Do You Qualify for Wegovy? The Real Eligibility Picture

The biggest misconception: that a high BMI alone is enough

The most common misunderstanding is that Wegovy is straightforwardly available to anyone carrying excess weight. It is not. The medicine is licensed specifically for weight management alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, the MHRA has been clear that GLP-1 medicines are not assessed or approved for quick or purely cosmetic weight reduction.

So a BMI over 30 opens the door, but it does not walk you through it. A prescriber will also look at your medical history, any contraindications (a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, for instance, rules Wegovy out), current medicines, and whether your weight is genuinely affecting your health. If you have a BMI of 27 to 29.9, you need at least one recognised weight-related condition for the licensed criteria to apply. You can read more about which conditions qualify alongside a lower BMI if that applies to you.

The ethnic-background threshold adjustment is also worth knowing: UK guidance applies BMI thresholds 2.5 kg/m² lower for people of South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds, which means a BMI of 27.5 rather than 30 can be the qualifying figure. If you are unsure whether your BMI is high enough, you can read about the qualifying BMI for Wegovy, including how these thresholds apply in practice, before anything else, and the NHS BMI calculator is a practical first step.

NHS eligibility versus private eligibility, they are not the same thing

A lot of the confusion around how to qualify for Wegovy comes from mixing up NHS and private routes, and the criteria genuinely are different.

On the NHS, Wegovy is recommended under NICE technology appraisal TA875 only within specialist weight management services (typically what used to be called tier 3 and above) and only for a maximum of two years. The BMI threshold is 35 or above with at least one weight-related comorbidity, or 30 to 34.9 for people who meet specialist-referral criteria. Waiting lists are long at many centres, and not every area has the same capacity.

Private prescribing follows the medicine's licensed criteria directly: BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 29.9 with a qualifying condition. There is no two-year cap under the licence, and no requirement to be under a specialist NHS service first. For a fuller breakdown of the BMI numbers involved, the page explaining what BMI qualifies for Wegovy covers each threshold in detail. Our clinical team at nume includes GPhC-registered Independent Prescribers who review every consultation personally (the same day) and assess the full picture before any prescription is issued.

One practical note on cost: private treatment pricing for Wegovy is worth understanding before you begin. You can find context on what private weight-loss treatment typically costs, and what a legitimate price includes, on the weight-loss treatment overview.

What a clinical assessment actually checks, and what can rule you out

Passing the BMI threshold is the beginning of the eligibility question, not the end. When a prescriber reviews your consultation for Wegovy, they are checking several things in parallel.

They will look for absolute contraindications. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and actively trying to conceive all mean Wegovy is not recommended. The medicine is not licensed for under-18s. A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or a condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, rules it out entirely. Severe gastrointestinal conditions and a previous episode of pancreatitis require careful discussion. Women taking the oral contraceptive pill should be aware that GLP-1 medicines can affect how the pill is absorbed, and a prescriber will advise on this.

They will also look at your current medicines, kidney function, and whether you have any existing conditions that change the risk-benefit picture. This is not a box-ticking exercise. If you want a clear overview of how BMI figures into Wegovy eligibility, that context can help you go into a consultation better prepared. At nume, our lead prescriber and the wider clinical team treat every consultation as a clinical decision, not a formality. If Wegovy is not the right fit, that answer comes from the same review, honestly and promptly.

If you are ready to find out whether you qualify, speaking to our prescribers starts with a free consultation, no waiting list, no referral needed.