Wegovy Eligibility Criteria: Who Qualifies in the UK

What NICE actually says about who qualifies for Wegovy

The NICE technology appraisal for semaglutide (TA875, published March 2023) is specific enough to be worth quoting directly. It recommends Wegovy only when it is used for a maximum of two years, within a specialist weight management service that provides multidisciplinary support, not simply as a standalone prescription from a GP. The BMI threshold is 35 kg/m² or above, alongside at least one weight-related comorbidity. For people whose BMI falls between 30 and 34.9 kg/m², there is a narrower pathway: referral criteria for specialist weight management services must be met in full.

On the ethnicity-adjustment point, NHS England sets the adjusted thresholds at 32.5 kg/m² (in place of 35) and 27.5–32.4 kg/m² (in place of 30–34.9) for Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African and African-Caribbean backgrounds. These lower figures reflect the evidence that metabolic risk rises at lower BMI values in some groups. You can read the full NICE recommendations at NICE TA875.

One practical detail the NICE guidance also includes: if someone on maintenance-dose semaglutide has not achieved at least 5% weight loss after six months, continuing treatment should be reconsidered. That is a clinical decision, not an automatic stop, but it is worth knowing about before you start.

NHS waiting lists for specialist weight management services are commonly long. For many people, understanding the criteria for Wegovy on the NHS is only the first step before realising that private treatment is the more practical route right now.

The licensed eligibility criteria for private prescribing

The Wegovy SmPC (the document that defines the medicine's licensed use) sets a lower bar than NICE's NHS recommendations. If you want a clear picture of whether you are likely to qualify, our Wegovy eligibility page walks through the licensed criteria in plain language, covering BMI thresholds, qualifying conditions and the ethnic-background adjustments that apply. The qualifying conditions include type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia (raised cholesterol or triglycerides), obstructive sleep apnoea, and established cardiovascular disease.

That 2.5 kg/m² ethnic-background adjustment applies here too. So a person of South Asian heritage with a BMI of 28 and a confirmed diagnosis of hypertension would, on the face of the licensed criteria, be within scope, though the prescriber still makes that call after a full clinical review.

At nume, every consultation is read by a real prescriber on the same day. There is no algorithm making the decision. Our clinical team, led by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber, assesses your answers, your medical history and your current medicines together, not just your BMI in isolation. You can read more about the people behind that process on our clinical team page.

If you're unsure whether you would qualify, the most useful starting point is the NHS BMI calculator, which gives you an accurate BMI figure to bring into your consultation. It takes about 30 seconds and costs nothing.

Conditions that affect suitability regardless of BMI

Meeting the BMI threshold is necessary but not the whole picture. Certain medical histories make Wegovy unsuitable regardless of weight. A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or a diagnosis of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, are contraindications listed in the SmPC. A history of pancreatitis requires careful prescriber discussion; the MHRA has highlighted acute pancreatitis as an infrequent but serious risk with GLP-1 medicines, and a prescriber will weigh that history carefully.

Wegovy is not licensed for use in pregnancy, during breastfeeding, or for anyone actively trying to conceive. It is not licensed for people under 18. Women using oral contraceptives should be aware that nausea and vomiting associated with the early weeks of treatment can affect how reliably a pill is absorbed, your prescriber will advise on additional contraception where relevant.

Some medicines interact with semaglutide in ways that matter: insulin and sulfonylureas carry a hypoglycaemia risk, and other orally-administered medicines may be absorbed more slowly because semaglutide delays gastric emptying. None of this automatically rules you out, but it does mean the prescriber needs the full picture. The detailed eligibility guide for semaglutide covers these interactions in more depth, and the BMI requirements for Wegovy page focuses specifically on the numbers side of qualification.

A useful frame: what is the eligibility criteria for Wegovy in practice? It is the combination of your BMI, your health conditions, your current medicines and your medical history, assessed together by a qualified clinician. The criteria are not a checklist you pass or fail in isolation; they are the structure a prescriber works through to decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks for you specifically.

What to expect if you explore treatment with a regulated pharmacy

Wegovy is a prescription-only medicine. The legal route to obtaining it (whether through the NHS or a regulated private pharmacy) involves a clinical assessment and a valid prescription. There is no shortcut, and sellers offering semaglutide pens without that process in place are not a legitimate source. The MHRA has warned explicitly about fake pens circulating online, some containing entirely different substances. Worth checking any online pharmacy you consider against the GPhC register before you share any medical information or payment details.

At a regulated pharmacy like nume, the process is straightforward. You complete a free consultation, a prescriber reviews it the same day, and (if you meet the criteria and treatment is right for you) your prescription is issued and your pen is dispatched for free next-working-day delivery. The pen is kept refrigerated once it arrives; most people find the fridge door, alongside anything else they check each morning, works well as a routine anchor.

There is no subscription. Every repeat order involves a fresh clinical review, because eligibility and suitability can change over time. The guide on where to buy Wegovy in the UK explains the different routes in more detail, and our treatment overview covers everything included in one transparent price, from consultation through to aftercare. For a broader look at how semaglutide fits within the options available, the Wegovy overview page is a good place to start. You can also visit our FAQs for answers to common questions about the consultation process.