Getting a Wegovy Private Prescription in the UK: the Legal Route, Step by Step

Step 1: Complete a clinical consultation (this is non-negotiable, legally and medically)

A private prescription for Wegovy cannot exist without a clinical consultation. That is not a formality, it is the law, under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, and it is also the only way a prescriber can confirm that semaglutide is safe for you specifically. At a regulated private clinic or pharmacy, the consultation typically covers your BMI, weight-related health conditions, current medications, and medical history. Contraindications, drug interactions and your personal goals all factor in.

At nume, consultations are free and completed online. Once you submit your answers, a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber reads them (not software) and responds the same day. If your consultation raises questions, the prescriber will follow up directly. No consultation is waved through automatically; clinical suitability is assessed case by case. You can explore what the consultation covers on our treatment page.

Photo ID verification and live weight confirmation via video are part of the process. For patients transferring from another provider or requesting a dose increase, evidence of current treatment is required before any prescription is issued. These checks protect you, not just us.

Step 2: Understand the eligibility outline before you apply

Wegovy is licensed in the UK for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 or above alongside at least one weight-related health condition, for example, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea. For some ethnic backgrounds, UK clinical guidance applies a lower BMI threshold. These figures are the licensed starting point; your prescriber assesses the full picture, so BMI alone does not guarantee approval.

Under-18s are not eligible. Wegovy is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or for anyone trying to conceive. Certain conditions (including a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2, and some gastrointestinal conditions) require careful discussion with a prescriber before treatment can proceed. The NHS semaglutide medicine page summarises the key contraindications clearly if you want to read ahead.

NHS access to Wegovy exists but typically involves a specialist weight management service and often a considerable wait. For people who do not meet the current NHS criteria or prefer not to wait, a private semaglutide prescription through a regulated pharmacy is the practical alternative. NICE recommends Wegovy on the NHS only within specialist services and for a maximum of two years; those conditions do not apply to private prescriptions, where the prescriber makes an individual clinical judgement. If your situation means a lower starting dose may be appropriate, our page on how to get microdose semaglutide explains what that pathway involves.

Step 3: Verify any online pharmacy before handing over personal details

This step matters more than most people realise. Every pharmacy legally dispensing prescription medicines in the UK must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. You can check any service by searching the GPhC pharmacy register, it takes about thirty seconds. nume's GPhC premises registration number is 9012878, verifiable directly at that link.

The MHRA has issued repeated warnings about counterfeit weight-loss pens sold online and through social media. Fake pens have been found to contain insulin and other unlabelled substances, and their use has led to hospitalisations. In 2025, enforcement actions resulted in approximately 20 million doses of illegally traded weight-loss medicines (around £45 million in street value) being seized, and the first UK site manufacturing counterfeit tirzepatide pens was raided. The MHRA's Yellow Card scheme lets you report suspect sellers directly.

Red flags to watch for: any seller offering Wegovy without a clinical assessment, prices dramatically below the typical private market, and discount codes promoted on social media for what are claimed to be prescription medicines. Genuine, regulated services do not operate that way. If you are weighing up your options, our guide to Wegovy UK private treatment sets out what a legitimate, regulated service looks like from start to finish. For a fuller overview of what legitimate buying Wegovy in the UK looks like, that page sets out what to expect.

Step 4: What happens after your prescription is issued

Once a prescriber at a GPhC-registered pharmacy approves your private Wegovy prescription, treatment is dispensed from the pharmacy's licensed UK supply chain, sourced through Novo Nordisk's authorised distribution network. At nume, orders placed before 12pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same day, arriving via DPD the next working day. Packaging is plain and unbranded. Tracking is sent to your phone.

Your Wegovy pen should be stored in a refrigerator between 2°C and 8°C when you get it home; the Patient Information Leaflet inside the box sets out the exact handling instructions. Treatment starts at a low dose and is titrated by your prescriber over several months, the titration schedule is a clinical matter, so specific dose timing is always deferred to your prescriber and the leaflet, not to any content page. Our clinical team is available for aftercare questions seven days a week. If you have practical questions before starting, the FAQs page covers the ones we hear most often.