Guide · Updated November 2026

GLP-1 BMI Eligibility Chart: Do You Qualify by Drug in 2026?

The weight-loss GLP-1s (Wegovy, Zepbound, Foundayo, Saxenda) are FDA-approved for adults with obesity, or with overweight plus a weight-related condition. The current labels no longer print BMI numbers in the indication. The trials behind them enrolled people with a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 to 29.9 with a condition, and most prescribers and insurers still use those cutoffs. Ozempic and Mounjaro don't use a BMI cutoff at all, because they're approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss. Here's how each drug works on eligibility, what counts as a qualifying condition, and why meeting the label criteria doesn't automatically mean your insurance will pay.

I get some version of “do I qualify?” more than almost any other question from people reading this site. The honest answer has two layers that get confused constantly: the FDA-approved label, which is the same nationwide, and your insurer’s prior authorization criteria, which are not. This guide covers the first layer in detail and points you to the second.

BMI Eligibility at a Glance

Indications come from the current FDA labels on DailyMed for Wegovy, Zepbound, Foundayo, Saxenda, Ozempic, and Mounjaro, checked November 4, 2026. The BMI numbers are the enrollment criteria in the trials described in those labels. Labels are amended over time. Confirm the current criteria with your prescriber before assuming you do or don’t qualify.

The Two BMI Pathways, Explained

Every weight-loss GLP-1 on the market uses the same two-pathway structure: obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition. It’s not drug-specific. It’s how this whole category of drug got approved.

Pathway 1: Obesity. For adults, obesity means a BMI of 30 or higher. No additional diagnosis is needed for this pathway.

Pathway 2: Overweight plus a condition. Overweight means a BMI of 25 to 29.9 by the CDC definition. The trials behind these drugs used 27 as the floor, for example SURMOUNT-1 in the Zepbound label enrolled people with a BMI of 27 to under 30 plus a condition. Most prescribers and insurers use 27 too. In this range you also need at least one weight-related condition on your medical record.

Your BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared, or you can use our body composition tool to calculate it along with a rough estimate of body fat percentage, which BMI alone doesn’t capture.

What Counts as a Weight-Related Condition

For the overweight pathway, the conditions named in the trial descriptions in these labels include:

• Type 2 diabetes (studied in separate trials)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidemia (high cholesterol or triglycerides)
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Cardiovascular disease

The labels do not give a closed list, and the exact wording differs by drug. If you have one of these conditions documented in your chart and a BMI in the 27 to 29.9 range, you match the people these drugs were tested in, even though you’re not technically “obese” by the numbers.

Drug by Drug

Wegovy (semaglutide)

Wegovy carries the broadest label of the group. Beyond the standard weight-reduction indication, the Wegovy label covers adolescents 12 and older with obesity, and reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular death) in adults with established cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight. The cardiovascular trial enrolled adults 45 and older with a BMI of 27 or higher and no diabetes. The injection is also approved for MASH, a fatty liver disease with moderate to advanced scarring, without a BMI requirement. Wegovy tablets are approved for adults only.

Zepbound (tirzepatide)

Zepbound uses the same BMI thresholds as Wegovy for its weight management indication. It also carries a second, separate indication: moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, approved in December 2024. The sleep apnea trials enrolled people with a BMI of 30 or higher. That’s an OSA diagnosis plus obesity, not a standalone BMI calculation, and it’s a different qualifying path than the general weight-management indication above it.

Foundayo (orforglipron)

The FDA approved Foundayo, Eli Lilly’s oral GLP-1 pill, on April 1, 2026, for adults with obesity, or overweight with at least one weight-related condition, the same structure as the injectables. See the Foundayo label. As the newest drug in this category, its label and any additional indications are the ones most likely to change over the next year or two. Check the current prescribing information before assuming anything beyond the weight-management indication applies.

Saxenda (liraglutide)

Saxenda is the oldest weight-loss GLP-1 still on the market, approved years before Wegovy or Zepbound. Adults follow the same obesity or overweight-plus-condition structure. Adolescents 12 and older need a body weight above 60 kg (about 132 lbs) plus obesity, per the Saxenda label. It’s a lower-dose, once-daily injection rather than the weekly injections used by Wegovy and Zepbound, and it’s used less often now that the newer drugs typically show stronger average results in trials, but it remains an FDA-approved, insurance-billable option for some patients.

