The Different Types of Semaglutide Licensed in the UK

Step 1: Understand that the three products share one molecule but serve different clinical purposes

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It mimics a gut hormone that acts on appetite centres in the brain, slows the rate at which the stomach empties, and helps regulate blood sugar. You can read more about the underlying mechanism on our how semaglutides work page. The reason multiple products exist is not marketing: Ozempic, Wegovy injection, and Wegovy tablets each went through separate clinical trial programmes, received separate MHRA approvals, and carry separate product licences with different maximum doses. Using one product interchangeably with another is not clinically appropriate, and the doses are not equivalent. This distinction matters practically because a pharmacist dispensing a prescription for one cannot substitute the other without a prescriber's direction.

The NHS medicines page for semaglutide on NHS.uk covers all three products and is a reliable starting point for factual, patient-level information about how the medicine works and what to expect.

Step 2: Identify which type is licensed for weight management

Wegovy injection (Novo Nordisk) holds a UK licence for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 to 29.9 alongside at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes. The injection is given once a week under the skin, typically in the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm, and the dose is titrated gradually from 0.25 mg up to the standard maintenance level of 2.4 mg, with a higher 7.2 mg option approved by the MHRA in early 2026 for eligible patients. Ethnic-background adjustments to BMI thresholds apply under UK guidance, with lower thresholds recognised for several South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern and African-Caribbean backgrounds.

Wegovy tablets received MHRA approval on 11 June 2026, making the UK the first country in Europe to licence an oral GLP-1 for weight loss. The tablet is taken once daily, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a small amount of plain water, at least 30 minutes before any food or other medicines. The escalation runs from 1.5 mg through 4 mg and 9 mg to a 25 mg maintenance dose, with a minimum of one month at each level. No refrigeration is needed, which many patients find practical. In the OASIS 4 phase 3 trial, participants achieved an average weight reduction of around 13.6% over 64 weeks; among those who adhered fully throughout, the average reached approximately 17%. If you are weighing up the injectable and tablet options, the Wegovy types page compares them in more detail.

Step 3: Recognise what Ozempic is, and why it is not a weight-loss medicine

Ozempic is also semaglutide, also made by Novo Nordisk, but it holds a UK licence for type 2 diabetes only. It comes in doses of 0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg. The MHRA has not licensed it for weight management, and the NHS is clear that it should not be prescribed or obtained for that purpose. The shortages of Ozempic seen in recent years were partly driven by off-label demand for weight loss, which disrupted supply for people who genuinely needed it for diabetes management. A question our prescribers hear regularly is whether Ozempic and Wegovy are interchangeable. They are not, the licences, doses, and the clinical contexts are different, and a prescriber who issues a Wegovy prescription is acting within a defined licensed indication; one writing Ozempic for weight loss would not be. Understanding the semaglutide type that applies to your situation is an important first step before any consultation.

A quick check worth doing before ordering from any online source: look the pharmacy up on the GPhC register at pharmacyregulation.org. It takes under a minute. Any legitimate UK pharmacy dispensing these medicines will appear there; those that do not should be avoided.

Step 4: Understand what oral semaglutide means for cost and access

Because Wegovy tablets are newly approved and not yet appraised by NICE, they are currently available only through a private prescription. The same is true of Wegovy injection for most people, since the NHS route via specialist weight management services involves waiting lists and strict clinical thresholds. For context on what private treatment typically costs, the Wegovy price comparison page sets out the market honestly, including what a legitimate price should cover. Neither the injection nor the tablet comes cheaply, and the oral option's cost reflects that it is a recently approved, novel formulation rather than a commodity product. What a transparent price should always include is the clinical consultation, the prescription, and the dispensing; services that quote a medicine price alone and list extras separately are worth scrutinising carefully. Rybelsus is also oral semaglutide but comes in 3 mg, 7 mg, and 14 mg strengths licensed for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss. Those strengths are entirely separate from the Wegovy tablet schedule, and anyone encountering them in a weight-loss context should treat that as a red flag. For a broader look at the peptide science behind semaglutide, or to explore how this compares with tirzepatide, our weight-loss treatment overview sets out what is currently licensed in the UK.

If you would like to find out whether you are clinically suitable for Wegovy, check your eligibility through a free consultation with one of our GPhC-registered prescribers.