What age can you take Wegovy in the UK?

What the UK licence and clinical guidance establish about the minimum age

The MHRA's authorisation of Wegovy covers adults only. In practice that means 18 as a hard floor. NICE's appraisal of semaglutide for weight management (TA875) does not create any pathway for younger patients, and the clinical trials that underpinned the licence (including the STEP 1 study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine) enrolled adults, not adolescents. There is simply no approved evidence base for using Wegovy below 18 in a weight-management context in the UK.

This isn't a cautious interpretation of a grey area. It is the licence. A prescriber who issued Wegovy to someone under 18 for weight loss would be acting outside the product's marketing authorisation, which is why every legitimate UK prescribing service (including nume) applies the 18-and-over rule for Wegovy without exception.

If you're reading this because you're worried about a teenager's weight, the right starting point is their GP. There are NHS pathways designed specifically for younger people that don't involve medicines licensed for adults.

Is there a maximum age for taking Wegovy?

The licence sets no upper age cut-off. A 68-year-old and a 38-year-old are both within scope. That said, age brings its own clinical considerations: more complex medication lists, a higher likelihood of conditions that require extra care (kidney function, thyroid history, gallbladder disease) and sometimes a different tolerance profile for the gastrointestinal side effects that are common early on.

For older adults, suitability is genuinely a conversation rather than a checklist. NHS England's guidance on weight-management injections notes that prescribers should weigh up the full clinical picture, including other medicines that might interact with semaglutide. If you'd like to understand which combinations need care, our page on which drugs you cannot take with Wegovy goes into that in detail.

The honest answer is that age by itself rarely rules someone out. What matters is the whole picture (BMI, comorbidities, current medicines and overall health) and that picture is what a prescriber assesses.

BMI thresholds: the eligibility criteria that sit alongside age

Being 18 or over is necessary but not sufficient on its own. Wegovy's UK licence specifies a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 to 29.9 with at least one weight-related condition, for example, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea. Lower BMI thresholds apply for people from South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds, where UK guidance typically reduces the threshold by 2.5 kg/m².

You can get a quick sense of where you sit using the NHS BMI calculator, though a number on a screen is the start of the conversation, not the end of it. BMI alone never guarantees clinical approval: the prescriber looks at the whole clinical picture before deciding.

For a fuller overview of semaglutide's profile (how it works, what the STEP trials measured and what to expect during treatment) our semaglutide overview page covers the ground.

Other situations where Wegovy is not recommended, regardless of age

Age is the clearest boundary, but it is not the only one. Wegovy is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or for anyone actively trying to conceive. The medicine should be stopped before a planned pregnancy, and the prescriber will advise on timing. This applies at any adult age, a 22-year-old and a 44-year-old are in the same position here.

People with a personal or close family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, should not take Wegovy. A history of pancreatitis, or certain gastrointestinal conditions, also requires careful prescriber review rather than a straightforward yes.

If you're unsure how any of these factors apply to you, it's worth reading about who can take semaglutide before booking a consultation. And if you're curious about how Wegovy compares to other licensed treatments, the weight-loss treatment overview gives a clear starting point.

We know it can feel disheartening to work through a list of criteria when you've already spent a long time trying to manage your weight. That's a normal reaction, and it's worth saying plainly: if you meet the age and BMI criteria and don't have a contraindication, the next step is a proper clinical assessment, not more guesswork. Our prescribers at nume review consultations the same day, and if you'd also like guidance on choosing the best day of the week to take your Wegovy, that's covered too. You can start your free consultation here when you're ready.