GLP-1 Agonists: The Full List of Medications and What Each One Does

• Groups the class by type and licensed use rather than by product name
• Explains why the same substance appears under two different licences
• Sets out UK eligibility and the contraindications a prescriber checks for
• Covers what can honestly be compared between these medicines, and what cannot

Ask what GLP-1 agonists are available and you will usually get a list of product names, which turns out to be the least useful way to organise the information. Names tell you almost nothing about what a medicine does, who it is for, or whether it applies to you.

Two things actually distinguish these medicines in practice. The first is their type: how many hormone receptors they act on, and whether you inject or swallow them. The second, and the one that decides whether you can have one at all, is what each is licensed to treat.

This page is organised around those two things. It also covers the part most lists skip entirely, which is who cannot be prescribed a GLP-1 agonist and why.

Key things to know

• A GLP-1 receptor agonist is a medicine that acts on the receptor for a gut hormone released after eating.
• All GLP-1 medicines are prescription only in the UK. The MHRA is clear they can only be prescribed by a healthcare professional.
• The same active substance can hold separate licences under different product names, one for type 2 diabetes and one for weight management.
• Those two are not interchangeable, because they have different licensed uses, different dose ranges and different approved information.
• Eligibility differs between individual medicines rather than applying uniformly across the class.

What is a GLP-1 receptor agonist?

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone your gut releases after you eat. A GLP-1 receptor agonist is a manufactured molecule that switches on the same receptor that hormone acts on.

The MHRA describes medicines in this class as helping people feel fuller by mimicking a natural hormone released after eating. This action supports appetite regulation and contributes to reducing food intake and lowering blood glucose levels, which is important for managing diabetes mellitus and obesity management. These medications have been studied extensively in randomized clinical trials, demonstrating their efficacy in glycemic control and reducing body weight.

GLP-1 agonist medications, including those with a longer half life, have received FDA approval for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. They work by stimulating pancreatic beta cells to release more insulin in a glucose-dependent manner, improving insulin therapy outcomes and reducing the need for more insulin.Some GLP-1 medicines have demonstrated cardiovascular or kidney benefits in specific patient groups. However, these benefits are not identical across the class. The choice of medicine depends on the person's condition, treatment goals and the evidence supporting that particular product.

GLP-1 receptor agonists may also affect delayed gastric emptying and have been evaluated in systematic reviews for their role in reducing weight and improving glycemic control without causing weight gain. Off label use should be avoided unless under strict medical supervision, as some compounded formulations from compounding pharmacies can pose increased risks.

How do GLP-1 agonists work?

Three effects, working together rather than separately.

They act on appetite signalling in the brain, which reduces hunger and the pull towards food between meals. They slow how quickly the stomach empties, so a meal produces fullness that lasts longer. And they increase insulin release in response to eating while reducing glucagon, which is why the class was developed for type 2 diabetes before its weight effects were licensed separately.

The natural hormone lasts only minutes. These medicines are modified so they persist for a day or a week, which is what makes once daily or once weekly dosing possible.

Agonist, analogue, mimetic: all the same thing

You will see three terms used and they describe the same idea. An agonist is a molecule that switches a receptor on. An analogue is a molecule built to closely resemble another. A mimetic is something that imitates a natural substance.

GLP-1 agonist, GLP-1 analogue and GLP-1 mimetic all refer to this class. None of them signals a different kind of medicine, and none is more technical or more marketing-led than the others. If a page uses one term consistently it is a stylistic choice, not a clinical distinction.

One term that does mean something different is incretin. Incretins are the family of gut hormones released after eating, of which GLP-1 is one and GIP another. A medicine described as an incretin therapy may act on either or both.

The list: GLP-1 agonists by type

Rather than a list of names, here is the list that tells you something. Every medicine in this class in the UK falls into one of these groups.

Weekly GLP-1 injections

The largest group and the one most people mean when they say GLP-1. Modified to persist in the body for days, so one injection covers a week. These medications, like semaglutide and dulaglutide, closely mimic the natural hormone's action, helping to lower blood sugar levels and treat obesity effectively. Practical advantage: one action every seven days. Practical trade: a missed dose is a bigger event.

