How does the Wegovy application and approval process actually work?

What information does a Wegovy prescriber ask for?

The clinical consultation for Wegovy covers more ground than a simple BMI check. Your prescriber will want to know your current weight and height (verified, not self-reported, at nume this is confirmed on a short video call), your medical history, any medicines you take regularly, and whether you have conditions that affect eligibility or safety. That includes things like a history of pancreatitis, medullary thyroid carcinoma, or certain gastrointestinal conditions, all of which the prescriber weighs carefully.

You'll also be asked about your goals and any previous attempts at weight management. This isn't a box-ticking exercise. The prescriber is building a picture of whether semaglutide is appropriate for you specifically, at what starting dose, and what to watch for. Photo ID is checked as part of identity verification. If you're already on treatment elsewhere and transferring, evidence of your current dose and supply will be requested before anything changes.

The Wegovy medication page has more detail on how semaglutide works in the body, which can help you understand the questions you're likely to be asked.

Does applying for Wegovy mean you'll definitely be prescribed it?

Not automatically, no. Suitability is always a clinical decision. The licensed BMI thresholds (30 or above, or 27–29.9 with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea) set the floor, but they don't override clinical judgement. A prescriber may decline to prescribe even where the numbers fit if other health factors make it inadvisable.

Lower BMI thresholds can apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK guidance, so it's worth being accurate about your full health picture rather than assuming you don't qualify. For a detailed look at how Wegovy compares to other licensed options, the medication type overview lays out what distinguishes GLP-1 medicines from one another.

At nume, every consultation answer is read by a clinician before anything is dispatched. Orders placed by midday on a working day are reviewed the same afternoon. If you're planning around a busy patch (a bank holiday week, a payday order, the start of a new month) it's worth knowing that the 12pm cut-off for same-day review applies to standard working days only, so factor that in if timing matters to you.

What happens after the Wegovy application is approved?

Once a prescriber confirms clinical suitability, the prescription is issued and your treatment is dispensed from our GPhC-registered pharmacy (premises registration 9012878, verifiable at the GPhC register). Dispatch is the same working day for orders approved before 12pm. Delivery is free and arrives the next working day via DPD, in plain unbranded packaging.

Treatment starts at 0.25mg, a dose designed to let your body adjust rather than to produce weight loss immediately. Your prescriber sets the titration schedule, moving through 0.5mg, 1.0mg, 1.7mg and eventually 2.4mg at roughly four-week intervals, based on how you're tolerating each level. The 7.2mg maintenance dose approved by the MHRA in April 2026 represents the ceiling of the titration pathway; reaching it takes time and clinical review at each step. If you want to see exactly how the pen device works before your treatment arrives, the Wegovy application video walks you through the injection process step by step.

Every repeat order at nume is clinically re-reviewed before dispensing. There are no auto-renewals. The side effects and complications page covers what to watch for during treatment and when to contact your prescriber or seek urgent medical attention. For any questions between orders, our support team is available seven days a week.

How does the Wegovy application differ from the NHS route?

On the NHS, Wegovy is available through specialist weight management services under NICE guidance (TA875), and access is subject to referral, waiting lists and a requirement to engage with multidisciplinary support, including dietary and activity programmes. NICE's recommendation also sets a maximum treatment duration of two years within that pathway. Waiting times for specialist services vary considerably by area, and many people find the wait significant.

A private prescription through a regulated online pharmacy like nume bypasses the referral queue. There is no waiting list, and the clinical eligibility criteria mirror those in the Wegovy licence rather than the more restrictive NICE commissioning thresholds. If you want to understand the broader landscape before deciding, the guide to obtaining Wegovy in the UK sets out both routes honestly. For semaglutide background (the active ingredient shared by Wegovy and other medicines) the semaglutide overview is a useful starting point.

The weight-loss treatment overview covers all the licensed options currently available privately through nume if you want to compare before applying. NICE's published appraisal of semaglutide for weight management (NICE TA875) and the NHS's patient information on semaglutide are both worth reading before you start, so you go into the consultation with a clear sense of what the medicine involves.

When you're ready, check your eligibility with our prescribers, the consultation is free, and you'll have a clinical answer the same day.