The best weight loss injections of 2022 — and why the landscape looks different now

Which weight loss injections were available in the UK in 2022?

Two names came up in almost every conversation about injectable weight management in 2022. The first was Wegovy, Novo Nordisk's brand of semaglutide at 2.4mg, which had received its UK licence for weight management in 2021. It worked by activating GLP-1 receptors involved in appetite regulation and slowing gastric emptying, the result being reduced hunger and, in most people, a meaningful reduction in calorie intake. The STEP 1 trial results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed an average body-weight reduction of around 15% over 68 weeks at the 2.4mg maintenance dose.

The second was Saxenda, liraglutide at 3mg, made by the same manufacturer. Also a GLP-1 agonist, but taken daily rather than weekly, an important practical distinction. Its trial results were more modest than semaglutide's, and by 2022 some clinicians were already describing it as the older generation. Both medicines required a prescription. That requirement has never changed, and it will not.

It is worth being clear about what was not available then. Tirzepatide, which activates both GLP-1 and GIP receptors and has produced stronger average results in head-to-head trials, did not hold a UK weight management licence in 2022. Anyone told otherwise in 2022 was being misled.

How does the 2022 picture compare with what's licensed today?

The most significant development since 2022 is the arrival of tirzepatide (Mounjaro), which received MHRA approval for weight management in the UK in late 2023. In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, tirzepatide at 15mg produced average body-weight reductions of around 20–21% over 72 weeks, figures that represent a clear step forward from the semaglutide results that impressed clinicians in 2022. A subsequent head-to-head trial, SURMOUNT-5, compared tirzepatide directly with semaglutide 2.4mg and found greater average weight reduction with tirzepatide over 72 weeks, as recent comparisons of injectable options reflect.

Wegovy has also evolved. The MHRA approved a higher 7.2mg maintenance dose for semaglutide in January 2026, and in April 2026 a dedicated single-dose 7.2mg pen was cleared, approaching tirzepatide's results in trials at that dose. Saxenda is still licensed but sits further back in the field by most clinical measures. NICE's current appraisals cover tirzepatide (TA1026) and semaglutide at 2.4mg (TA875); neither covers liraglutide. The NHS England guidance on weight management injections is the most practical starting point for understanding how access and clinical criteria currently work.

For anyone researching 2022 options now, the practical takeaway is this: the medicines have moved on. An assessment carried out in 2022 may not reflect what a prescriber would recommend today.

What should someone consider when comparing injectable options, whatever the year?

A few things have stayed constant regardless of which year a person starts looking. First, how well a medicine works in a trial population tells you what's possible, not what will happen for any individual, a prescriber reviews the full picture, including other health conditions, current medicines, and lifestyle factors, before recommending anything. Second, tolerability matters as much as efficacy. Some people manage GLP-1 medicines without significant side effects; others find nausea, diarrhoea or constipation during the early weeks difficult enough to slow the titration schedule. The most effective medicine on paper is not always the right one for a specific person. Third, supply and availability have fluctuated considerably since 2022 and continue to do so. A medicine that appears on a comparison page may not be in stock when you need it, and choosing the option that suits your situation is a clinical conversation, not a product search.

On the side-effect profile: GI symptoms (nausea, loose stools, constipation, reflux) are the most commonly reported across all GLP-1 injectables. They tend to peak when starting or increasing a dose, then settle for most people within a couple of weeks. Injecting early in the day before the school run is one of those practical details that seems to help some people manage timing around daily commitments. Serious side effects are less common but include acute pancreatitis; in January 2026 the MHRA issued a Drug Safety Update specifically highlighting pancreatitis as a risk with GLP-1 medicines and noting that severe, persistent stomach pain radiating to the back warrants urgent medical attention. The NICE appraisal of tirzepatide (TA1026) contains a thorough discussion of the benefit-risk profile for those who want the full clinical picture.

Is it worth checking current options rather than relying on 2022 research?

Almost certainly, yes. The clinical options have changed, the cost context has changed, and the regulatory framework has been updated. Someone who bookmarked a 2022 article or forum thread is likely working from a comparison that no longer reflects what's licensed, what's recommended, or how NHS access criteria work. If Mounjaro wasn't on a comparison you read, the comparison is out of date. For a fuller view of where injectable weight loss treatment stands today, the current clinical evidence and licensing picture is the right place to start.

Cost is also different from what it was. Eli Lilly raised Mounjaro's UK list price from September 2025, and private prices across providers now range roughly £149–£375 per month by dose, according to widely reported figures. Understanding what weight loss injection treatment typically costs in 2025 and 2026 requires looking at current market figures, not 2022 ones. At nume, all treatment goes through a free consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber before any prescription is issued, one transparent price covers everything from that assessment through to next-working-day delivery. Start your free consultation at our treatment page to see what's currently available and whether you're clinically suitable.