligibility: what the clinical criteria actually look like

For a private prescription, both Mounjaro and Wegovy are licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher alongside at least one weight-related condition. Conditions that commonly qualify include type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea and osteoarthritis, among others.

At nume, the consultation is free and takes place online. You fill in a detailed health questionnaire, verify your identity with photo ID, and confirm your weight on a live video check, that last step is not standard practice everywhere, and it matters for safety. Once submitted, a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber reads your answers the same day. If clinically suitable and ordered before 12pm, treatment is dispatched the same day for free next-working-day DPD delivery. Most people get their result well before the afternoon school run.

There are situations where treatment is not appropriate regardless of BMI. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and actively trying to conceive all sit outside the recommended use of these medicines. Under-18s are not eligible. Certain conditions, including a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, also require careful prescriber review. For a fuller sense of what the process involves, our weight loss injection overview explains the clinical framework in plain terms.

On cost: private treatment is a genuine consideration. If you want to understand what the price includes and how it compares to what headline figures sometimes omit, the weight loss injections cost page gives an honest breakdown. Treatment through nume is one transparent price covering consultation, prescription, medicine and delivery, no subscriptions, no hidden charges.

When eligibility needs extra thought

A few situations come up regularly with our prescribers. People transferring from another provider are asked to provide evidence of their current dose before any increase is approved, this is a safety measure, not a bureaucratic hurdle. People whose weight sits close to a threshold sometimes worry they'll be turned away; the answer is that a full assessment gives a clearer picture than a number on a scales ever can.

There is also the question of medicines that interact with the treatment. Oral contraceptives, for instance, may be absorbed differently during the early weeks of tirzepatide treatment, which is why our prescribers discuss contraception as part of the assessment, and if you want to understand exactly what to expect once you start, our guide on how to take the weight loss injection walks through the practicalities in detail. If you take other regular medicines, that conversation matters. The interaction guidance page on sertraline gives a sense of how these questions are handled clinically.

The short version: if you are an adult, not pregnant, not breastfeeding, and your BMI is in the eligible range, a consultation is the only reliable way to find out whether treatment is right for you. Assumptions in either direction (that you definitely qualify, or definitely don't) tend to be wrong. Check your eligibility with our prescribers at the consultation page, where the process starts for free.