Weight Loss Injections on the NHS: Who Can Get Mounjaro or Wegovy in 2026?

Short answer: Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide), the two weight loss injections, are both available on the NHS, but for fewer people than their UK licence covers. In England, as of October 2026, Mounjaro is offered through GP practices and other NHS services to adults with a BMI of 35 or above who also have at least 4 of 5 weight-related conditions, under NICE technology appraisal TA1026 and its phased rollout. Wegovy for weight loss is recommended only within specialist weight management services, for adults with at least one weight-related condition and a BMI of 35 or above, or 30 to 34.9 if they meet the criteria for specialist referral (NICE TA875). Privately, the UK licence applies instead: a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above with a weight-related condition.

This guide sets out what NICE, the NHS and the health services of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland say, as of October 2026: who qualifies for each medicine, how to ask for it, what it costs, where the weight loss tablets stand, and your options if you do not qualify.

Can you get weight loss injections on the NHS?

Yes, if you meet the NHS criteria, which are stricter than the UK licence. In England each injection has its own route: Mounjaro is being phased in through GP practices and other NHS services, and Wegovy for weight loss is prescribed within specialist weight management services. Neither is offered to everyone the licence covers, because NICE recommends each one only for the groups in which it judged the medicine a cost-effective use of NHS resources. For Mounjaro, for example, NICE looked at adults with a BMI of 30 or above and a weight-related condition, found the cost-effectiveness estimates for that group above the range it accepts, and recommended a BMI of 35 or above instead.

The 5 conditions NICE lists for Mounjaro on the NHS are high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats (dyslipidaemia), obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease such as heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Who can get Mounjaro on the NHS in England?

Adults with a BMI of 40 or above, or 35 to 39.9, who have at least 4 of the 5 listed conditions may be eligible now, and from around March 2027 the NHS expects to add adults with a BMI of 40 or above and 3 of them. NICE recommended tirzepatide in December 2024 for adults with a BMI of at least 35 and at least one weight-related condition (TA1026, recommendation 1.1), and agreed that NHS England could bring it in over a longer period, starting with the people in greatest clinical need. NICE estimates that 3.4 million people in England could be eligible under its guidance, and expects at least 220,000 of them to be funded in the first 3 years of the rollout.

Each new group joins the ones before it. NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, for example, gives the start dates as 23 June 2026 and 1 April 2027. The full criteria are in NICE's guidance.

Since April 2026, prescribing tirzepatide for obesity has been part of the GP contract in England, but practices are not required to take part, so whether your own practice prescribes it varies. An NHS tirzepatide prescription for weight loss comes with lifestyle support on diet and activity, which you are expected to take part in. If less than 5% of starting weight has been lost after 6 months on the highest dose a person can manage, NICE says to decide whether to continue treatment, weighing its benefits and risks for that person (TA1026, recommendation 1.2). The local detail and the questions to ask your GP are in our guide to getting Mounjaro on the NHS, and the private threshold is explained in what BMI you need for Mounjaro.

Can you get Wegovy on the NHS?

Yes, through an NHS specialist weight management service, for adults with at least one weight-related condition and a BMI of 35 or above, or a BMI of 30 to 34.9 who meet NICE's criteria for referral to a specialist service (NICE TA875, recommendation 1.1). These are services where several kinds of health professional work together, often called tier 3 or tier 4 services, and your GP refers you. The NHS website says the same: for weight loss, your doctor refers you to a specialist weight management service, and you are only prescribed semaglutide if your BMI meets the criteria. If less than 5% of starting weight has been lost after 6 months, NICE says stopping should be considered (TA875, recommendation 1.2).

Can you get Wegovy on the NHS after a heart attack or stroke?

You may be able to. Since May 2026, NICE has recommended semaglutide, at doses up to 2.4mg a week, to lower the risk of a heart attack, a stroke or death from cardiovascular disease in adults who have had a heart attack or a stroke, or have peripheral arterial disease that causes symptoms, and who have a BMI of 27 or above (NICE TA1152). The NHS in England had to fund it within 90 days of 7 May 2026, and NICE does not say which service should prescribe it, so ask the doctor who looks after your heart or circulation. In Scotland, the Scottish Medicines Consortium accepted the same use in June 2026. This is a different use from weight loss: through Solira, Wegovy is supplied for weight management in adults.

When will Wegovy be available on the NHS from a GP?

There is no date. On 8 October 2026 NICE said it is proposing a broader appraisal of semaglutide for weight management, including a review of TA875, the 7.2mg dose and oral semaglutide, the medicine in Wegovy tablets. Until it publishes new guidance, Wegovy for weight loss stays a specialist service medicine on the NHS in England.

