Laura Donnelly
Mon, July 6, 2026 at 8:30 PM UTC
Millions of patients face an uncertain wait for the new weight-loss pill after private sales began before NHS assessment
The daily tablet version of Wegovy became available from private providers on Monday at a cost of around £3 a day
However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) cannot begin assessing the drug for NHS rollout because Novo Nordisk, its manufacturer, has yet to submit the evidence needed for an appraisal
The slow start is likely to frustrate patients who cannot afford to buy the drugs and comes after an extremely slow rollout of weight-loss injections on the health service
Although Wegovy injections to treat obesity were recommended by Nice in 2023, access has remained tightly restricted through specialist NHS weight-management services.
Another jab, Mounjaro, became available through GPs last year for patients with severe obesity and multiple weight-related illnesses
The Wegovy tablet is expected to become one of the biggest pharmaceutical launches in history because it replaces weekly injections with a once-daily pill
Doctors believe it could widen demand significantly by appealing to patients reluctant to inject themselves
The class of medication has been described as “game-changing” with an impact on most major diseases, including a near halving of heart attack deaths
Chemists are expecting private sales to overtake those of weight-loss jabs, which have already reached more than two million people
Sales of Britain’s “more accessible” weight-loss pill began on Monday, just as millions prepared for their summer holidays
Lisa Tookey, of CheqUp, an online weight-loss clinic, said: “The approval of a Wegovy weight-loss pill is a seismic moment for weight management in the UK and we are already seeing unprecedented demand, with tens of thousands of people on our wait-list for the medication, people who had previously shied away from injections.
“It changes the game completely, making clinically supported treatment more accessible, widening access to weight-loss medication to millions more people across the country.”
Simple Online Pharmacy said pre-order volumes in the first 24 hours were more than 10 times higher than for the launch of Mounjaro, Britain’s best-selling weight-loss injection
Novo Nordisk said more than three million prescriptions had been issued since the treatment launched in the US in January, in what analysts described as “the fastest drug launch” in pharmaceutical history
More than 80 per cent of those prescribed the pill in the US had never previously used weight-loss injections, suggesting the tablets could ultimately prove even more popular than the jabs
UK pharmacists said they believed that, in time, the drugs could become as commonplace as statins, which are taken by around eight million people in the UK
A Nice spokesman said: “Nice is unable to make a recommendation on the use of the Wegovy pill on the NHS at this time, as Novo Nordisk has not yet made an evidence submission to us for appraisal. We can only recommend a medicine for NHS use once a company has submitted it for appraisal.”
He said Nice was in dialogue with Novo Nordisk
Asked when it intended to begin the appraisal process, Novo Nordisk said it was “exploring options” but declined to provide a timetable
A spokesman said: “We are in dialogue with Nice to explore options on access, but no arrangements have been agreed at this stage. However, we remain committed to expanding access for eligible patients to support them on their weight management journey.”
The tablet contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient as injectable Wegovy, and is taken once a day alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity
Clinical trials found patients lost an average of around 15 per cent of their body weight over 68 weeks
Any decision on NHS availability will depend on Nice’s assessment of the drug’s clinical and cost effectiveness after Novo Nordisk submits its evidence
