What Is Wegovy?
Wegovy is the weekly semaglutide injection with the longest real-world track record in UK weight loss. What it is, how it works, the trial numbers, and how to buy it safely.
Wegovy (semaglutide) is a prescription-only once-weekly injection made by Novo Nordisk, licensed in the UK for weight management in adults who meet the BMI criteria. Wegovy is the weekly semaglutide injection with the longest real-world track record in UK weight loss. For live prices across GPhC-registered pharmacies, use iGovy.co.uk, free, no account.
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What it is
Wegovy is the weight-management brand of semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk, a once-weekly injection, licensed in the UK for adults with obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition. (The same molecule, at lower doses and under the name Ozempic, treats type 2 diabetes.)
How it works
Semaglutide mimics GLP-1, the hormone your gut releases after eating. It slows stomach emptying and strengthens the “I'm full” signal to the brain, so smaller meals satisfy. It also has proven heart benefits: the SELECT trial showed around a 20% reduction in major cardiovascular events in people with existing heart disease.
What the trials show
In STEP-1, people on the 2.4mg maintenance dose lost an average of around 15% of body weight over 68 weeks. At the newer 7.2mg dose, results approach roughly 20%. Averages hide wide individual variation (some lose far more, some less) but Wegovy's evidence base is the deepest of any GLP-1 for weight.
The doses
Treatment starts at 0.25mg weekly and steps up at four-week intervals (0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg) towards the 2.4mg maintenance dose, with 7.2mg where a prescriber judges it appropriate. The slow build is deliberate: it keeps nausea and other gut side effects tolerable for most people.
NHS or private?
Wegovy is recommended under NICE TA875 within specialist NHS weight-management services, usually for up to two years and with strict criteria. Access varies hugely by area, so many people use private GPhC-registered providers, where prices differ enough between pharmacies to make comparison worth your time.
The honest caveats
Prescription-only, not for everyone, and the weight tends to return if you stop without other changes. Semaglutide is also one of the most counterfeited medicines sold online, which is why every route we point to starts with a GPhC register check.
Quick answers.
What is Wegovy used for?
Wegovy (semaglutide) is licensed in the UK for weight management in adults with obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition, alongside diet and activity changes. It is a prescription-only medicine supplied as a once-weekly injection, made by Novo Nordisk.
Do I need a prescription for Wegovy in the UK?
Yes. Wegovy is prescription-only. Every legitimate UK provider (including all 99 in the Pharmacy Score directory) requires an online assessment reviewed by a qualified prescriber before dispensing.
Where can I find the best Wegovy price?
Live UK prices for Wegovy are tracked at iGovy.co.uk, covering GPhC-registered pharmacies. Pharmacy Score does not republish prices because they change too quickly to stay accurate.
How do I check a pharmacy selling Wegovy is legitimate?
Look up its premises number on the GPhC register at pharmacyregulation.org, every profile on Pharmacy Score links directly to the pharmacy's live register entry so you can verify in seconds.
The rest of the family.
Before you start, the safety page.
What is normal in the first weeks, what changes after a dose increase, the contraceptive-pill interaction many people are never told about, and the symptoms that mean stop and get help. Wegovy side effects and safety, in full →
The official sources, in one place.
These are the bodies that actually regulate, appraise and advise. If anything you read anywhere (including here) disagrees with them, believe them.