Semaglutide can be an expensive medicine.
Those that need to buy it themselves often have to pay upwards of £200 a month.
However, certain people may qualify for it for free on the NHS.
Semaglutide is licensed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in the UK and is available on the NHS for this purpose for a 2 year period.
If you’re currently self-funding your Semaglutide but have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you may be able to get it for free.
Those with diabetes are entitled to free prescriptions on the NHS.
This means that you wouldn’t have to pay £9.35 per item anymore.
Unfortunately, Semaglutide isn’t available for free to anyone else in the UK.
This is due to the fact that it has only just been licensed for weight loss and is not licensed for any other purpose here.
As the licensing for weight loss is a very recent development, the NHS hasn’t decided how to handle prescriptions of Semaglutide yet, and won’t supply a prescription for this purpose.
However, Saxenda is now available in some tier 3 weight management services within the National Health Service.
This is usually reserved for those with a BMI of at least 35 with pre-diabetes and a high risk of cardiovascular disease.
Because of this, it can be challenging to obtain a prescription for Saxenda on the NHS, but the option is there for those that do meet the criteria.
As Semaglutide has only just been licensed for weight loss, those needing it for this purpose have to pay privately.
Unfortunately, there is no system in the UK to buy subsidised medication privately.
Unfortunately, the cost of the actual medicine dictates the overall price.
Whilst those with diabetes can get it for free, this is because it is paid for by the NHS and the taxpayers.
Private prescriptions are expensive due to the cost of the actual medication rather than the service itself.
Unfortunately, the only cheaper option for weight loss medication is Orlistat.
Many people either don’t find success with this or aren’t able to tolerate the side effects.
Unfortunately, until the NHS have decided how they will regulate Semaglutide prescriptions for weight loss, we’re going to have to wait and see whether a cheaper option becomes available to suitable patients.
If you are one of our patients who have any questions about paying for your consultations with us, please email [email protected] and one of the team will get back to you!
