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United Kingdom · Wegovy

Wegovy on the NHS: price, eligibility and time limits

In England, an NHS specialist service handles Wegovy for weight loss. NICE lists three prices for one four-dose pen: £73.25, £124.53 and £175.80. The strength sets the price; these figures are not what the NHS pays or one national private price. NHS use is capped at 2 years. NICE also says to consider stopping if weight loss is less than 5% after 6 months.

Source for this answer

Source: NICE and NHS England, checked 2026-08-16

Source: NICE and NHS England, checked 2026-08-16

Access setting

Specialist service

Not a staged GP rollout.

NICE maximum

2 years

For this NHS recommendation.

Response check

6 months

Consider stopping below 5% loss.

These are entry rules, not a promise of treatment. A specialist team decides whether Wegovy fits the case. Local integrated care boards may differ in who can reach an assessment. The weight-loss pathway is separate from semaglutide products used for diabetes.

The published number

Three prices across five strengths

One pen · four doses

NICE groups the three starting strengths at one price. Each of the two higher strengths has its own price. Every figure excludes VAT.

NICE Wegovy list prices by pen strength, excluding VAT. Each pen delivers four once-weekly doses.
Pen strengthList pricePack basis
0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg£73.251 pen · 4 doses · excluding VAT
1.7 mg£124.531 pen · 4 doses · excluding VAT
2.4 mg£175.801 pen · 4 doses · excluding VAT

NICE list price

NICE publishes list prices by strength. They are not a private offer or the amount the NHS pays.

NHS price

The NHS receives a confidential commercial discount. NICE does not publish its size.

Private price

Private patient prices vary by prescriber and dispensing pharmacy. There is no single national private price.

What an NHS prescription costs in England

£9.90 per item unless exempt. That is the NHS prescription charge per item, not Wegovy’s list price or the NHS purchase price. NHS exemptions still apply.

NICE TA875 · NHS England

Who can enter the specialist pathway

Both groups need at least one health problem linked to weight. The lower BMI group must also meet NICE’s rules for a specialist referral.

NICE Wegovy eligibility groups for specialist weight management, checked 16 August 2026.
BMI groupComorbidityService boundary
BMI at least 35At least 1 weight-related comorbiditySpecialist weight management service
BMI 30 to 34.9At least 1 weight-related comorbidityMust also meet NICE referral criteria for a specialist service

NICE lowers the BMI threshold for some family backgrounds. It usually falls by 2.5 kg/m² for people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds.

The time boundary

Two rules that answer different questions

Maximum duration

Two years

Maximum 2 years on the NHS under NICE TA875. This is the duration in the NICE NHS recommendation, not a claim that every private prescription stops on the same date.

Response decision

Six months

NICE says to consider stopping if a person has lost less than 5% of initial weight after 6 months of treatment.

NHS England does not publish a staged primary-care rollout for Wegovy like the one for Mounjaro. Its current page places Wegovy in a specialist weight management service.

The service and prescription-charge details are for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own health services and pathways.

Questions people actually ask

Can a GP prescribe Wegovy on the NHS?

NHS England’s current public route says Wegovy for weight management is prescribed through a specialist weight management service. That differs from the staged Mounjaro primary-care rollout. Ask the local integrated care board how its referral pathway works.

How much does Wegovy cost in the UK?

NICE lists £73.25, £124.53 or £175.80 for one four-dose pen, depending on strength, excluding VAT. The NHS discount is confidential, England’s prescription charge is £9.90 per item unless exempt, and private prices vary.

How long can I take Wegovy on the NHS?

NICE TA875 recommends a maximum of 2 years in a specialist service. It separately says to consider stopping if less than 5% of initial weight is lost after 6 months. A clinician applies those rules to the individual case.

What remains uncertain

  • It does not turn NHS England’s specialist Wegovy route into the staged Mounjaro primary-care rollout.
  • It does not treat NICE’s list price, the confidential NHS purchase price and a private patient’s bill as one number.
  • It does not say that meeting a BMI and comorbidity threshold guarantees referral, assessment or a prescription.
  • It does not copy England’s service or prescription-charge details onto Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Montecillo, MD · non-practicing medical reviewer

Reviewed 2026-08-16

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Sources

  1. TA875, section 1 — NHS eligibility, duration and stopping rule · National Institute for Health and Care Excellence · retrieved 2026-08-16
  2. TA875, section 2 — indication and list price for semaglutide · National Institute for Health and Care Excellence · retrieved 2026-08-16
  3. Weight management injections — Wegovy access in England · NHS England · retrieved 2026-08-16
  4. Semaglutide — NHS medicine guide · NHS · retrieved 2026-08-16
  5. GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know · Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency · retrieved 2026-08-16
  6. Help with NHS prescription costs · NHS Business Services Authority · retrieved 2026-08-16