Switching from Ozempic to Wegovy: what the evidence says

Why Ozempic and Wegovy are different medicines in UK law, even though they share an ingredient

The MHRA licenses medicines for specific indications, and semaglutide has two distinct ones. Ozempic (approved for type 2 diabetes) is prescribed at doses of 0.5 mg, 1 mg and 2 mg weekly. Wegovy, licensed for weight management, follows a separate titration path that reaches 2.4 mg as standard maintenance, with the MHRA having approved a 7.2 mg single-dose pen in April 2026 for adults with a BMI of 30 or above. The NHS medicines guidance on semaglutide sets this out clearly, as does the broader Wegovy overview on our site. Because the two products are not interchangeable under the terms of their respective licences, a GP or specialist cannot simply cross out one and write in the other without making a fresh clinical assessment. That assessment covers your current health status, whether you meet the eligibility criteria for Wegovy specifically, and what starting dose makes sense given any semaglutide you have already taken. Using Ozempic for weight loss rather than diabetes management also raises a supply concern: the MHRA has flagged that off-label use of diabetes medicines for weight loss contributed to shortages that affected people with type 2 diabetes, which is part of why the Wegovy licence matters. The distinction is not bureaucratic, it reflects different dose ranges, different evidence bases, and different patient populations studied.

What the trial data shows about semaglutide at weight-loss doses

The case for using semaglutide at 2.4 mg (rather than at the lower doses used in diabetes treatment) rests on the STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Over 68 weeks, adults with obesity who took 2.4 mg semaglutide alongside lifestyle changes achieved around 15% average body-weight reduction. That is meaningfully greater than what most people see at the 1 mg or 2 mg doses used in Ozempic's diabetes regimen, which is one reason NICE's assessment of Wegovy (TA875) was based on the 2.4 mg data, not on Ozempic's clinical programme. The distinction matters if someone switching from Ozempic expects the same weight-loss trajectory they might have read about online, the evidence for those results relates to Wegovy's licensed doses, not to Ozempic used off-label. The side-effect profile at higher doses is also worth discussing with a prescriber: nausea, diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal effects are more commonly reported as doses increase, and the titration schedule exists to help people adjust gradually rather than jumping straight to a higher dose. Our semaglutide information page covers the full pharmacology if you want the detail.

How a switch would typically be managed, and what to ask your prescriber

If your GP prescribed Ozempic for diabetes and you have also been losing weight on it, the conversation about Wegovy starts with eligibility. NICE recommends Wegovy for adults with a BMI of 35 or above and at least one weight-related condition, within a specialist weight management service, for a maximum of two years, though private prescribing follows the licensed criteria rather than the NICE commissioning thresholds. For people who do not meet the NHS criteria or prefer not to wait, the cost of Wegovy through a private clinic is worth understanding before you commit. A prescriber considering a switch will want to know your current Ozempic dose, how long you have been on it, your most recent weight and BMI, and any side effects. They may start you at a point in the Wegovy titration that reflects your existing tolerance rather than at the very beginning, though that is always their clinical call. One practical note: many people arrange this kind of review first thing in the morning so they have the outcome in hand before the day gets busy. Our prescribers are available for a same-day review if you order before 12pm on a working day. You can also read about the process of changing from Ozempic to Wegovy in more detail, or explore what moving between the two involves practically.

What is actually licensed for weight loss in the UK, and where nume fits in

To be clear: nume does not dispense Ozempic, and Ozempic is not licensed for weight loss in the UK. The two medicines licensed for weight management that our prescribers can assess you for are Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide). Mounjaro is the only dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist approved in the UK for this indication, and the head-to-head SURMOUNT-5 trial showed it produced greater average weight loss than semaglutide 2.4 mg. Whether Wegovy or Mounjaro is the better fit depends on your history, any contraindications, and what you have already tried, which is exactly the kind of question our clinical team works through at consultation. If you are currently on Ozempic for diabetes, the right first call is your GP or diabetes specialist. If you are exploring weight management treatment options from scratch, a free consultation with our prescribers is the place to start, they will review your situation the same day and can explain which licensed treatment, if any, suits you.