Paying for Wegovy: what the costs actually cover

What does private Wegovy treatment actually cost per month?

The short answer is that private Wegovy treatment varies, and the dose you are on makes a significant difference to the monthly figure. Semaglutide is titrated slowly, starting at a low dose to settle your system, before stepping up toward the 2.4mg maintenance level (or, since April 2026, the newly approved 7.2mg dose). Because the pen you use changes as your dose changes, the cost often rises over the first few months of treatment.

What a legitimate monthly price should always include is a clinical consultation, a prescription issued by a qualified prescriber, the medicine, and delivery. Providers who separate those elements and charge for each can produce a lower-looking headline figure that grows significantly once the full bill is totalled. A question our prescribers hear most weeks is whether a cheaper quote from another provider is genuinely cheaper, often it is not, once prescription and delivery fees are added back in.

For context on the wider market: Eli Lilly raised Mounjaro's UK list price substantially from September 2025, and semaglutide pricing has similarly shifted. Typical private Wegovy prices since late 2025 have ranged roughly £149–£375 per month depending on dose and provider, as widely reported. Those figures give a reasonable sense of what legitimate treatment costs; prices sitting well below that range deserve scrutiny. At nume, one transparent price covers the consultation, prescription, treatment, and free next-working-day delivery, with no subscription and no hidden fees. Current pricing is shown on our weight-loss treatments page.

Does the NHS cover the cost of Wegovy, or is private the only option?

The NHS does fund Wegovy, but access is tightly controlled. NICE recommended semaglutide for weight management (TA875) only when prescribed within a specialist weight management service, for a maximum of two years, for adults with a BMI of 35 or above and at least one weight-related condition. BMI thresholds are 2.5 kg/m² lower for people from South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds. You can read the full criteria in NICE's appraisal of semaglutide (TA875).

In practice, referral to a specialist service often involves a wait of months or longer, and not every area has consistent access. For people who do not meet the NHS criteria, or who would rather not wait, a private prescription through a regulated online pharmacy is the alternative route. Private treatment does not require a GP referral, but it does require the same clinical assessment, suitability is still decided by a prescriber, not by filling in a checkout form.

If you are weighing up the NHS route against private, our Wegovy overview covers both pathways in more detail, and our guide to where Wegovy is available explains what to look for in a regulated provider.

What should you be cautious about when comparing prices?

The MHRA has issued repeated warnings about fake weight-loss pens sold through social media and unverified online sellers. In October 2025 the agency raided the first illicit UK manufacturing site producing counterfeit tirzepatide pens, and earlier enforcement actions have seen large seizures of fake pens, some containing insulin rather than the stated medicine, leading to hospitalisations. You can report a suspected counterfeit or side effect via the MHRA's Yellow Card scheme.

The red flags to watch for are: prices that sit well below the typical market range; sellers offering these medicines without a clinical assessment; social-media accounts with no verifiable pharmacy registration; and discount codes for prescription medicines from sources you cannot verify. Any legitimate UK online pharmacy can be checked on the GPhC pharmacy register. If the provider does not appear there, do not order from them.

For Wegovy specifically, the supply chain matters beyond just safety. Novo Nordisk supplies through authorised UK distributors; pens bought outside that chain may be out of temperature range, past their shelf life, or counterfeit. If you are considering switching from another provider, our guide to switching to Wegovy covers what a responsible transfer process looks like.

Are there other costs worth factoring in over the course of treatment?

Beyond the monthly pen cost, a few other expenses are worth thinking about before you start. Wegovy requires ongoing clinical review, responsible providers build this in, but some charge separately for follow-up consultations or dose-increase approvals. Ask before you commit.

If you are comparing injectable Wegovy with other options, including the newer oral Wegovy tablet (approved by the MHRA in June 2026) or tirzepatide, the per-month costs and dosing schedules differ. Our Wegovy comparison pages set out the clinical differences alongside the cost context, and if you are specifically weighing up semaglutide against orlistat, our comparison of Xenical and Wegovy covers how the two treatments differ in mechanism, effectiveness, and cost. For those wondering specifically about injectable versus oral semaglutide, the convenience of a daily tablet versus a weekly injection is a real factor, but bioavailability, absorption requirements, and lifestyle fit all matter too, and those are things worth discussing with a prescriber before committing either way.

If cost over time is a concern, it is worth exploring whether a payment plan for Wegovy is something a provider offers. Some do; terms vary. At this stage, the most useful next step is a clinical conversation, eligibility, dose pathway, and total cost all depend on your individual picture. Check your eligibility with our prescribers at no charge, with no obligation to proceed.