Wegovy in Leeds: what the clinical evidence actually shows

What the STEP 1 trial tells us about semaglutide's weight-loss results

The headline figure from the STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is a ~15% average reduction in body weight over 68 weeks among adults with obesity who received semaglutide 2.4mg alongside lifestyle changes. That is not a best-case reading of the data, it is the intention-to-treat average across 1,961 participants. Around a third of participants lost more than 20% of their starting weight.

NICE reviewed this evidence when it recommended Wegovy for NHS use (guidance TA875), noting the reduction was substantially larger than anything previously available outside bariatric surgery. The result held across people with and without type 2 diabetes, and across different starting BMIs within the licensed range.

Two things are worth being clear about. First, the trial was conducted alongside a structured diet and activity programme, the medicine works best when those elements are present. Second, semaglutide is not the same as Ozempic: Ozempic contains semaglutide but is licensed for type 2 diabetes, not weight management. The distinction matters clinically and legally. Our semaglutide information page covers both licences in detail.

In April 2026, the MHRA approved a dedicated single-dose 7.2mg Wegovy pen, and trial data for that higher dose showed approximately 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks, narrowing the gap with tirzepatide (Mounjaro). Prescribers titrate from 0.25mg upwards; the top dose available is determined by clinical assessment, not self-selection.

Who the Leeds evidence is really about: eligibility under the UK licence

The licensed eligibility criteria for Wegovy are the same whether someone is in Leeds, London or Aberdeen: adults aged 18 or over with a BMI of at least 30, or a BMI of at least 27 alongside one or more weight-related conditions such as high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, high cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea. For some ethnic-background groups, UK guidance applies thresholds that are 2.5 kg/m² lower, a clinician reviewing your notes would apply this where relevant.

A question our prescribers hear most weeks is whether having a GP in Leeds, or being registered with an NHS practice anywhere in particular, affects private access. It does not. Private prescriptions for Wegovy are issued by an independent prescriber following a clinical assessment of the individual, not by geography. What matters is the clinical picture: your BMI, your health history, your current medicines, and any conditions that might affect suitability.

NHS access to Wegovy is a separate matter. NICE guidance TA875 recommends Wegovy only within a specialist weight management service, for a maximum of two years, for adults with a BMI of 35 or above (with at least one weight-related comorbidity), and NHS waiting lists in many areas are long. For people who do not meet NHS thresholds or prefer not to wait, a regulated private pharmacy is the alternative. You can read about Wegovy costs and what a transparent private price typically covers before committing to anything.

Side effects, what the evidence shows and what to watch for

The safety profile of semaglutide is well characterised across the STEP trials. Gastrointestinal effects dominate: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and indigestion are the most common, particularly in the first weeks of treatment or after a dose increase. In the STEP 1 trial, these were generally mild to moderate and tended to settle as the body adjusted.

More serious effects are infrequent but real. The MHRA's January 2026 Drug Safety Update highlighted acute pancreatitis as a known risk with GLP-1 medicines: severe stomach pain that reaches through to the back, with or without vomiting, should be treated as urgent and not waited out at home. Gallbladder problems and, in people with pre-existing diabetic eye disease, worsening retinopathy have also been reported. The NHS medicines page for semaglutide lists the full side-effect picture in plain language.

Wegovy is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or when actively trying to conceive. It is not licensed for anyone under 18. Anyone on oral contraceptives who switches to or starts a GLP-1 treatment should discuss contraception with their prescriber, because absorption of the pill can be affected during early treatment. People with a history of pancreatitis or certain gastrointestinal conditions require a more detailed clinical review before starting. These are exactly the kinds of questions that a clinical assessment is designed to surface. If you have concerns about a specific side effect, our page on Wegovy and other medications covers interaction questions in more detail, and if you have noticed unexpected symptoms such as nosebleeds, our page on whether Wegovy can cause nosebleeds explains what the evidence says, while our semaglutide safety page addresses the serious-harm questions directly.

Getting Wegovy through a regulated pharmacy rather than an NHS service

Any pharmacy dispensing Wegovy in the UK must hold a valid GPhC registration. You can verify any online pharmacy on the GPhC register before handing over any payment or health information. At nume, our GPhC premises registration number is 9012878, check it directly on the register if you want to.

The process for private access is straightforward: a free consultation, reviewed the same day by a GPhC-registered independent prescriber (a real clinician, not automated software), identity and weight verified, and the prescription issued if the assessment supports it. Medicines are dispensed through our own GPhC-registered pharmacy and arrive via tracked DPD delivery the next working day, in plain packaging. There is no subscription and no automatic renewal, each repeat order goes through a fresh clinical review.

Red flags worth knowing: sellers who offer Wegovy or semaglutide without requiring a prescription, social-media sellers, and prices that sit far below the market range are all signs of potentially counterfeit or unlicensed supply. The MHRA has seized large quantities of fake pens in enforcement operations and warns that some counterfeit products have contained wrong or dangerous substances. Report suspect sellers via the MHRA's Yellow Card scheme. If you are ready to speak to a prescriber, start your free consultation here, or explore our full Wegovy information first.