How prescribing Wegovy works in the UK

Who can legally prescribe Wegovy, and what qualifications does that require?

In the UK, only a registered prescriber may issue a Wegovy prescription. That means a doctor, a nurse prescriber, or a pharmacist holding Independent Prescriber status from the GPhC or NMC. An online consultation form alone is not a prescription, someone with those credentials must read your answers, apply clinical judgement, and sign off personally. The full prescribing information for semaglutide sets out the contraindications and cautions a prescriber must work through before reaching that decision.

At nume, that role is held by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber. A question our prescribers hear most weeks is whether the free online consultation is just a formality. It is not. Your prescriber reads your submitted health details, checks them against your clinical history, and may ask follow-up questions before approving (or declining) treatment. Identity and current weight are verified on video before anything is dispensed. If semaglutide is not right for you, the prescriber will say so.

The clinical guidelines that govern Wegovy prescribing include NICE technology appraisal TA875, the licensed SmPC, and NHS England's implementation guidance. Private prescribers are not bound by NICE recommendations in the way NHS commissioners are, but they must follow the licensed indications set by the MHRA.

What criteria does a prescriber use to decide whether Wegovy is suitable?

The licensed SmPC criteria are the starting point. Wegovy is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 to 29.9 alongside at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or obstructive sleep apnoea. BMI thresholds are generally 2.5 kg/m² lower for South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean backgrounds under UK clinical guidance.

A BMI that meets the threshold is necessary but not sufficient on its own. Your prescriber will also consider your medical history, current medicines, and any conditions that might make semaglutide unsuitable. History of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 syndrome, a personal or family history of pancreatitis, and certain gastrointestinal conditions all require careful discussion. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and trying to conceive are situations in which Wegovy is not recommended, nor is it licensed for anyone under 18.

There is also a progress check built into the prescribing framework. If a patient has lost less than 5% of their body weight after six months at the maintenance dose, the prescriber reviews whether continuing is appropriate. This is not a punishment, it reflects the evidence-based approach that responsible prescribing demands. For a broader picture of how Wegovy sits within the weight-loss medicine landscape, the Wegovy overview covers the clinical context in full.

What does the prescribing schedule look like once treatment starts?

Wegovy is a once-weekly subcutaneous injection. The dose escalates gradually, starting at 0.25mg and moving through 0.5mg, 1.0mg, and 1.7mg before reaching the standard 2.4mg maintenance dose, with each step taking roughly four weeks. The pace is set by the prescriber, not by the patient. The escalation exists because slower titration reduces the likelihood and severity of gastrointestinal side effects, which are the most commonly reported.

In April 2026, the MHRA approved a dedicated 7.2mg single-dose Wegovy pen as the highest available maintenance dose, for adults with a BMI of 30 or above. The titration pathway to 7.2mg follows the same stepwise approach. The full description of Wegovy's formulations and pen design explains what each dose looks like in practice.

Some patients ask about the relationship between Wegovy and blood pressure, a reasonable concern given that hypertension is one of the qualifying conditions. The evidence on Wegovy and blood pressure is covered separately, but your prescriber will factor in any cardiovascular considerations as part of the initial and ongoing review. Storage is straightforward: refrigerated between 2°C and 8°C, with a limited room-temperature window, the Patient Information Leaflet, available via the electronic Medicines Compendium, gives the exact figures.

How does repeat prescribing work, and who reviews it?

Every repeat order at nume goes back to a prescriber before anything is sent out. There are no auto-renewals, no standing orders, and no subscriptions. The same clinical review that applied at the start applies each time, your weight, progress, any new symptoms, and any changes to your health or medicines are all considered. That is how responsible repeat prescribing works for a medicine at this level of clinical weight.

For patients transferring from another provider, evidence of your current dose is required before a prescriber will continue at that level. A jump to a higher dose without evidence of tolerability at the prior one is not something a prescriber should approve, and at nume they do not. Cost context for ongoing treatment is covered on the Wegovy price comparison page, worth reading before you make assumptions about what a lower headline price actually includes. The STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed an average 15% body-weight reduction over 68 weeks with 2.4mg semaglutide; that evidence underpins how prescribers weigh the benefit against the clinical requirements. Responsible prescribing is the structure that makes those results achievable safely.

If you are ready to find out whether Wegovy is clinically suitable for you, the next step is a free consultation with one of our prescribers, check your eligibility here.