Wegovy in Scotland: Your guide to accessing the weight loss treatment

Heard all the whispers about Wegovy and wondering if you can get it in Scotland? Well, you’re in luck — the effective (and very popular) weight loss medication is available.

However, there are some caveats around its accessibility. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as popping into your nearest pharmacy and grabbing a few pens off the shelf.

Here, we break down where you can buy Wegovy, who’s eligible to get it, and several alternatives if Wegovy’s out of reach.

Can I buy Wegovy in Scotland?

You sure can! The weight loss medication has been available for sale in Scotland since October 2023. As long as you’ve got a prescription from your doctor, you can generally purchase it from a pharmacy or a specialist weight management service.

Wegovy is a prescription-only medication that contains an active ingredient known as semaglutide. This compound works by mimicking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), the hormone responsible for regulating appetite and blood sugar levels.

With Wegovy, semaglutide is delivered in pen form and injected under the skin. It slows gastric emptying and makes you feel fuller for longer, ideally resulting in consuming fewer calories. Combined with a reduced-calorie diet and regular exercise, the goal of Wegovy is to help you to lose weight. It can be highly effective, too: studies show that Wegovy can lead to losing 15% of body weight.

Wegovy is typically administered weekly, with the dosage increasing over months. You generally start on the lowest dose before progressing to the highest one, which then becomes a maintenance dose.

It’s worth mentioning that even though Wegovy is for sale in Scotland, it’s not available to everyone — but we’ll get into this in more depth a little further down.

Is Wegovy approved for weight loss in Scotland?

As we now know, it is! The medicine was approved for weight loss by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) in October 2023, following England’s approval in March of the same year.

The SMC reviewed and accepted Wegovy as a suitable weight management medication for people who meet certain criteria, based on plenty of evidence that Wegovy is a solid treatment for losing weight when combined with a healthy diet and physical activity.

To date, several studies support Wegovy’s effectiveness. A study conducted in 2021 found that, after 68 weeks, participants who administered Wegovy alongside diet and exercise lost almost 15% of their body weight on average, while those who followed the same lifestyle changes and took a placebo lost an average of 2.4%.[1]

Another study from 2022 found almost identical results, albeit over a longer timeframe of 2 years, with the Wegovy group losing 15.2% on average and the placebo group 2.6% on average.[2]

More recently, a 2024 study found that not only did Wegovy promote significant weight loss, but it also reduced major cardiovascular events by 20% in participants with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, overweight or obesity.[3]

Does NHS Scotland prescribe GLP-1 medications?

Yes, GLP-1 medications like Wegovy, as well as several others, have been approved for use in NHS Scotland. 

Typically, GLP-1 medications are prescribed to those with type 2 diabetes. This is because they help control blood sugar levels by enhancing insulin secretion and reducing glucagon production. In layman’s terms, this means they can regulate blood sugar and prevent spikes.

Because these medications have an impact on appetite regulation and weight, some GLP-1 medications have been approved for weight management, too — especially if overweight or obesity is accompanied by related health issues. Wegovy is a type of GLP-1 medication that’s specifically marketed as a weight loss treatment. 

Now, even though it’s approved for the NHS in Scotland, as of right now it isn’t widely available. A number of local health boards across Scotland — including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Fife, NHS Lothian and NHS Borders — are yet to offer it. 

Many of these boards are in the process of putting together proposals for how Wegovy can be rolled out in healthcare facilities. There may be some cases where patients can access Wegovy via specialist NHS services, but most get it through private healthcare providers.

There are also strict criteria about who can access it. Currently, it can only be prescribed to people with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 (obesity), or a BMI between 27 and 30 (overweight) along with at least one weight-related health condition like heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure. Wegovy also needs to be prescribed by a doctor.[4]

Wegovy generally isn’t prescribed to anyone who doesn’t meet this criteria, because it’s not designed to be a casual weight loss medication. Instead, it’s targeted towards those who face a higher risk of complications due to being overweight or obese.

How much does Wegovy cost in Scotland?

The price of Wegovy varies depending on where you buy the medication. If you’re eligible under the NHS, you may be able to access Wegovy for little to no cost. But if you’re buying it privately, the cost will likely be fairly substantial — up to more than £300 per month.

