Weight Loss Drug Prescriptions Cost

There is massive public interest in a new class of weight loss drugs (Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda) which have been shown in clinical trials to help patients to achieve from 12% to 22% loss of body weight when used for one year. These drugs are expensive to manufacture and one year’s supply in the UK costs the NHS approximately £1,000 per patient although some higher dose prescriptions may cost up to £2,500.  Prescriptions via private clinics can easily cost the patient double this amount.

This website aims to track the cost to the NHS resulting from the uptake and use of weight loss drugs in Scotland and England.  This data and will be subject to regular updates to monitor the uptake of these drugs in Scotland and England.

Last Updated: August 2025 with data covering period up to April 2025,

On this webpage

• Table and graph showing increased use of weight loos drugs in Scotland
• Table and Graph showing increased use of weight loss drugs in England

Scotland: Weight Loss Drug Prescriptions

Obesity in Scotland

There are an estimated 3.7M adults in Scotland between the ages of 18 to 69 (inclusive) and, according to the Scottish Health Survey 2023, 32% of adults in Scotland are obese.  This means that some 1.2M adults are clinically obese and meet the criteria for treatment with GLP-1 agonists.

Total Cost of Weight-Loss Drug Prescriptions in Scotland

Total cost of weight loss prescriptions in April 2025 was £1,006,043. The latest cost of these drugs per million adult population in Scotland was £271,903 whereas in England it was £458,073.  This may indicate a later adoption of these drugs in Scotland.

Number of NHS Patients on Weight-Loss Drug Prescriptions in Scotland

The number of patients currently being prescribed GLP-1 agonists for weight-loss treatment is not published.  It is difficult to extrapolate precisely from the published prescription data because of a number of uncertainties: number of doses in a pack as reported,  the number of months prescriptions in each dispensed prescription and, for Ozempic, whether any of the prescriptions were for off label use in weight-loss .  Using the cost of the drugs dispensed in a month provides a clue as to the number of patients subject to the following caveats.  From the prescription data: firstly, that the average prescription is for three months; secondly, the average cost per month is £120 and thirdly; Ozempic prescriptions are presumed to be only for diabetes patients and are excluded from the calculation.

With these caveats in mind, it is estimated that there are currently 18,169 patients receiving GLP-1 agonists for weight-loss which represents 1.51% of the 1.2M obese adults in Scotland.

Monthly Cost Trends and Growth

Monthly cost trends reveal distinct patterns for each drug (see Table 1 and Figure 1):

Mounjaro: Demonstrated significant growth in expenditure. Starting from zero costs in January 2024, Mounjaro’s monthly cost ramped up considerably, particularly from June 2024 onwards, reaching £549,452 by April 2025. This indicates a rapid increase in its prescription and utilization within NHS Scotland.  Based on the current trends it is estimated that by December 2025 its monthly cost will be £2,165,314.

Mounjaro exhibited the highest mean percentage growth in monthly expenditure, indicating its rapid adoption and increasing cost burden on NHS Scotland. While other drugs showed fluctuations, Mounjaro’s consistent high growth stands out.

Ozempic: Is included because much of the hype about weight-loss drugs started with observations around this drug.  In the UK it is not licensed for weight loss but may be being prescribed off-label by some private clinics before Mounjaro and Wegovy became available.  Ozempic maintained a fairly consistently high expenditure throughout the period, as would be expected if it is mainly prescribe by NHS practitioners for diabetes patients in Scotland. Latest cost (April 2025) was £400,385.

Wegovy: Showed a steady increase in monthly costs, albeit at a lower scale compared to Ozempic and Mounjaro. Its expenditure grew from £2,249 in January 2024 to £52,557 in April 2025.

Saxenda: Exhibited a declining trend in monthly costs over the period, suggesting a decrease in its prescription or a shift towards other medications.

