Are There Weight Loss Tablets Like Mounjaro Available in the UK?

Why isn't there a Mounjaro tablet?

Tirzepatide's molecular structure makes oral absorption very difficult. The drug degrades quickly in the stomach's acidic environment, which is why Eli Lilly developed it as a subcutaneous injection from the outset. Research into an oral tirzepatide formulation is ongoing, but nothing has reached regulatory approval in the UK yet. So if a website is offering "Mounjaro tablets" or "tirzepatide pills" right now, treat that as a serious red flag, those products are not licensed and have not been assessed for safety or efficacy by the MHRA.

What did arrive in 2026 is something genuinely new. The MHRA approved the Wegovy tablet on 11 June 2026, making it the first oral GLP-1 medicine licensed in the UK for weight management. It uses semaglutide co-formulated with an absorption enhancer called SNAC, which protects enough of the molecule from stomach acid for a meaningful amount to reach the bloodstream. It is not Mounjaro in tablet form (it is a different drug) but it is the closest licensed oral option. You can read more about how it works on the Mounjaro weight loss tablets comparison page.

For anyone who has already looked at tirzepatide in depth, the practical upshot is simple: the injection remains the only licensed route for that particular drug.

What do the trial results actually show for each option?

Tirzepatide's results are the strongest in the field. In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants lost an average of around 20–21% of body weight over 72 weeks at the 15mg dose. That figure comes from thousands of adults in the trial, and it is the benchmark against which newer options are measured.

The Wegovy injection (semaglutide 2.4mg weekly) produced around 15% average weight loss over 68 weeks in the STEP 1 trial. The new higher dose (7.2mg weekly) reported approximately 20.7% average weight loss in trials, closing much of the gap with tirzepatide's top dose. The Wegovy tablet sits below both: the OASIS 4 phase-3 trial found around 13.6% average weight loss over 64 weeks, rising to roughly 17% among participants who stayed fully adherent throughout. That 17% figure is often quoted, but it is worth being clear that it applies specifically to those who took every dose as instructed, the overall trial average was 13.6%.

None of these figures predict what any individual will achieve. Trial participants follow structured programmes alongside medication, and results vary considerably. NICE's appraisal of tirzepatide (TA1026) notes that continuing treatment is reviewed if less than 5% weight loss occurs after six months at the highest tolerated dose. The numbers matter, but they are a starting point, not a promise.

Who do these medicines suit, and who decides?

Both tirzepatide and oral semaglutide are licensed for adults, broadly at a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 and above when a weight-related health condition is present (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or obstructive sleep apnoea). Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK guidance. Those are the licence conditions, but a prescriber does not simply check a BMI box and approve.

A GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber considers your full medical history, any medicines you already take, past weight-loss attempts, and conditions that might make one option safer than another. Oral semaglutide, for instance, has strict administration requirements: it must be taken first thing on an empty stomach, with a small amount of plain water, and nothing else (no food, no coffee, no other medicines) for at least 30 minutes afterwards. That is not a dealbreaker for everyone, but it is a genuine daily commitment. The injection, by contrast, is once weekly and goes in the fridge. Neither is objectively better; they suit different people and different lives.

Neither option is suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or when trying to conceive. They are not licensed for anyone under 18. If you are curious about whether you might be eligible, the can you get Mounjaro tablets page covers the eligibility picture in detail, and our FAQs address common practical questions.

What about other tablets sometimes compared to Mounjaro?

A few other oral options come up in searches for tablets like Mounjaro. Rybelsus is oral semaglutide, but it is licensed for type 2 diabetes management at much lower doses (3mg, 7mg and 14mg), it is not a weight-loss medicine and should not be used as one. Orlistat (also sold as Xenical) is a long-established capsule that blocks absorption of roughly a third of dietary fat; it works differently from GLP-1 medicines and produces more modest results on average, though it has a place for some people. Neither is tirzepatide in any form.

If you want to understand the full picture of what is currently available through a regulated UK route, the weight loss treatment overview covers the licensed options clearly. And if you are weighing up cost as part of your thinking, the Mounjaro cost page gives an honest account of what private treatment involves, including what a transparent price actually covers.

The question of which medicine fits your situation is one our prescribers work through with you. If you would like to take that first step, you can speak to our prescribers through a free consultation, no waiting list, same-day clinical review.