Daily GLP-1 injections

Shorter acting by design. More injections, but more flexibility day to day and a smaller consequence if one is missed. Some people find a daily routine easier to protect than a weekly one. Daily options, such as high dose liraglutide, are also approved to help patients lose weight and manage diabetes metab syndr obes. These daily injections help reduce insulin dose requirements and lower blood sugar levels with low risk of hypoglycemia.

Oral GLP-1

Taken as a tablet once a day. Getting a peptide past stomach acid is the difficult part, which is why oral formulations arrive later and carry strict rules about empty stomachs, water and waiting periods. For people who will not inject, oral GLP-1 removes the barrier entirely.

GLP-1 and GIP dual agonists

These act on the GLP-1 receptor and also on the receptor for GIP, another hormone the gut releases after eating. The reasoning is that engaging two incretin pathways rather than one produces a larger effect on appetite and blood glucose.

A triple agonist adding a third receptor target exists in development but is not available in the UK.

Which GLP-1 agonists are licensed in the UK?

Several, across all four groups above, and the picture changes more often than most content reflects.

What "licensed" actually means

A licence, formally a marketing authorisation, is the MHRA's decision that a specific medicine can be sold in the UK for specific conditions, in specific people, with specific warnings. It is granted after the regulator has assessed the full data package.

The licence defines everything that follows: what the medicine may be prescribed for, who is eligible, what the approved patient information says and what dose range applies. A medicine without one has not been assessed for use here at all.

What changed recently

The MHRA authorised a 7.2 mg maximum weekly dose in January 2026, which at that point required three separate 2.4 mg doses given on the same day. On 14 April 2026 it approved a single-dose 7.2 mg pen, so that maximum weekly dose can be given as one injection. That approval covers adults with obesity who have a BMI of 30 kg/m² or higher.

The practical lesson is broader than the specific change. Pages written even a year ago can be wrong on basic facts about this class, and they rarely carry a date you would notice. Treat any claim about doses, maximums or availability as something to confirm rather than act on.

Diabetes or weight loss: the licence decides

This is the single most misunderstood thing about the class, and it explains a question people ask constantly.

Why the same substance appears twice

The same active substance can hold two separate marketing authorisations under two different product names, one licensed for type 2 diabetes and one licensed for weight management.

That is not a marketing trick. Each licence was granted on its own evidence, for its own patient population, with its own dose range and its own approved patient information. They are genuinely different products in regulatory terms, even where the molecule inside is the same.

Why they are not interchangeable

Because the licence, not the molecule, determines appropriate use. A product licensed for type 2 diabetes is not a weight management medicine, and prescribing or using it as one falls outside its authorisation.

The licence determines the approved indication and dose range for each product. A medicine licensed for type 2 diabetes should not automatically be substituted for a weight-management product, even when both contain the same active substance. Prescribing outside a licence is known as off-label prescribing and requires an appropriate clinical justification.

If you are trying to establish which route applies to you, the GLP-1 injections and other options licensed for weight management are the place to look. Treatment suitability depends on an individual clinical assessment.

Who can be prescribed GLP-1 agonists in the UK?

Eligibility is decided by assessment rather than by a number you can look up, and the criteria differ between individual medicines rather than applying across the class.

Weight management eligibility

Eligibility depends on the individual medicine, its UK marketing authorisation and the treatment pathway. NHS access may also be subject to NICE recommendations and local service criteria. A prescriber considers BMI, weight-related conditions, medical history and other medicines before deciding whether treatment is appropriate.

The framework generally involves:

• A BMI at or above a defined threshold, higher where no other health condition is present.
• A lower threshold where at least one weight related condition is present, such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea or type 2 diabetes.
• Adjustment for ethnicity, because BMI does not carry identical risk at the same number across all populations.
• Adult age, and an assessment covering your full medical history rather than BMI alone.

Because thresholds vary between medicines, a figure you have read elsewhere may not be the one that applies to the medicine you are considering.

Type 2 diabetes

Where a GLP-1 agonist is prescribed for type 2 diabetes, the decision sits with the clinician managing that condition and depends on blood glucose control, other medicines and other conditions. It is a different pathway from weight management and not something to pursue through a weight loss route.

If you have type 2 diabetes and are also seeking weight management treatment, say so at the assessment rather than treating the two as separate. It changes what is appropriate, it changes which other medicines interact, and a prescriber working without that information is making a decision with the relevant part missing.

