The names of weight loss injections licensed in the UK

You've seen several names and you're trying to work out what's what

A question our prescribers hear most weeks goes something like this: "I've seen Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy mentioned, are they all the same thing, and can I just pick one?" It's a fair question. These medicines come from the same class of drugs but they are not interchangeable, and the names carry real clinical meaning.

Start with the two categories. Tirzepatide is the drug; Mounjaro is the brand name Eli Lilly has given it in the UK. Tirzepatide works on two gut-hormone receptors simultaneously (GIP and GLP-1) which is what makes it distinct from the other injections currently available. In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, participants on the highest dose saw an average body-weight reduction of around 20–21% over 72 weeks, making it the higher-efficacy option among licensed UK weight-loss injections based on trial data. Semaglutide is the other drug. It activates only the GLP-1 receptor and comes under two separate brand names: Wegovy for weight management, and Ozempic for type 2 diabetes. Same molecule, different doses, different licences. If you have seen Ozempic promoted for weight loss, that use is off-label, the medicine holds no UK weight-loss licence at that brand name. If you are trying to understand what the names of the weight loss injection drugs actually are and how each one maps to its approved use, that page offers a full breakdown. For a full breakdown of the injectable drug names and their approved uses, the guide to weight loss injection drug names covers this in more detail.

One more name worth addressing: Zepbound. In the United States, Eli Lilly sells tirzepatide under the Zepbound brand for obesity. In the UK, that brand does not exist. The UK product is Mounjaro, full stop. Any online seller offering "Zepbound" to a UK buyer is either confused or, more concerningly, operating outside the licensed supply chain.

Saxenda, liraglutide and the names that have largely stepped aside

Saxenda is the brand name for liraglutide, an older GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Novo Nordisk. It holds a UK licence for weight management and was, for several years, one of the main options available. Average weight loss in its pivotal trials was lower than the figures seen in more recent tirzepatide and high-dose semaglutide studies, and clinical practice has moved accordingly. Saxenda is still a licensed medicine; it is simply no longer the first name most clinicians reach for.

There is also Victoza, liraglutide at a lower dose, licensed for type 2 diabetes rather than weight loss. And Rybelsus, which is oral semaglutide at 3, 7 or 14 mg tablets, again licensed for type 2 diabetes, not for weight management. (A separate oral semaglutide product, Wegovy tablets at 25 mg maintenance, was approved by the MHRA in June 2026 specifically for weight management, but that is a tablet, not an injection.)

Knowing which name belongs to which licence helps you ask sharper questions of any provider. If a clinic is offering you Victoza or Rybelsus for weight loss, that is off-label prescribing, a separate conversation with its own considerations. If you want a single reference covering the weight loss injections names that are currently in circulation, including older options such as Saxenda alongside the newer medicines, that page brings them together in one place. For an overview of the broader landscape of weight loss injections available in the UK, including how the medicines compare, there is more detail on that page.

What the names tell you about safety and supply

Prescription-only status applies to all of these medicines without exception. That matters in a practical sense: legitimate supply always runs through a licensed UK prescriber and a registered pharmacy. The MHRA has its Yellow Card scheme for reporting suspected counterfeit products, and the agency has seized large volumes of fake pens sold online without a prescription, some containing insulin rather than the labelled medicine. The brand name on a pen means nothing if the pen did not come through the licensed UK supply chain.

One reliable check: any online pharmacy dispensing these medicines should appear on the GPhC register. You can look up a pharmacy's registration at pharmacyregulation.org/registers, a two-minute check that tells you the pharmacy is regulated and accountable. For a complete list covering the names of all weight loss injections that have been licensed or used in the UK, that page is a useful reference before you begin comparing providers. For guidance on where to buy weight loss injections safely in the UK, that page walks through the process.

At nume, every consultation is reviewed the same day by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber, a real clinician, not automated software. If the assessment confirms clinical suitability, treatment is dispatched the same day for free next-working-day tracked delivery. The service covers Mounjaro and Wegovy, the two medicines licensed in the UK for weight management. If you would like to understand which might suit your circumstances, the weight loss treatments overview sets out the eligibility criteria alongside the clinical context for each.