How to Get Weight Loss Injections in the UK, Legally and Safely

NHS or private? That's the first fork in the road

Both Mounjaro and Wegovy are available through the NHS, but access is tightly phased and restricted by clinical criteria that most people currently don't meet. As of June 2025, NHS Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is available to adults with a BMI of 40 or above who have four or more specific weight-related conditions. A second NHS cohort opened in June 2026, bringing in people with a BMI of 35–39.9 and the same four-plus conditions. If you're eligible and your GP practice participates, it's worth exploring, our guide to getting the weight loss injection on the NHS sets out exactly what the current criteria are.

For most people, though, the realistic route is private prescription. A regulated private online pharmacy can prescribe and dispense to you directly, without a referral, without a waiting list, and usually within the same day. The clinical bar is the same: a prescriber still needs to assess you properly before any prescription is issued. Speed and convenience don't change that requirement, and any provider claiming otherwise is a red flag worth taking seriously.

If you'd prefer to try your GP first, our page on getting weight loss injections from your GP covers what that conversation looks like and what to expect.

What a legitimate private prescription process actually looks like

A properly run online consultation for weight loss injections follows a clear sequence. First, you complete a detailed health questionnaire covering your medical history, current medicines, BMI, and any conditions that might affect whether treatment is appropriate. Then a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber reviews your answers (a real clinician, reading your specific case) not an automated filter. At nume, that review happens the same day.

Before any prescription is issued, you'll verify your identity with a photo ID check and confirm your weight on a live video call. That step matters more than it might sound: it protects you from being given a dose or treatment that isn't appropriate, and it's one of the reasons our clinical team is confident in the decisions they make. Once approved, your treatment is dispatched the same working day if you ordered before 12pm, arriving via tracked DPD delivery the next working day in plain packaging.

If you want to dig into how the online route works in more detail, the page on getting weight loss injections online covers the process step by step. And if you're wondering about the newer tirzepatide option specifically, the page on how to get the new weight loss injection is a good starting point.

How to check whether any online pharmacy is genuine

This takes under a minute and is worth doing before you share any personal information with a provider. Every pharmacy legally operating in the UK must be registered with the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council). Go to the GPhC register and search for the pharmacy by name or registration number. For reference, you can verify nume directly at registration number 9012878. If a pharmacy isn't listed, stop there.

The MHRA has been direct about the risks: counterfeit weight loss pens are circulating online, some containing insulin rather than the medicine on the label, and approximately 20 million doses of illegally traded weight loss medicines (worth around £45 million) were seized in 2025 alone. Red flags include sellers offering these medicines without a prescription, prices dramatically below the market range, and discount codes promoted on social media. If you come across a suspect seller, you can report it via the MHRA's Yellow Card scheme. The MHRA's public guidance on GLP-1 medicines is clear that these are prescription-only medicines requiring clinical assessment, there is no legitimate shortcut.

Weight loss injections cannot be bought over the counter in any pharmacy, online or on the high street.

Who these medicines are licensed for

Both Mounjaro and Wegovy are licensed for adults. The general private eligibility threshold is a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 or above alongside at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or obstructive sleep apnoea. For some ethnic backgrounds, UK clinical guidance applies a lower threshold, typically 2.5 kg/m² below the standard figures. BMI alone doesn't settle the question; the prescriber looks at the full picture.

These medicines are not licensed for use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and are not recommended for anyone trying to conceive. They are not licensed for under-18s. Anyone with a history of certain conditions, including pancreatitis or medullary thyroid carcinoma, needs to discuss those with a prescriber before starting. The NHS England guidance on weight management injections gives a useful overview of the clinical considerations involved.

If you have questions before starting a consultation, our FAQs cover the questions our prescribers hear most often. And for a broader look at the treatment options available through nume, the weight loss overview page is a good place to start.