GLP-1 agonist contraindications

A proper assessment looks for reasons not to prescribe as carefully as reasons to. This is the section most lists omit.

When these medicines are not suitable

• Pregnancy or plans to conceive: These medicines should not be used during pregnancy. The recommended interval before trying to conceive depends on the specific medicine.
• Known allergy:A previous serious allergic reaction to the active substance or an ingredient may rule out that product.
• Previous pancreatitis:This requires particular caution and an individual assessment; it is not a universal contraindication for every medicine in the class.
• Significant gastrointestinal problems:Conditions affecting stomach emptying or severe gastrointestinal symptoms may make some treatments unsuitable.
• Other medical or nutritional concerns: Eating disorders, thyroid-related history and other significant conditions should be discussed with the prescriber, who will check the relevant product information.

Contraindications and precautions differ between products, so the current UK Summary of Product Characteristics should be checked for the medicine being considered.

Where caution or closer review applies

Breastfeeding, significant kidney or liver disease, gallbladder disease, a history of diabetic eye disease, and situations where dehydration is likely all warrant a more careful discussion rather than an automatic no. Your prescriber will determine the appropriate treatment.

Interactions worth declaring

Tell your prescriber about everything you take, including anything bought without a prescription. Two categories matter particularly.

If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea for diabetes, combining it with a GLP-1 agonist raises the risk of low blood glucose. The MHRA advises eating or drinking something that raises blood sugar quickly if this occurs, and seeking medical attention if symptoms persist.

Because these medicines slow stomach emptying, they can affect how other oral medicines are absorbed. That is a question for your prescriber rather than something to work out yourself.

GLP-1 agonist side effects

Common

Mostly gastrointestinal. The MHRA notes these may affect more than one in ten patients, with nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea among the most common. Constipation, indigestion, burping, reduced appetite and tiredness are also frequently reported, and most ease as the body adapts.

Less common but serious

The MHRA asks prescribers to discuss pancreatitis and gall bladder disorders. Inflammation of the pancreas has been reported with medicines in this class, including rare reports with serious or fatal outcomes. Severe or persistent abdominal pain, particularly pain reaching through to your back with vomiting, needs urgent medical attention.

A serious eye condition affecting vision has been linked in very rare reports to one medicine in this class.

Reporting a side effect

Suspected side effects can be reported through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. You do not need to be certain the medicine caused the problem, and you do not need a healthcare professional to report for you. For a newer class, this is how rare effects are detected after licensing.

Comparing GLP-1 agonists

What can honestly be compared

Format and frequency. Whether a medicine acts on one receptor or two. What it is licensed to treat. Eligibility criteria. Storage requirements. The practical consequence of a missed dose. These are matters of fact and they are genuinely useful for deciding what fits your life.

What cannot

A ranking. Comparing effectiveness properly requires trials designed to compare medicines directly, and results from a trial of one medicine cannot be transferred to another. Any page presenting you with a league table is either guessing or selling.

What can be said is that the medicine you can actually take consistently, at a dose you tolerate, is the one with a chance of working for you. Results vary between individuals.

Getting an assessment

Every medicine discussed here is prescription only, so any legitimate route begins with a clinical assessment. The MHRA is explicit that these medicines should not be bought from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media, or from anywhere without a prior consultation.

A legitimate UK service takes a full medical history, verifies identity and measurements rather than accepting what is typed in, has a prescriber review the request individually, and dispenses from a pharmacy registered with the GPhC.

Whichever medicine is appropriate, it works alongside the rest of the picture rather than instead of it, which is why weight management help matters as much as the prescription itself.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is general information about a class of prescription only medicines and is not medical advice. It does not recommend any specific treatment, contains no dosing instructions and no dose escalation schedule, and is not a substitute for a consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. These medicines should only be used under the supervision of an appropriately qualified prescriber and in line with the approved patient information leaflet supplied with your medicine.

Treatment suitability depends on an individual clinical assessment, and results vary between individuals. Seek urgent medical attention for severe or persistent abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, sudden changes in vision, or signs of an allergic reaction such as swelling of the face, lips or throat or difficulty breathing. Suspected side effects can be reported through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.