Mounjaro®
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Start journey Learn moreOzempic, semaglutide and Wegovy: how the licences actually divide up
Step 1: understand what you're actually comparing
The question of semaglutide or Ozempic tends to come from one of two places. Either someone has heard Ozempic talked about in the context of weight loss and wonders whether it and semaglutide are different things, or they've been told Ozempic isn't available for weight loss and want to know what they should be looking at instead. Both are fair starting points.
Here's the straightforward answer. Semaglutide is the active molecule: a GLP-1 receptor agonist that works by mimicking a gut hormone involved in appetite regulation and slowing how quickly the stomach empties. Ozempic is one commercial brand of that molecule, approved by the MHRA for type 2 diabetes management at doses up to 1mg weekly (with a 2mg dose also licensed for diabetes). Wegovy is the same molecule at higher doses (up to 2.4mg, and now up to 7.2mg following MHRA approval of a dedicated 7.2mg pen in April 2026), licensed for weight management. The two products are not interchangeable in law, even though the ingredient is the same.
If you'd like to dig further into how semaglutide relates to Wegovy specifically, that page covers the dose and licence comparison in full.
Step 2: see what the MHRA licences actually say
Licensing in the UK is specific. The MHRA does not licence Ozempic for obesity or weight management, and the NHS semaglutide medicines page makes that split clear. Ozempic's licence covers blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, often alongside other diabetes medicines. Wegovy's licence covers weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 29.9 alongside at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea.
Because Ozempic is a prescription-only medicine licensed for diabetes, prescribing it off-label for weight loss would require a prescriber to have a specific clinical justification, and in routine practice at a regulated UK pharmacy, it simply isn't the pathway. The MHRA has been explicit that GLP-1 medicines are not assessed or approved for quick or cosmetic weight loss. A prescriber assessing you for weight management will look at Wegovy or tirzepatide (Mounjaro), not Ozempic.
The comparison table below lays out the key factual differences.
| Feature | Ozempic (semaglutide) | Wegovy (semaglutide) |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Semaglutide | Semaglutide |
| UK licence | Type 2 diabetes only | Weight management (BMI ≥30, or ≥27 with a comorbidity) |
| Maximum licensed dose (UK) | 2mg weekly (diabetes) | 7.2mg weekly (weight management) [Source: MHRA, April 2026] |
| NICE recommendation for weight loss | No | Yes, TA875, within specialist weight management services, max 2 years [Source: NICE TA875] |
| Available at nume for weight management | No | Yes, subject to clinical assessment |
Step 3: what this means if you want to lose weight
Ozempic isn't the product a regulated UK prescriber will reach for when treating weight. The medicine you're looking for is Wegovy, or, depending on your clinical picture, Mounjaro (tirzepatide), which is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist with a separate licence for weight management. A head-to-head trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025 (SURMOUNT-5) found tirzepatide produced greater average weight reduction than semaglutide 2.4mg, though both showed meaningful results. Whether Wegovy or Mounjaro suits you better is a clinical question, not a website answer.
If you're wondering whether any version of semaglutide is right for you, this page covers how all three semaglutide brands relate to each other. And if you'd like a direct comparison of Wegovy and Ozempic as brands, the Wegovy vs Ozempic page covers the commercial differences in more detail.
We know it can feel frustrating to land on yet another page explaining what you can't have, rather than what you can. That's why, at the end of this one, we've kept the next step genuinely simple. If you think semaglutide for weight management might be right for you, the place to start is a free consultation where a real prescriber (not an algorithm) reads your answers and reaches a clinical view the same day.
You can find out more about how to access Wegovy legitimately in the UK, or explore all the treatments our prescribers assess for. For a broader comparison of semaglutide against other weight-loss options, this page looks at how it compares to bariatric surgery.
Which medicine is appropriate for you is a decision made with a clinician who knows your full health picture. Check your eligibility by starting a free consultation with our prescribers at nume.
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