Differenza tra Wegovy e Mounjaro: quale scegliere per la gestione del peso?

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You've done your research. You know both Wegovy and Mounjaro are weekly injections, both are used alongside a reduced-calorie diet, and both have produced meaningful weight loss in large clinical trials. But you're still not sure what actually sets them apart, and whether that difference matters for you specifically.

Start here. Mounjaro (tirzepatide, made by Eli Lilly) is the only dual-receptor agonist licensed for weight management in the UK: it activates both the GIP and GLP-1 pathways simultaneously. Wegovy (semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk) targets the GLP-1 receptor alone. In practical terms, both slow gastric emptying and reduce appetite; the dual-pathway approach of tirzepatide appears to produce a somewhat greater average reduction in body weight, based on the available trial data. If you want to understand exactly how Wegovy differs from Mounjaro at the level of mechanism and clinical design, that breakdown explains the pharmacology in more depth. A closer look at tirzepatide versus semaglutide as molecules explains the pharmacology in more depth if you want to go further.

Both are Prescription-Only Medicines. Neither can be legally supplied in the UK by any pharmacy without a clinical assessment by a registered prescriber. That point matters as soon as you start comparing prices online.

Lo dicono i dati clinici: cosa mostrano i trial su perdita di peso ed effetti collaterali

The headline trial results paint a clear picture, though with the usual caveats about controlled conditions and individual variation.

In the SURMOUNT-1 trial (2,539 adults with obesity, no diabetes, 72 weeks), tirzepatide produced an average body-weight reduction of around 20–21% at the 15 mg maintenance dose, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the STEP 1 trial (68 weeks, semaglutide 2.4 mg), the average was approximately 15%. The SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head trial (72 weeks, 751 adults with obesity, no diabetes) confirmed tirzepatide produced greater average weight loss than semaglutide 2.4 mg directly, the full comparison of Wegovy versus Mounjaro results covers those numbers in detail.

Wegovy also has an approved higher dose: the MHRA authorised a 7.2 mg maintenance pen on 14 April 2026, with trials reporting around 20.7% average weight loss at that strength over 72 weeks, which narrows the gap with tirzepatide's highest dose considerably.

Side-effect profiles are broadly similar between the two: nausea, loose stools, constipation, indigestion and fatigue are common, particularly after starting or a dose increase, and typically settle within a couple of weeks. For tirzepatide specifically, people on oral contraceptives should add a barrier method for the first four weeks of treatment and for four weeks after each dose increase, because tirzepatide may reduce pill absorption, and if you're weighing up how Mounjaro differs from Ozempic this interaction is one of the more clinically meaningful distinctions to understand. NHS England's guidance on weight-management injections covers this and other practical considerations in detail.

One thing the table cannot capture: which medicine your body responds to better. Some people find they tolerate one significantly more easily than the other. That's a clinical conversation, not a spreadsheet calculation.

Eligibilità nel contesto UK: chi può accedere a ciascuno dei due farmaci?

Both medicines carry the same broad licensed eligibility criteria in the UK: adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above alongside at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea. For some ethnic backgrounds (South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean) UK guidance applies thresholds that are 2.5 kg/m² lower. BMI alone does not determine approval; a prescriber assesses the full clinical picture.

On the NHS, access to both medicines is phased and subject to strict criteria. NICE recommends tirzepatide (TA1026) for eligible adults within the NHS rollout; NICE recommends semaglutide (TA875) but only within a specialist weight management service and for a maximum of two years. Waiting lists for NHS treatment can be long. Our overview of weight-loss treatment options explains the private route and what to expect.

Through a regulated private pharmacy like nume, people who don't meet the current NHS criteria (or who would prefer not to wait) can be assessed against the licensed criteria directly. If you're thinking about timing: if you've been putting this off until after a holiday, or waiting for payday, a same-day clinical review means there's rarely a better moment than now to at least find out where you stand.

Costo e supply chain: cosa tenere a mente quando si confrontano i prezzi online

Private prices for both Mounjaro and Wegovy vary between providers and by dose. Following Eli Lilly's list-price revision from 1 September 2025, reported market prices for Mounjaro have ranged roughly £149–£375 per month depending on dose and provider. Wegovy pricing sits in a broadly similar range, and readers who want to understand the practical distinctions before committing can find it useful to read about how Wegovy is different from Mounjaro before comparing quotes. A detailed breakdown of cost comparisons between the two looks at what those headline numbers typically include, and what they sometimes leave out.

Any legitimate private price for either medicine should include a clinical consultation, a prescription issued by a registered prescriber, and the genuine licensed medicine sourced through the authorised UK supply chain. The MHRA has warned publicly about counterfeit weight-loss pens sold through social media and unverified websites; fake pens have on occasion contained the wrong medicine entirely. Before purchasing from any online pharmacy, verify it on the GPhC pharmacy register, a legitimate service will be listed. You can verify nume's GPhC registration directly at pharmacyregulation.org using registration number 9012878.

At nume, we're transparent about the fact that our prices aren't the lowest in the market. One price covers the consultation, the prescription, the treatment, next-working-day DPD delivery and 7-day aftercare. No subscription, no auto-renewal, no hidden fees. Which medicine is right for you is something our prescribers assess with you at consultation. Check your eligibility by starting a free consultation.