 

Table 1: Cost of Prescriptions of GLP-1 Agonists (£)
in Scotland during the period January 2024 to April 2025

Figure 1: Cost of Prescriptions of GLP-1 Agonists (£)
during the period January 2024 to April 2025

England: Weight Loss Drug Prescriptions

Obesity in England
There are an estimated 37.8M adults in England between the ages of 18 to 69 (inclusive) and, according to the Health Survey For England 2022, approximately 29% of these adults are obese.  This means that some 11M adults are clinically obese and thus will meet the criteria for treatment with GLP-1 agonists.

Number of NHS Patients on Weight-Loss Drug Prescriptions in England

Using the assumptions outlined (above) for Scottish data it is estimated that there are currently 420,069 patients receiving GLP-1 agonists treatment for weight-loss, which represents 3.82% of the 11M obese adults in England.

Total Cost of Weight-Loss Drug Prescriptions in England

Total cost of weight loss prescriptions in England during April 2025 was £17,315,181.  Spend per million adult population in England was £458,073.

Monthly Cost Trends and Growth

Monthly cost trends reveal distinct patterns for each drug (see Table 2 and Figure 2):

Mounjaro: Mounjaro demonstrated a remarkable increase in expenditure over the period. Starting from zero in January 2024, its monthly cost surged to £13,918,649 by April 2025. This indicates a rapid adoption and increasing reliance on Mounjaro within the NHS for weight management.  Based on the current trends it is estimated that by December 2025 its monthly cost will be £23,969,212.

Ozempic: In the UK it is not licensed for weight loss but may be being prescribed off-label by some private clinics before Mounjaro and Wegovy became available.  Ozempic maintained a fairly consistently high expenditure throughout the period, as would be expected if it is mainly prescribe by NHS practitioners for diabetes patients in England. Latest cost (April 2025) was £3,312,853.

Wegovy: Wegovy exhibited a steady increase in expenditure, rising from £20,219 in January 2024 to £75,929. Although its total cost is significantly lower than Mounjaro and Ozempic, the consistent growth indicates a growing uptake and importance of Wegovy in the treatment landscape.

Saxenda: Saxenda consistently maintained the lowest expenditure among the four drugs. Its monthly cost decreased from £26,899 in January 2024 to £7,750 in April 2025. This downward trend suggests a diminishing role or a more niche application for Saxenda in the NHS’s weight loss drug portfolio, possibly due to the emergence of more effective or preferred alternatives.

 

Table 1: Cost of Prescriptions of GLP-1 Agonists (£)
in England during the period January 2024 to April 2025

Figure 1: Cost of Prescriptions of GLP-1 Agonists (£)
during the period January 2024 to April 2025

Background to Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda as Weight Loss Drugs

These drugs ( known as GLP-1 receptor agonists) were initially introduction of for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) mimic the action of the natural hormone by GLP-1 by activating the GLP-1 receptor resulting in increases insulin secretion which helps to reduce blood sugar levels and to slow gastric emptying. GLP-1RAs also act on receptors in the brain to reduce the sensation of hunger. Thus in addition to their ability to control blood sugar levels, their ability to reduce appetite has led to their use as a weight loss treatment. GLP-1 receptor agonists are most often provided as solutions for subcutaneous injection and are available in pre-filled pens.

Prior to their formal adoption as weight loss treatments by regulatory authorities they have become increasingly used by non-diabetics as an appetite suppressant to help with weight loss. Indeed there has been GLP-1RAs supply shortages in 2023 and 2024 possibly as a result of their use as a diet aid.

For further details on how these drugs work and their history please see A Guide to New Weight Loss Drugs on this website

Prescription Only
There are a number of GLP-1RAs available for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and three  licensed in the UK for weight loss therapy.

• Wegovy
• Mounjaro
• Saxenda

They are licensed in the UK to treat obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m²) or overweight patients with weight-related conditions (BMI > 27 kg/m²).

Sources

Scottish Prescribing Data
https://www.opendata.nhs.scot/dataset/prescriptions-in-the-community

English Prescribing Data
https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/english-prescribing-data-epd

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/english-prescribing-data-epd

Obesity Data
https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-health-survey-2023-volume-1-main-report/pages/15/

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/health-survey-for-england/2022-part-2/adult-overweight-and-obesity#overweight-obesity-and-health