Is There a Weight-Loss Medicine Better Than Mounjaro Right Now?

Step 1: understand the licensed landscape before comparing

Before getting into numbers, it helps to be clear about what is and isn't licensed for weight management in the UK. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide, injection) are both MHRA-licensed for weight management. Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide, approved by the MHRA in June 2026 as the first oral GLP-1 licensed in the UK for weight loss) are also now available privately. Orlistat sits in a different category: a lipase inhibitor rather than a GLP-1 medicine, available at lower doses without a prescription, though its average weight reduction is considerably more modest than either injectable. If you've seen Ozempic or Rybelsus mentioned in the same breath as weight loss, our Mounjaro overview explains why that conflation matters, both are semaglutide, but they hold licences for type 2 diabetes, not weight management, so they sit outside this comparison entirely. Our weight-loss treatments page maps out the full picture of what is currently dispensed.

Retatrutide (a triple-agonist targeting GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptors) is generating considerable clinical interest, but it is not yet licensed anywhere; if you want to understand whether retatrutide could eventually outperform Mounjaro, that question is worth reading alongside our retatrutide vs Mounjaro page, because the trial data is striking, but an unlicensed medicine is not a practical option for anyone right now. For a closer look at how retatrutide stacks up specifically against tirzepatide on the current evidence, our page comparing reta and Mounjaro walks through the key differences in mechanism and trial data.

Step 2: read the trial numbers honestly

The biggest head-to-head comparison of Mounjaro and Wegovy completed so far is SURMOUNT-5, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025. It ran for 72 weeks in 751 adults with obesity and no diabetes, comparing tirzepatide against semaglutide 2.4mg. Tirzepatide produced greater average weight reduction, a finding that aligned with what NICE's appraisal of tirzepatide (TA1026) noted when discussing indirect comparisons between the two medicines.

Wegovy's newer 7.2mg single-dose pen, approved by the MHRA in April 2026, narrows the gap. Trials at 7.2mg reported around 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks, approaching Mounjaro 15mg results. So the picture is not static. Oral semaglutide (Wegovy tablets) showed roughly 13.6% average weight reduction at 64 weeks in the OASIS 4 trial (or about 17% among participants who adhered fully) making it a meaningful option for people who prefer tablets over injections, even if the average weight loss trails the injections. Researchers are also actively investigating whether newer molecules could prove more effective than tirzepatide, with some early pipeline data showing promising results. The table below shows the headline figures.

Figures are trial averages at the doses studied, cited from published trial data and regulatory sources. Individual results vary; a prescriber reviews your specific situation before recommending any medicine.

Step 3: factor in more than just the weight-loss number

Average weight reduction is one measure. It is not the only one that matters to a prescriber, or to you. Tolerability, the route of administration, existing conditions, other medicines you take, and what a clinician finds during your assessment all feed into the recommendation. Some people find semaglutide's gastrointestinal side-effect profile easier to manage; others tolerate tirzepatide better. Oral semaglutide suits people who travel frequently or find injections daunting. The contraceptive interaction point is worth knowing: women taking the oral contraceptive pill should add a barrier method for the first four weeks of Mounjaro and for four weeks after each dose increase, because gastric-emptying changes can affect pill absorption, NHS England's guidance on weight-management injections covers this clearly. A detail like that can shift which medicine is the more practical fit.

Cost sits in the background too. Our Mounjaro price comparison page gives an honest account of how UK private pricing works across doses and providers, worth reading before assuming any single medicine is cheaper overall. Eligibility thresholds also differ between medicines, so what you qualify for matters as much as what's theoretically best. If you're curious about what comes next in the pipeline, this look at next-generation GLP-1 medicines covers the science without overstating where things stand.

What actually arrives from our pharmacy is a temperature-controlled, tamper-evident pen in plain unbranded packaging, tracked to your door by DPD, straightforward and discreet, because that's how it should be.

Step 4: let a prescriber make the call with you

No comparison table replaces clinical judgement. A prescriber who can see your full health picture (BMI, comorbidities, current medicines, and whether you've tried something before) will reach a better conclusion than any article. If you're switching from another treatment, our prescribers review evidence of your current dose before making a recommendation; dose increases follow the same process. Our clinical team brings that level of individual review to every consultation, and our FAQs answer many of the practical questions people raise before starting. Which medicine suits you is a clinical decision our prescribers make with you.