Weight management - Weight Loss Medication - Wegovy

You may have seen the recent announcement regarding the prescribing of weight loss medication in primary care.

Your general practice or hospital services will not be able to prescribe this medication to you for obesity until local arrangements are in place.

Wegovy is the brand name for semaglutide, a drug which has been licensed and approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the management of obesity.

Work is now being carried out with specialists across Kent and Medway to allow appropriate local referrals to take place.

As arrangements and supply are still being confirmed, we are not currently able to process any referrals to local specialist services for the consideration of prescribing Wegovy.

Locally, Wegovy will only be supplied through specialist services. This is to make sure that correct support such as diet and nutritional services are available alongside the medication.

Your GP practice will not be able to prescribe this medication to you until local arrangements are in place.

Your GP practice could refer you to an online service, Oviva, should you meet the eligibility criteria. As a specialist weight management service, Oviva is able to prescribe semaglutide. 

NHS Kent and Medway has eligibility criteria in place for accessing semaglutide (Wegovy)

To be able to access semaglutide (Wegovy), people in Kent and Medway must have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 (BMI to be adjusted for ethnicity*) or more and at least four of the five health conditions listed:

• type 2 diabetes mellitus
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• heart disease (cardiovascular disease)
• obstructive sleep apnoea
• abnormal blood fats (dyslipidaemia)

*Due to an increased risk of heath conditions at lower BMI thresholds in these populations, the BMI applied to assess eligibility for semaglutide (Wegovy) must be adjusted by 2.5 kg/m2 in people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean ethnic backgrounds to ensure equitable clinical prioritisation and access to appropriate treatment.

Referral pathway:

• Patients must have completed weight management interventions prior to referral.
• To access semaglutide (Wegovy), referrals must be made to a specialist weight management service.
• Oviva is currently the only specialist weight management service able to prescribe semaglutide (Wegovy) to people living in Kent and Medway under the right to choose: If you are eligible, your GP can refer you to Oviva.

Prescribing responsibility:

• Semaglutide (Wegovy) must be prescribed and monitored by the specialist weight management service.
• GPs must not prescribe GLP-1 RAs such as semaglutide (Wegovy).

Oviva, as a right to choose provider, must comply with local referral eligibility criteria (see eligibility above). Oviva has been provided with these criteria and is expected to decline inappropriate referrals.

You may have seen news about a new weight loss injection called Mounjaro® (tirzepatide). This is a medication approved for use in certain people    living with obesity, but it is not yet available to be prescribed by your GP in Kent and Medway.

What is Mounjaro?

Mounjaro is a weekly injection that works by helping you feel full, slowing stomach emptying, and helping to control blood sugar levels. It belongs to a newer group of medicines that were originally   used for diabetes and are now being offered to support weight loss in people with serious obesity-related health conditions.

Why can’t my GP prescribe it yet?

Although Mounjaro has been approved for NHS use, it can only be prescribed as part of a structured programme that includes support for healthy eating and physical activity.

This support service – called Behavioural Support for Obesity Prescribing (BSOP) – is still being set up in Kent and Medway. Until this service is  available locally, GPs are not allowed to prescribe Mounjaro for weight loss

What should I do in the meantime?

You can still access NHS advice and support for managing your weight through One You Kent. This includes help with healthy eating, physical activity, and lifestyle changes tailored to your needs.

Please do not contact us at this time regarding weight loss medication and treatment.