Ozempic and Mounjaro: Not BMI-Based

This is the mix-up I see most. Ozempic and Mounjaro are the same active ingredients as Wegovy and Zepbound, at different approved doses, but they’re approved specifically for type 2 diabetes management. Their labeled use is type 2 diabetes, not a BMI cutoff. Mounjaro is also approved for children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes. Weight loss on either drug is a documented effect seen in the diabetes trials, not the reason the FDA approved them. See our full breakdown of GLP-1 for diabetes vs. weight loss for how the prior authorization criteria differ between the two use cases, including for people who have both a qualifying BMI and a diabetes diagnosis.

Meeting FDA Criteria Doesn’t Guarantee Insurance Coverage

This is the part that trips people up. The label populations above describe who the drug is approved for. They are not your insurance company’s coverage criteria, and the two are frequently different.

Your insurer can, and often does, require its own prior authorization on top of FDA eligibility. That typically means your prescriber has to document your BMI, your weight-related condition if you’re in the 27-29.9 range, and sometimes a record of prior weight-loss attempts, before the plan will pay. Matching the label population means a prescriber can prescribe it on-label. It does not by itself make your insurer required to cover it. See our guide on how to get insurance to cover GLP-1 medications for the coverage side of this, and our step therapy guide if your plan also requires trying a cheaper drug first.

If you’re at BMI 27 to 29.9 without a documented weight-related condition, you’re outside the labeled population for the weight-management indication on any of these drugs. Between 25 and 27 with a condition, you fit the label’s plain wording but fall below the trial cutoff, and most insurers will not cover it. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to discuss with a doctor. It means the conversation is about whether a documented condition applies to you, whether a different approved use (like a diabetes diagnosis) fits your situation, or whether another approach makes more sense for now. Our guide on how to talk to your doctor about GLP-1 medications covers how to bring this up.

Bottom Line

Wegovy, Zepbound, Foundayo, and Saxenda all use the same structure: obesity, or overweight with a documented weight-related condition like hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, or sleep apnea. In practice that usually means BMI 30 or higher, or 27 to 29.9 with a condition. Ozempic and Mounjaro don’t use a BMI cutoff at all. They’re diabetes drugs. Matching the label population makes an on-label prescription possible. Whether your specific insurance plan pays for it is a separate question with its own paperwork, covered in our insurance coverage and step therapy guides.

FAQ

What BMI do I need for Wegovy or Zepbound?

The labels say obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition. In the trials and in most insurer rules, that means a BMI of 30 or higher on its own, or 27 to 29.9 with at least one condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, or obstructive sleep apnea.

Do Ozempic and Mounjaro have a BMI requirement?

No. Both are FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss, so their approved use is based on a diabetes diagnosis rather than BMI. Weight loss on these drugs is an effect seen in diabetes trials, not an approved use.

Does meeting the BMI threshold mean my insurance will cover it?

Not automatically. The label describes who the drug is approved for. Your insurer can apply separate prior authorization criteria on top of that, including documentation requirements and sometimes step therapy, before it will pay.

What counts as a “weight-related condition” for the 27-29.9 range?

The trials described in these labels named hypertension, dyslipidemia (high cholesterol), obstructive sleep apnea, and cardiovascular disease, and separate trials covered type 2 diabetes. The labels do not give a closed list, so ask your prescriber.

Can teenagers qualify for these medications?

Wegovy is FDA-approved for adolescents 12 and older with obesity. Saxenda is approved for adolescents 12 and older who weigh more than 60 kg and have obesity. Zepbound and Foundayo do not currently carry an adolescent indication.

Related

Guides:

• How to Get Insurance to Cover GLP-1 Medications
• GLP-1 Step Therapy: What It Is and How to Get It Waived
• GLP-1 for Type 2 Diabetes vs. Weight Loss
• How to Talk to Your Doctor About GLP-1 Medications

Tools:

• Body Composition Calculator
• Provider Match

Compare: All Providers

What we checked

This AI-assisted public-source desk check reviewed the current FDA labels on DailyMed for Wegovy, Zepbound, Foundayo, Saxenda, Ozempic, and Mounjaro, and the CDC adult BMI categories on November 4, 2026. This is not a clinical review and it is not medical advice. Prices and policies change, so confirm them with the provider or your prescriber before you act.