The requirements for Wegovy — and what to do if you're not sure you meet them

You've checked your BMI and you think you might qualify, here's what else matters

Most people searching for Wegovy requirements start with BMI, and rightly so. The licensed threshold is a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above alongside a qualifying condition. Common qualifying conditions include type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, and cardiovascular disease, though a prescriber can consider other weight-related health factors too. The NHS BMI calculator is a useful starting point if you want a quick number before you go further.

What many people don't realise is that BMI alone never decides the outcome. A prescriber also looks at your current medicines, your medical history, and whether Wegovy is contraindicated for you specifically. A personal history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 syndrome, for example, rules it out. Severe pancreatitis history, certain gastrointestinal conditions, and pregnancy are among the other situations a clinician will weigh carefully. This isn't bureaucracy for its own sake, semaglutide is a potent medicine and the assessment exists to keep you safe. You can read the full licensed indications in the Wegovy Summary of Product Characteristics on the eMC.

Worth checking before you start: if you have South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean heritage, UK clinical guidance sets the BMI thresholds 2.5 kg/m² lower, which means you may qualify at a BMI closer to 27.5 rather than 30. Our page covering the Wegovy BMI requirements in full explains how that works in practice, including what those adjusted thresholds mean for different ethnic backgrounds. If you want to understand how those same principles apply to semaglutide more broadly, our guide to the semaglutide BMI requirements covers the criteria in detail across the different licensed treatments.

The NICE recommendation versus the licensed criteria, they're not the same thing

There's a detail that causes genuine confusion and it's worth being direct about it. NICE's appraisal of semaglutide for weight management (TA875) recommends it only within specialist NHS weight-management services, only for adults with a BMI of 35 or above (or 30–34.9 meeting specialist-referral criteria), and only for a maximum of two years alongside full multidisciplinary support. That recommendation shapes how the NHS decides who gets it on a funded basis. It is not the same as the licensed eligibility in the product's SmPC, which sets the lower thresholds described above.

Private prescribing (through a regulated online pharmacy like ours) follows the licensed criteria in the SmPC rather than the NICE commissioning boundary. That's why some people who don't meet the NHS threshold can still be eligible privately, provided the prescriber is satisfied the medicine is clinically appropriate for them. It also explains why private treatment requires the same clinical rigour: the prescriber is still exercising independent clinical judgement, not rubber-stamping a purchase. NICE's published appraisal (TA875) sets out the NHS commissioning position in full for anyone who wants to read it.

If you're thinking about what Wegovy costs through a private route, our Wegovy cost page covers what a transparent private price actually includes.

Age, pregnancy, and a few other requirements people often overlook

Wegovy is licensed for adults only. It is not recommended for anyone under 18. Pregnancy is a clear contraindication, Wegovy should not be used during pregnancy, and women who are breastfeeding or actively trying to conceive are advised not to take it. Before stopping treatment to try for a pregnancy, there is a wash-out period to observe; your prescriber will advise on the timing based on current guidance.

Two other points our prescribers raise regularly. First, oral contraceptive users starting semaglutide should be aware that GI effects such as vomiting can reduce pill absorption, a non-oral method of contraception used alongside the pill during any episode of severe vomiting is a sensible precaution, and worth discussing at consultation. Second, if you're on medicines for other conditions, particularly diabetes medicines that affect blood sugar, your prescriber needs to know before any prescription is issued. The NHS semaglutide page lists interactions and precautions in accessible language.

None of this is meant to be discouraging. Most adults who ask about Wegovy find that a short clinical conversation is enough to clarify their situation either way. A prescriber at nume reads every consultation the same day it's submitted, a real clinician, not automated screening. If it turns out Wegovy isn't the right fit, there may be another licensed option worth exploring through our weight-loss treatments page.

What to do if you think you meet the requirements

The practical next step is a structured consultation. At nume, that means answering a detailed clinical questionnaire (covering your BMI, health history, current medicines and relevant conditions) which a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber then reviews personally. Photo ID and live weight verification are part of our process; so is notifying your GP in line with GPhC guidance. Many people find it easier to do this on a weekday morning, since orders placed before 12pm and approved that day go out for free next-working-day delivery with DPD, in plain packaging.

If you'd like to understand the BMI side of the requirements in more detail before starting, our pages on BMI for Wegovy and what BMI is required for Wegovy cover the numbers carefully. For storage questions once you're prescribed, Wegovy temperature requirements has the details you'll need. And if you have questions that aren't covered here, our FAQs are a useful place to look before reaching out to the team directly.

Ready to check your eligibility properly? Start your free consultation and a prescriber will review your answers the same day.