Wegovy vs Ozempic for Weight Loss: Licence, Dose and What Actually Differs

Why the licence question shapes everything

The framing of this comparison tends to assume both products are competing on equal terms for weight-loss prescriptions. They are not. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in both Wegovy and Ozempic, but the MHRA has authorised each product for a distinct clinical purpose. Ozempic (0.5mg, 1mg, 2mg) is licensed for adults with type 2 diabetes to improve blood-sugar control. Wegovy (up to 2.4mg, and now a 7.2mg option following MHRA approval in April 2026) is licensed for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above alongside a weight-related condition. Those aren't interchangeable roles.

A GP or prescriber working within their professional duties follows the authorised indication. Prescribing Ozempic specifically to produce weight loss, when Wegovy exists for that purpose, sits outside standard UK practice. For anyone researching how Ozempic and Wegovy compare as real treatment options, the practical conclusion is the same: Wegovy is the product to ask about if weight management is your goal. nume dispenses Wegovy; it does not dispense Ozempic for weight loss.

One misconception that surfaces often is the idea that lower-dose Ozempic is a gentler or safer starting point than Wegovy. In fact, Wegovy itself begins at 0.25mg and titrates slowly upward; the lower starting dose is built into its licensed schedule, so there is no meaningful tolerability advantage to starting on a diabetes drug instead.

What the dose comparison actually shows

The dose difference matters clinically. Ozempic's licensed doses for diabetes reach a maximum of 2mg weekly. Wegovy's maintenance dose has been 2.4mg, now extended to 7.2mg following the April 2026 MHRA approval of a dedicated single-dose pen. Higher doses of semaglutide produce greater appetite suppression through GLP-1 receptor activation, which is why the weight-management studies were designed around the higher dose range.

The STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that adults without diabetes taking semaglutide 2.4mg lost an average of around 15% of body weight over 68 weeks alongside lifestyle changes. That evidence base is what NICE used when recommending Wegovy for weight management under technology appraisal TA875. Ozempic was not studied in the same weight-loss context, and its lower doses were not designed to produce equivalent outcomes in people without diabetes.

The table below sets out the key factual differences.

What IS licensed for weight loss in the UK, and how to access it

Two injectable treatments are currently licensed in the UK specifically for weight management: Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide). Mounjaro works differently, activating both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, and trial data showed average weight reduction of around 20–21% at the highest dose over 72 weeks. A direct head-to-head comparison between the two, the SURMOUNT-5 trial, found tirzepatide produced greater average loss than semaglutide 2.4mg. The 7.2mg Wegovy dose narrows that gap. Which is the right option for a given person depends on medical history, any existing conditions and how their body responds — not on a league table.

nume's treatment page sets out the options we currently dispense. If you have been reading about how Wegovy compares with older injection treatments, or want to understand what Wegovy costs as a private treatment, those pages go into more detail. nume also offers an overview of the weight-loss treatment landscape for anyone still working out which direction suits them.

The clinical decision: asking the right question

If someone has type 2 diabetes and their GP is managing that condition with Ozempic, that is a separate and entirely appropriate clinical choice. But if the question is whether Ozempic or Wegovy is better for weight loss, the answer the evidence and the regulator both point to is Wegovy. The NHS guidance on weight management injections makes this distinction clearly.

There is also the question of whether to consider switching. People who have been taking Ozempic for diabetes and who are now exploring options for weight management, or those who want to understand what a switch from Ozempic to Wegovy involves, should have that conversation with a prescriber rather than make a change independently. The dose schedules differ and the clinical picture needs reviewing. If you are already on Wegovy and want to explore how switching your Wegovy supplier works, that is another conversation worth having with a prescriber before making any changes. At nume, our prescribers hold that conversation with you. Every consultation is reviewed personally by a GPhC-registered prescriber. Speak to our prescribers through a free consultation, it costs nothing to find out whether Wegovy is right for you, and you get a clear clinical answer rather than an internet comparison.