Mounjaro®
Starting from £179.99/mo
Start journey Learn moreHow the licensing split actually affects your options
They share a molecule, the licences are what differ
Semaglutide is the molecule. Novo Nordisk brought it to market under two brand names because the two uses went through separate clinical development programmes and separate regulatory approvals. The relationship between semaglutide, Ozempic and Wegovy confuses a lot of people, and understandably so, the same drug, different boxes, different rules.
Ozempic was approved first, for type 2 diabetes, at doses up to 1mg (and later 2mg for glycaemic control). Wegovy followed, developed specifically for obesity, at a 2.4mg weekly maintenance dose, higher than anything licensed under the Ozempic brand for UK weight management. The MHRA subsequently approved a 7.2mg Wegovy dose (the dedicated single-dose pen was approved on 14 April 2026) for adults with a BMI of 30 or above. The NHS semaglutide patient guidance covers the clinical profile of both uses, and the distinction is unambiguous: the NHS medicines page for semaglutide treats weight management and diabetes as separate indications with different prescribing frameworks.
The practical upshot: if you are looking for help with weight loss, Ozempic is not the route. Wegovy is. And Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is the other UK-licensed weight-management injection, if you want to compare further options.
What the dose difference actually means for weight loss results
Dosing is where the gap becomes clinically significant. Ozempic tops out at 2mg for diabetes; Wegovy's maintenance dose starts at 2.4mg and extends to 7.2mg, a ceiling that didn't exist until recently. That higher dose range was designed specifically around weight management outcomes.
In the STEP 1 trial (68 weeks, semaglutide 2.4mg versus placebo) participants lost around 15% of body weight on average, as reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. Trials of the 7.2mg dose reported approximately 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks, which narrows the gap considerably with tirzepatide results. Neither figure is a guarantee of what any individual will experience (biology, starting weight, adherence, and lifestyle factors all play a role) but the evidence base was built on doses that Ozempic's licence never reaches for weight loss.
If you are wondering whether the Ozempic and Wegovy weight-loss results differ in practice, the honest answer is: the comparison isn't quite valid, because Ozempic was never trialled for weight loss at the doses Wegovy reaches. You'd be comparing unlike things.
A clear comparison: what's the same, what's different
| Ozempic | Wegovy | |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Semaglutide | Semaglutide |
| UK licence | Type 2 diabetes | Weight management |
| Dose range (UK) | Up to 2mg weekly | 0.25mg–7.2mg weekly |
| Can a weight-loss service prescribe it? | No (outside licensed indication | Yes) within licensed indication |
| Available from nume? | No | Yes, subject to clinical assessment |
| NICE appraisal for weight management? | No | Yes, TA875 (NICE TA875) |
The numbers in this table reflect UK licensing as of summer 2026. The NICE appraisal for Wegovy (TA875) applies specifically to its use in specialist weight management services and carries a maximum two-year recommendation, with requirements around multidisciplinary support. Ozempic has no equivalent NICE appraisal for weight management because it has never been submitted for that indication in the UK.
What this means for where you go from here
If you are reading this because you have seen Ozempic mentioned online and wondered whether it could help with weight loss, you're far from alone. A lot of people arrive at this question having heard the name in a context that didn't spell out the licensing detail. The answer is that a legitimate UK prescriber will not prescribe Ozempic for weight management; the medicine for that is Wegovy, or Mounjaro if tirzepatide is being considered. People who want to understand whether there is any practical difference between Ozempic and Wegovy often find that walking through the licensing and dose distinctions makes the picture much clearer. You can read more about the Wegovy and Ozempic comparison from a clinical angle, or explore how Wegovy compares with Saxenda if you've also seen liraglutide mentioned.
At nume, our prescribers review every consultation personally. Semaglutide and semaglutide alone doesn't settle the question of whether Wegovy is right for you, your health history, current medicines, BMI, and goals all feed into that. Wegovy costs, eligibility thresholds, and what a private prescription includes are covered on the Wegovy cost page. And if you want to understand the treatment options available through our pharmacy before starting a consultation, the weight-loss overview sets out the full picture.
Which of the licensed weight-loss medicines suits you is a clinical decision our prescribers make with you.
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