Buying Wegovy: how the legal route works in the Netherlands

What is Wegovy (semaglutide)?

Wegovy is a prescription medicine for weight management with the active ingredient semaglutide, a so-called GLP-1 agonist. You use it as a weekly injection, always combined with a healthier diet and more exercise.

Semaglutide mimics the gut hormone GLP-1. That hormone sends your brain a satiety signal, so you feel less hungry and feel full sooner. For many people it is precisely that constant hunger that makes weight loss fail again and again; Wegovy targets that mechanism. The medicine therefore falls under medical weight loss with injections.

Its effect has been well studied. In the STEP 1 trial among 1,961 adults with overweight or obesity, participants on semaglutide 2.4 mg lost an average of 14.9% of their body weight over 68 weeks, compared with 2.4% on placebo. Weight loss varies from person to person and requires a sustained combination with lifestyle changes.

Important to know: Wegovy is a treatment, not a short course. The medicine supports you for as long as you use it and works best as part of a broader plan with diet, exercise and medical supervision.

What does Wegovy cost? Prices per dose

At the pharmacy, Wegovy costs roughly €105 to €234 per pen, depending on the dose (prices as of 1 July 2026, medicijnkosten.nl). One pen contains four weekly doses and therefore lasts about a month.

You start low and increase the dose step by step. This lets your body get used to the medicine and keeps side effects as limited as possible:

On top of the medicine price, allow for the costs of the consultation, repeat prescriptions and medical supervision. The bare price of a pen therefore does not tell the whole story of what a responsible programme costs per month. You will find a full breakdown in our article on Wegovy price.

Be wary of providers that advertise strikingly low prices or promise that you can buy Wegovy without a prescription. Registered Dutch pharmacies charge similar prices; if an offer is far below that, it is a sign that something is wrong with the origin or the contents of the pen.

Is Wegovy covered by insurance?

No, Wegovy is currently (July 2026) not covered by the basic health insurance package (basispakket). You therefore pay for the medicine and the supervision yourself.

Zorginstituut Nederland (the Dutch National Health Care Institute) advised against inclusion in the basic package in 2024 and is now reassessing semaglutide for obesity, starting with the people with the heaviest burden of disease. The Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) makes the final decision; no date is known yet. Until then, expect to pay the full costs yourself so you are not caught out afterwards. What your insurer might cover, for example lifestyle coaching, differs per policy; check this before you start. Read more about Wegovy insurance coverage.

Who is Wegovy suitable for?

Wegovy is officially intended for adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or a BMI from 27 combined with a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. Not sure where you stand? Calculate your BMI as a first indication.

A BMI figure alone is not enough: a doctor also looks at your health, your medical history, the medicines you take and your previous attempts to lose weight. If you recognise that losing weight does not work despite serious effort, medical weight loss with supervision can be a suitable next step.

For women going through the menopause in particular, this is often a familiar story. The body changes, the weight creeps up and the approach that used to work suddenly achieves nothing. Even then the order stays the same: a doctor first assesses individually whether medication is suitable and safe.

Wondering whether medical weight loss is right for you? Our own BIG-registered doctor reviews your application personally. Take the eligibility check →

Side effects and realistic expectations

Wegovy is not a miracle cure and, like any medicine, it has side effects. The most common are nausea, diarrhoea, constipation and vomiting, especially during the build-up phase. These symptoms usually ease after a few weeks. Rarer but more serious are gallstones and inflammation of the pancreas.

What helps: stick to the dosing schedule, eat smaller portions, be careful with fatty and heavy food in the first weeks, and contact your doctor straight away if symptoms persist. Never adjust your dose on your own.

Be realistic with yourself about the result, too. Wegovy works for as long as you use it; if you stop without a plan, the weight often partly returns. Lasting results require new eating and exercise habits, built up during the programme.

That is why access to your doctor matters so much. At Qlinic, if you have side effects you contact your own doctor, who already knows you and your file, so you don't have to experiment with your dose yourself.

Wegovy or another GLP-1 medicine?

Wegovy is one of several GLP-1 medicines; a doctor decides which one is right for you. The differences lie in the active ingredient, the frequency and the registration:

On paper these medicines look alike, but in practice price, availability and how your body responds to a medicine differ. Availability also plays a big role: GLP-1 medicines regularly face shortages. A doctor therefore looks at what is medically suitable and what can actually be supplied; it is not a matter of choosing yourself. At Qlinic we supervise programmes with several medicines, including medical weight loss with injections and medical weight loss with injections, so the doctor can look at an alternative with you if your medicine is not available.

How medical weight loss works at Qlinic

At Qlinic you don't buy loose medicines; you start a medical programme with your own BIG-registered doctor. This is what it looks like:

1. Consultation and intake: you sign up via the eligibility check. Our doctor personally assesses whether medical weight loss is right for you and which medicine is suitable.
2. Prescription and home delivery: is it a good fit? Then the doctor writes a prescription and a registered Dutch pharmacy delivers the medication to your home.
3. Weight loss with support: every 4 weeks you have a follow-up with the same doctor. You usually notice the first effect after about 4 weeks: the constant feeling of hunger decreases.

You are always in touch with the same BIG-registered doctor and the medication is delivered to your home. So far we have helped around 50 clients, with a 5.0 rating on Google from more than 20 reviews. Our programme prices are transparent: from €250 per month for a programme with semaglutide (Ozempic) to €850 per month for a programme with liraglutide (Saxenda), plus a one-off €400 for supervision.

Ready to lose weight with a doctor who really knows you? At Qlinic, one BIG-registered doctor supports you from intake to result, with home delivery. Take the eligibility check →

Frequently asked questions about buying Wegovy

Can you buy Wegovy legally online?

Yes, but only via an (online) doctor who writes a prescription, after which a registered pharmacy supplies it. Webshops that sell Wegovy without a prescription are acting illegally and may be selling counterfeit pens.

Why is Wegovy only available on prescription?

Because a doctor must first assess whether the medicine is safe for you. Semaglutide has side effects and requires a dosing schedule and monitoring during use.

What does Wegovy cost per month?

Roughly €105 to €234 per pen at the pharmacy, depending on your dose; a pen lasts about 4 weeks. On top of that come the costs of consultations and medical supervision.

Is Wegovy covered by health insurance?

No, as of mid-2026 Wegovy is not in the basic package. Zorginstituut Nederland is reassessing reimbursement, but until a decision is made you pay everything yourself.

Can I get Wegovy through my GP?

Yes, a GP can also prescribe Wegovy if you meet the medical criteria. In practice this varies per GP; a specialised (online) clinic with its own doctor is then an alternative.

Is Wegovy the same as Ozempic?

Almost: both contain semaglutide. Wegovy is registered for weight management and goes up to 2.4 mg per week; Ozempic is a diabetes medicine with lower doses.

How much weight do you lose with Wegovy?

In the largest study, users lost an average of 14.9% of their body weight over 68 weeks, combined with lifestyle support. The result varies per person and only lasts with permanently changed habits.