What forms does semaglutide come in — and which is right for you?

What is the injectable form of semaglutide, and how does it work?

Wegovy is a pre-filled, once-weekly injection containing semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk. You inject it just under the skin (the abdomen, thigh or upper arm are all suitable sites) and rotate the location each week. The pen arrives refrigerated and stays that way at home; there is a limited window during which it can sit at room temperature, but the exact duration is something to confirm with the Patient Information Leaflet rather than a number to memorise from a webpage.

As a GLP-1 receptor agonist, semaglutide slows gastric emptying, raises satiety signals and reduces appetite. The STEP 1 clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported an average body-weight reduction of around 15% over 68 weeks at the 2.4 mg maintenance dose. A higher 7.2 mg dose was approved by the MHRA in January 2026; the dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg pen followed in April 2026, with trial data showing approximately 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks.

The injection schedule begins at 0.25 mg and steps up roughly every four weeks, guided by your prescriber. The titration exists for a reason, jumping straight to a higher dose is associated with more pronounced nausea. For anyone curious about what a specific dose involves day-to-day, the guide to semaglutide at the 1 mg stage gives a practical sense of where the journey goes, and our guide to semaglutide at the 2 mg stage carries that picture further along the titration path. The prescriber decides all titration timing; the Patient Information Leaflet holds the detail.

One thing worth knowing: a plain, unbranded box arriving via DPD tracked delivery is what most people receive when they order through a regulated online pharmacy, discreet, with nothing on the outside that signals what's inside.

How is the semaglutide tablet different from the injection?

The Wegovy tablet contains the same active molecule as the injection but gets it into the bloodstream a completely different way. It uses an absorption enhancer called SNAC to help semaglutide pass through the stomach lining, which oral semaglutide would otherwise be broken down before reaching. The result is a daily tablet rather than a weekly jab, no needles, no refrigeration, no sharps disposal.

The dosing ladder is 1.5 mg, then 4 mg, then 9 mg, reaching a 25 mg maintenance dose, with at least a month spent at each level. It is taken first thing in the morning, before any food or drink (a small sip of plain water is fine), and you wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking coffee or taking other oral medicines. That morning ritual is worth building into routine early, most people find anchoring it to something they already do, like boiling the kettle, makes it habitual quickly.

The phase 3 OASIS 4 trial (307 adults with obesity or overweight plus at least one weight-related condition) reported an average weight loss of around 13.6% over 64 weeks. Among participants who stayed fully adherent to treatment throughout, the figure was approximately 16.6%. The most common side effects in the trial were gastrointestinal, affecting around 74% of those on the tablet, though most were mild to moderate and settled over time, as reported in the NHS medicines information on semaglutide.

The tablet is not currently available on the NHS, a NICE appraisal would be required before that changes. For now it is a private prescription only, which is worth factoring in when thinking about the cost of Wegovy in the UK.

What about Ozempic and Rybelsus, aren't they also semaglutide?

They are, and this causes real confusion. Ozempic is a once-weekly semaglutide injection and Rybelsus is a daily oral semaglutide tablet, but both are licensed by the MHRA for type 2 diabetes management, not for weight loss. Prescribing them for weight management would be off-label, and they should not be sought or presented as weight-loss medicines.

Wegovy (injection) and Wegovy tablets are the semaglutide products with a formal UK weight-management licence. The distinction is not just regulatory paperwork: the doses differ, the clinical evidence supporting them differs, and the monitoring expected around them differs. A prescriber working within a licensed framework is not simply choosing a brand name; they are working within the evidence base that supports that product's safe use for the specific indication. For a fuller picture of the semaglutide landscape, the semaglutide overview covers the different products and their respective roles.

If you have seen Ozempic mentioned in weight-loss contexts online, that usage reflects a real-world pattern but not a licensed one. The MHRA is clear on this, and the NICE appraisal of semaglutide (TA875) specifically evaluates Wegovy for weight management, not Ozempic.

Which form is suitable for you?

There is no universal answer, which is precisely why these are prescription-only medicines. Someone with a strong aversion to needles might find the tablet genuinely life-changing in practical terms. Someone with an inconsistent morning routine might find a once-weekly injection easier to maintain. A person who travels frequently without reliable refrigeration might lean toward the tablet's room-temperature storage. These are real factors, and a prescriber takes them seriously alongside the clinical ones.

Clinical factors include your BMI, any weight-related conditions, medicines you already take, and whether you have conditions that would affect suitability for either form. The licensed eligibility for both is broadly the same: adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 29.9 with at least one weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or sleep apnoea. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK guidance. Neither form is licensed for under-18s, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or for people trying to conceive. If you also vape and are wondering how that fits with treatment, our guidance on vaping while taking Wegovy is worth reading before your consultation.

For anyone wondering what treatment actually involves before making a decision, the weight-loss treatment overview sets out the options. And if questions come up along the way (about a specific dose, a side effect or anything else) our support team is available seven days a week. When you are ready to take the next step, speak to our prescribers through a free consultation, reviewed the same day by a real clinician.