Are Wegovy tablets or Foundayo available on the NHS?

Not routinely, as of October 2026: neither has a NICE recommendation for weight management, so the NHS in England is not required to fund either for weight loss. Both are licensed in the UK: Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide) since June 2026 and Foundayo (orforglipron) since 10 August 2026, each for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above with a weight-related condition (each product's UK product information, sections 4.1 and 9).

An earlier NICE appraisal of oral semaglutide for weight management was stopped in May 2025, after the company said it would not send evidence, and oral semaglutide is now part of the broader semaglutide appraisal NICE proposed in October 2026. NICE's appraisal of orforglipron is in progress, with publication expected on 27 January 2027. Until then, both are available privately after a consultation. What the tablets cost privately is in how much Wegovy tablets cost in the UK, and the Foundayo licence is explained in Foundayo approved in the UK.

What about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

Each nation runs its own NHS, so the rules differ, and NHS England's phased rollout of Mounjaro covers England only. This is where each nation stood as of October 2026:

In Scotland, the national statement says treatment can be given in any NHS setting that can provide diet and activity support, including primary care. In Wales, the Welsh Government's July 2026 update says ministers will decide on wider use as a new clinical pathway is developed. Outside England, your GP can tell you what your health board or trust offers now.

How do you get a weight loss injection on the NHS?

Start with your GP practice, which can check whether you meet the current NHS criteria and then prescribe or refer you. These are the steps:

1. Check your BMI. Use our BMI calculator. In England, as of October 2026, the NHS criteria for Mounjaro start at a BMI of 35 with at least 4 of the 5 listed conditions, and for Wegovy at a BMI of 35 with a weight-related condition, or 30 to 34.9 with the criteria for specialist referral.

2. Ask your GP practice. Ask whether the practice prescribes tirzepatide for weight loss, and whether you are in a group that is eligible now. Practices in England can choose whether to take part, so not every practice prescribes it.

3. Ask about a specialist referral. On the NHS, Wegovy for weight loss is prescribed by specialist weight management services, and your GP makes the referral. Specialist services can prescribe Mounjaro too.

4. Take part in the support that comes with it. NHS weight loss medicines are prescribed alongside diet and activity support, and an NHS tirzepatide prescription requires you to take part in a lifestyle support programme. You can refer yourself to some NHS weight management programmes: your GP surgery's website or reception team, or your local integrated care board's website, can tell you what is available.

How much does an NHS weight loss injection cost?

In England you pay the standard NHS prescription charge, £9.90 per item in 2026/27, or nothing if you get free prescriptions; in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland prescriptions are free. The NHS pays for the medicine itself. The government froze the England charge at £9.90 for 2026/27, and says around 89% of prescriptions in England are already dispensed free, for example to children, people over 60, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions. If you need several items regularly, a prescription prepayment certificate may cost less, the NHS website says.

Is orlistat available on the NHS?

Yes. Orlistat, a capsule taken with meals that stops some of the fat you eat from being absorbed, can be prescribed on the NHS as Xenical 120mg for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 28 or above with a weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure (NHS website, reviewed May 2026). A lower dose, sold as alli 60mg, can be bought from a pharmacy. It works differently from the injections, in the gut rather than on appetite. More is on our orlistat page.

What if you do not qualify on the NHS?

You may still be within the UK licence, which is wider than the NHS criteria: Mounjaro, Wegovy, Wegovy tablets and Foundayo are all licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition (each product's UK product information, section 4.1). Private treatment means a consultation with a regulated provider and paying for the medicine yourself. Through Solira, a GPhC-registered pharmacist reviews every consultation before anything is supplied. This is who treatment may suit with us:

Foundayo's UK licence uses the same BMI figures. The NHS website advises buying a private prescription only from a registered pharmacy, because some websites sell fake weight loss medicines. QuickCare Pharmacy, the registered pharmacy that dispenses Solira orders, is GPhC 9013213. How paying one order at a time works with us is in weight loss medication without a subscription, and how these medicines work is in our guide to GLP-1 medications.

Can you move from private treatment to the NHS?

Only if you meet the NHS criteria when you ask: NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, for example, says people buying tirzepatide privately may move to an NHS prescription if they qualify at that point, without gaining priority over people already waiting. Tell your GP about any weight loss medicine you take privately; in our consultation we ask whether you would like us to tell your GP, and we only do so with your consent. More on the Mounjaro route is in Mounjaro on the NHS.