From Monday, a daily tablet costing as little as £79 a month will offer a needle-free alternative to weight-loss jabs, with one pharmacy already approving pre-orders from around 10,000 customers. The Wegovy pill, the first of its kind approved by the UK medicines regulator, marks a new front in the fight against obesity – but experts warn it risks widening the gap between those who can afford private prescriptions and those reliant on the NHS.
Simple Online Pharmacy said its pre-orders were ready to be dispatched this week, reflecting “huge demand” from patients who had been waiting for an oral option. Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said the convenience of a daily pill would appeal to many, but added: “It seems inevitable that pills for weight loss will be approved [for use by the NHS] at some stage. It will add to the pressure on the NHS to treat more people with weight-loss medications.”
“Wegovy weight-loss pills go on sale Monday from £79, with 10,000 pre-orders, but NHS access may not come until 2028.”
The 1.5mg starting dose is available from Superdrug Online Doctor at £99 a month for existing patients and £79 for new patients; the 4mg “step-up” dose costs £119. Higher doses up to £229 a month will follow. Patients still require a private prescription, starting on 1.5mg a day for a month, then escalating to 4mg, 9mg and 25mg.
Wegovy’s Danish manufacturer Novo Nordisk made more than £9bn from weight-loss drugs last year and is producing millions of tablets to meet demand. Mike Doustdar, Wegovy boss, called the launch “a turning point”, adding: “There is very little understanding that this is a chronic disease. The pill is giving people more options.”
But the slow roll-out of NHS access – which experts predict may take until 2028 – raises fears of a “two-tier” system. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, hailed the pill as “transformational”, noting that “pharmacies are anticipating demand both from existing users switching from jabs but also from new patients who have previously been deterred by the thought of having to inject themselves.”
The shift from injections to tablets could also bring risks. Experts warned that increased demand might fuel wider misuse and counterfeit versions on the black market. Picard cautioned potential patients to “be wary of medicines at a cost that’s too good to be true”, and stressed: “Weight-loss medication is not a silver bullet and won’t be suitable for all patients.”