The price depends on the dosage you’re purchasing, too. Wegovy is administered in 5 stages, with each stage requiring a different dose:

• Stage 1: 0.25mg weekly for 4 weeks
• Stage 2: 0.5mg weekly for 4 weeks
• Stage 3: 1mg weekly for 4 weeks
• Stage 4: 1.7mg weekly for 4 weeks
• Stage 5: 2.4mg weekly, ongoing (this is a maintenance dose)

When you purchase a box of Wegovy pens, you’ll receive 4 doses, each to be taken weekly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, lower doses are typically cheaper than higher ones. You can generally purchase 4 0.25mg doses for anywhere from £129 to £195, while 4 of the 2.4mg doses might cost from £259 to £350. 

Remember that these prices are just a rough guide. Individual pharmacies or clinics may charge more or less.

Are there other weight loss drugs available in Scotland?

There sure are! Wegovy is just one of many weight loss injections and drugs available. Here are a few of them.

(Before you wonder where Ozempic is on this list, the drug is exactly the same as Wegovy. The 2 are just alternative brand names for the same injectable and are approved for different purposes. Wegovy is marketed for weight loss, while Ozempic is sold to help lower blood sugar among those with type 2 diabetes.)

Saxenda (liraglutide)

Saxenda is another SMC-approved weight loss medication that works a little like Wegovy. It’s an injectable that uses liraglutide as its active ingredient — a compound similar to semaglutide able to mimic the GLP-1 hormone to regulate appetite and blood sugar levels.

However, there are key differences between Saxenda and Wegovy. First, Saxenda is administered daily rather than weekly. Second, liraglutide isn’t quite as potent as semaglutide, making it slightly less effective for weight loss. 

Several studies have demonstrated this difference, with one from 2022 finding that, over 68 weeks, mean body weight reduced by 15.8% among semaglutide users and 6.4% among those who took liraglutide.[5]

Like Wegovy, Saxenda can only be prescribed to patients who either have a BMI greater than 30, or a BMI of 27+ and at least one weight-related condition.[6]

Mounjaro (tirzepatide)

Mounjaro is also on the SMC’s approval list. In fact, Scotland is the first country in the UK to support its use for obesity.

Mounjaro is another injectable weight loss medication, but it works a bit differently. While semaglutide and liraglutide mimic the GLP-1 hormone, tirzepatide (Mounjar’s active ingredient) mimics the effects of two hormones: GLP-1 and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). The latter is a hormone that stimulates insulin secretion.

Because of its dual effect, clinical trials have so far found that tirzepatide is potentially the most effective when it comes to weight loss. A study from 2022 (supported by the pharmaceutical company behind Mounjaro) found that patients taking the highest possible dose lost 20.9% of their body weight on average after 72 weeks.[7]

At the moment, Mounjaro is only available to patients with a BMI greater than 30 and with at least one weight-related comorbidity.[8]

Xenical (orlistat)

Orlistat is a prescription-only capsule that you take 3 times a day with meals.

Orlistat works by reducing fat absorption in your intestines, thereby lowering the amount of fat you get from the foods you eat. It’s usually prescribed in conjunction with a low-fat diet and increased exercise.

Orlistat has been around a little while longer than the other drugs on this list, but it can still be quite effective. Studies show it can help patients lose significant weight, with one from 1998 finding that participants taking Orlistat lost 10.2% of their body weight on average after a year.[9]

Accessing weight loss medication

At Juniper, we understand the importance of taking a holistic approach to long-term weight loss. We combine weight loss medication with a dietitian-led health coaching programme to help you lose weight, and keep it off.

With Juniper's Weight Reset Programme, you can kickstart your weight loss with Wegovy or Mounjaro, which helps to control cravings, delay stomach emptying and keep you feeling fuller for longer so you never feel deprived.

Juniper is the only medicated weight loss programme focused on fat loss and muscle maintenance. This is vital for burning calories, keeping metabolism high, and preventing weight regain. Our app provides easy step-by-step goals around nutrition and movement, designed to support your muscle mass on the medication.

Our clinical team of healthcare professionals, health coaches and dietitians are also involved in the weight loss journey with you, giving you all the tools and support needed to not only lose weight but keep it off, too. Our health coaches guide you with helpful and actionable advice to help you make the necessary lifestyle changes, like sticking to a reduced-calorie diet and increasing your physical activity levels.