Wegovy in the UK — patient guide

What Wegovy is

Wegovy is the brand name Novo Nordisk uses for semaglutide presented for chronic weight management. The same active ingredient appears in Ozempic (licensed for type 2 diabetes) and Rybelsus (oral semaglutide for type 2 diabetes). The three products are not interchangeable — they have different licensed indications, dose ranges, and supply chains.

The FixDose pen

Wegovy is supplied as a pre-filled, single-patient-use FixDose pen. Each pen delivers one weekly dose at a fixed strength. Available strengths are 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg. Patients escalate through the strengths over roughly 16 weeks, replacing the pen at each new strength.

The standard titration schedule (subject to your prescriber):

• Weeks 1–4: 0.25 mg weekly
• Weeks 5–8: 0.5 mg weekly
• Weeks 9–12: 1 mg weekly
• Weeks 13–16: 1.7 mg weekly
• Week 17+: 2.4 mg weekly (maintenance)

Titration is the most important tool for managing GI side effects. Many prescribers extend a step by 4 weeks where nausea or constipation is troublesome.

NHS access — NICE TA875

NICE technology appraisal TA875 recommends Wegovy on the NHS for weight management, restricted to specialist weight-management services. Headline criteria:

• BMI of at least 35 kg/m² with at least one weight-related comorbidity, OR
• BMI 30–34.9 kg/m² in narrow circumstances (e.g. specific high-risk groups), AND
• Use within a Tier 3 specialist weight-management service.

Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds where cardiometabolic risk emerges at lower BMI. NICE caps recommended duration at two years. Roll-out is phased; in practice waiting lists for specialist services are long.

Lawful private access

A GMC-registered prescriber can lawfully prescribe Wegovy on a private prescription where clinically appropriate. The minimum checks a competent private route includes:

• Real clinical assessment (medical history, BMI, comorbidities, mental-health screen).
• Named GMC-registered prescriber the patient can look up.
• GPhC-registered dispensing pharmacy.
• Follow-up and adverse-event escalation path.

See peptide clinics and UK law for the registration checks in full.

Common side effects

Nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, and decreased appetite are the most common. Most are dose-dependent and improve with titration. Less common but more serious effects include gallbladder disease and pancreatitis — see the dedicated gallbladder risk and pancreatitis pages. Wegovy is contraindicated in pregnancy; see pregnancy and fertility.

Counterfeit Wegovy and what to check

The MHRA has flagged counterfeit GLP-1 pens reaching UK patients repeatedly. Real Wegovy:

• Ships in a Novo Nordisk-branded box with the dose strength clearly marked.
• Contains a UK Patient Information Leaflet in English.
• Has a batch number and expiry date that match the box.
• Has the FixDose pen with the recognisable Novo Nordisk pen design.

If the supply you received is a generic vial, doesn’t have a PIL, has poorly printed packaging, or the pen feels different from previous supplies, do not inject. See what to do if your pen looks wrong.