What comes in a Wegovy starter pack — and how does the programme begin?

Why the programme starts at 0.25 mg, what clinical guidance actually says

The STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, tested semaglutide 2.4 mg in 1,961 adults with obesity over 68 weeks and found an average body-weight reduction of around 15 percent. That headline figure comes from patients who had completed the full titration, not from the starting dose. The 0.25 mg pen is not where the therapeutic effect lives; it exists so that gastrointestinal side effects, which are common early on, arrive more gently and are less likely to prompt someone to stop altogether.

A question our prescribers hear most weeks is whether the low starter dose means treatment is not working. It is not a sign of slow progress, it is the structure the NHS semaglutide guidance describes as the standard approach. Appetite changes and any early side effects typically become more manageable as the weeks pass. The prescriber, not the patient, decides when a dose increase is appropriate.

Storage matters from day one. Wegovy pens are refrigerated at 2–8 °C. The exact window for room-temperature storage before use is set out in the Patient Information Leaflet, and following that precisely protects the medicine's stability. The pen itself is pre-filled and pre-set, no drawing up, no mixing, no separate syringe.

What the starting pack contains and how the titration unfolds

A single Wegovy pen holds four once-weekly doses at a fixed strength. If you are preparing to begin, our Wegovy starter kit page explains exactly what arrives with your first pen and what to expect in those opening weeks. After four weeks, if the prescriber is satisfied with tolerability and progress, the next pen steps up to 0.5 mg, and the schedule continues at four-week intervals through 1.0 mg and 1.7 mg before reaching the standard 2.4 mg maintenance dose.

In January 2026 the MHRA approved 7.2 mg as an additional maintenance option for adults with obesity (BMI 30 or above), following evidence that the higher dose produced an average weight reduction of around 20.7 percent over 72 weeks, approaching results seen with the highest tirzepatide dose in head-to-head trials. The 7.2 mg option is reached via the same stepped titration; nobody begins there. If you want to explore how Wegovy compares with other licensed treatments, our weight-loss treatment overview sets out the options side by side.

Each dose increase is a clinical decision. At nume, every repeat order goes back to a GPhC-registered prescriber for review before dispatch, there is no automatic renewal. The prescriber looks at how the current dose has been tolerated, any side effects reported, and whether a step up is appropriate.

Who the starting programme is licensed for, and what eligibility looks like in practice

The UK licence for Wegovy covers adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or those with a BMI between 27 and 29.9 who have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or obstructive sleep apnoea. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK clinical guidance, your prescriber will take this into account during assessment.

Wegovy is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or for anyone actively trying to conceive. It is not licensed for people under 18. A history of certain conditions, including medullary thyroid carcinoma or pancreatitis, requires careful prescriber discussion before treatment begins. The semaglutide information page covers contraindications and safety considerations in more depth.

One practical point worth raising: women using oral contraceptive pills should discuss this with their prescriber at the outset. Semaglutide slows gastric emptying, which can in principle affect absorption of other oral medicines taken around the same time, though current NHS guidance notes the evidence base differs from the equivalent tirzepatide advisory. Your prescriber is the right person to advise on your specific combination of medicines. Details on the frequently asked questions page cover some of these practical queries too.

The private route to starting Wegovy, what to expect at each stage

On the NHS, Wegovy is available through specialist weight management services under NICE guidance, and waiting lists can be long. The private route through a regulated online pharmacy removes that queue, provided you meet the clinical criteria. Starting Wegovy online through a regulated pharmacy involves a free consultation, identity verification, and a live weight check, all reviewed the same day by a named GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber.

At nume, once a prescriber has approved your treatment, orders placed before noon on a weekday are dispatched the same day and delivered free the next working day by DPD, in plain packaging. There are no subscriptions. Every repeat order is clinically re-reviewed before it goes out. You can verify our pharmacy on the GPhC register, our registration number is 9012878.

Questions about cost are reasonable. Private Wegovy treatment is priced per pen and varies by dose and provider. For patients who want to buy more than one pen at a time, our Wegovy multi pack page sets out the options and what each bundle includes. For context on what a transparent price typically includes (and what some headline figures leave out) the Wegovy pack pricing guide sets this out honestly. When you are ready to find out whether you are suitable, the consultation is free. Speak to our clinical team to understand your options.

If you would like to go ahead, start your free consultation and a prescriber will review your answers the same day.