Key Summary
- Patients should complete Superdrug Online Doctor's clinical assessment before being considered for a prescription.
- Those currently taking Wegovy weekly jabs need to take a break of at least a week before starting the pills.
- The tablet should be taken on an empty stomach after fasting for at least 8 hours with a sip of water.
Pharmacy retailer Superdrug has launched online sales of the recently approved Wegovy pill on Friday (3), starting at £79 for a month’s supply.
Manufactured by Novo Nordisk, this pill will be available at Superdrug Online Doctor.
Those interested should complete a full clinical assessment online, before being considered for a prescription.
The lowest dose, 1.5mg, is priced at £79 for a month's supply for new patients, while the standard price for existing patients will be £99, Superdrug said.
The 4mg dose will cost £99 for new patients, or £119 if they are existing patients.
The retailer plans to roll out 9mg and 25mg at a later date and will be priced £149 and £209, respectively.
The tablet should be taken on an empty stomach after fasting for at least 8 hours with a sip of water.
After taking it, no food or drink should be taken for at least thirty minutes. Eating or drinking less than 30 minutes after taking a Wegovy tablet lowers its absorption.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on June 11 approved the tablet for private use in the UK.
The decisions on NHS use will follow established processes, including an evaluation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Jabs to pills transition
Those currently taking Wegovy weekly jabs need to take a break of at least a week before starting the pills.
Patients currently taking the lowest dose of 0.25 mg semaglutide injection once a week should transition to 4 mg tablets.
Those on the 0.5 mg or 1 mg injection dose can go on to 9 mg, and those on a 1.7 mg, 2.4 mg or 7.2 mg dose can switch to 25 mg.
The Wegovy pills need not be stored in a fridge.
Eli Lilly plans
Novo Nordisk's rival Eli Lilly expects to launch its weight-loss pill in Europe and Britain in the second half of 2026 or early 2027, and plans to partner with telehealth companies, e-commerce platforms and direct-to-patient channels for distribution.
In the UK, it runs LillyDirect, a post-prescription dispensing and delivery service to private UK healthcare companies, offering convenient, secure and discreet home delivery of authentic Lilly medicines to patients.
Obesity burden
In England, two in three adults are overweight, and obesity remains one of the leading causes of preventable ill health.
It is a significant risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases, as excess weight causes fatty build-up in the arteries, restricting blood flow and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
It can also raise blood pressure, cholesterol, and the risk of type 2 diabetes - all of which put fatal strain on the heart.
Currently, around one in nine cardiovascular deaths in England are attributed to excess weight and obesity every year.
The British Heart Foundation had recently projected that around 45 people are expected to die daily from cardiovascular disease linked to excess weight and obesity in England over the next decade, if the current trends continue.
