GLP-1 Drug List: Medicines, Brand Names and Active Ingredients

• A UK specific list, not a US one. Several medicines that appear on international GLP-1 lists are no longer available here at all.
• Maps every brand name to its active ingredient, so you can see which products are the same molecule under different labels.
• Explains why "GLP-1 inhibitors" is the wrong term, and which medicines people are usually thinking of when they search it.
• Includes the MHRA safety updates issued in 2026, with the regulator's own reported figures.

If you search for a GLP-1 list of drugs, the current UK list includes four active ingredients in this group: semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and tirzepatide, each sold under specific brand names that reflect its licensed use and format. Most lists online are written for the United States, but the UK list is shorter, has changed recently, and includes medicines, brand names, and licensing rules that do not match international summaries. Two medicines that still appear on some overseas lists cannot be obtained in the UK any more, and one new format was licensed here for the first time in June 2026.

This page is the UK version for adults in the UK who want clear, accurate information on GLP-1 medicines for type 2 diabetes or weight management, whether you are researching treatment options for yourself or reviewing the current position as a prescriber. It sets out which GLP-1 medicines are available here, which brand name goes with which active ingredient, what each is licensed to treat, which drugs have been discontinued, how these medicines are given, what the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said about safety, and what to check before treatment starts.

It also clears up the phrase "GLP-1 inhibitors", which is the wrong name for this group and points at a different set of medicines entirely. For UK patients and clinicians, that distinction matters because decisions about treatment, supply, and safety should be based on up-to-date UK licensing and regulatory advice, not on outdated or country-mismatched lists.

Key things to know

• Four active ingredients are currently available in the UK in this group: semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and tirzepatide.
• One active ingredient can carry several brand names. The brand tells you the licensed use and format, not a different molecule.
• Exenatide and lixisenatide are no longer available in the UK. Lixisenatide was discontinued in December 2023 and the last exenatide product was discontinued in autumn 2025.
• They are GLP-1 receptor agonists, not inhibitors. An agonist switches a receptor on. "GLP-1 inhibitors" usually means DPP-4 inhibitors, which are a separate class of tablets.
• Tirzepatide is a dual agonist. It acts on the GLP-1 receptor and the GIP receptor, so it is often listed alongside GLP-1 medicines rather than being one in the strict sense.
• On 11 June 2026 the MHRA approved a semaglutide tablet for weight management, the first GLP-1 tablet licensed for that use in the UK.
• All of these are prescription only medicines. Treatment suitability depends on an individual clinical assessment.

The GLP-1 drug list for the UK

Four active ingredients in this group are available in the UK: semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and tirzepatide. Between them they are sold under several brand names, and the brand indicates the licensed use and the format rather than a different drug.

Which GLP-1 medicines and tirzepatide are available in the UK?

Which GLP-1 medicines are no longer available in the UK?

Two are gone. Lixisenatide, sold as Lyxumia, was discontinued across all strengths in December 2023. Exenatide is also no longer available: the twice daily product, Byetta, was discontinued in 2024, and the prolonged release weekly product, Bydureon BCise, was discontinued from the end of September 2025, leaving no exenatide product on the UK market.

A third, albiglutide, appears on older international lists. It was withdrawn worldwide years ago and was never a current UK option.

This is the main reason to be careful with lists written elsewhere. A page that offers you six or seven GLP-1 options is not describing what a UK prescriber can actually give you.

What is a GLP-1 medicine?

A GLP-1 medicine is one that copies the action of glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone your gut releases after you eat. Copying that hormone helps the body release insulin when blood sugar rises, slows how quickly the stomach empties, and reduces appetite.

Because the same hormone affects both blood sugar and appetite, the same active ingredient can be licensed for type 2 diabetes in one product and for weight management in another.

Are they GLP-1 inhibitors or GLP-1 agonists?

They are agonists. An agonist binds to a receptor and switches it on, which is exactly what these medicines do to the GLP-1 receptor. An inhibitor does the opposite: it blocks something.

“GLP-1 inhibitor” is not the standard term for the medicines used for diabetes or weight management. These medicines are GLP-1 receptor agonists, while DPP-4 inhibitors are a separate class of diabetes medicines.

The correct terms in one line each

• GLP-1 receptor agonist: switches the GLP-1 receptor on. Semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide.
• Dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist: switches on two receptors. Tirzepatide.
• Incretin mimetic: an older umbrella term meaning the same thing as GLP-1 receptor agonist.
• DPP-4 inhibitor: a different class. Blocks the enzyme that breaks down your own natural GLP-1.

Are DPP-4 inhibitors the same as GLP-1 drugs?

No, but they act on the same pathway, and this is probably what most people mean when they search for GLP-1 inhibitors. DPP-4 inhibitors block dipeptidyl peptidase-4, the enzyme that breaks down the GLP-1 your body makes. The result is a modest increase in your natural GLP-1 rather than a large dose of a copy.

They generally produce much less weight loss than GLP-1 receptor agonists and are not licensed in the UK specifically for weight management. Examples used in the UK include sitagliptin, linagliptin, alogliptin, saxagliptin and vildagliptin.

If you are researching medicines for weight, DPP-4 inhibitors are not the group you are looking for. If you are researching type 2 diabetes tablets, they may be.

The medicines by active ingredient

Semaglutide

Semaglutide is the most widely used active ingredient in this group in the UK, and it carries three brand names. As a weekly injection it is licensed for type 2 diabetes under one brand and for weight management under another. As a daily tablet it is licensed for type 2 diabetes under one brand, and since June 2026 for weight management under another.

That June 2026 approval was a genuine first. The MHRA authorised a semaglutide tablet for weight loss and weight management on 11 June 2026, making it the first GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet licensed for that purpose in the UK. It is taken once daily on an empty stomach, and the strength is stepped up over time under prescriber supervision.

Liraglutide

Liraglutide is a daily injection available in the UK, with products licensed for type 2 diabetes and weight management.

It is worth knowing that liraglutide is given every day rather than once a week, which some people find more demanding and others find easier to adjust. Average weight change in trials was smaller than with the newer weekly medicines, but it remains a licensed option and suits some clinical situations.

Dulaglutide

Dulaglutide is licensed in the UK for type 2 diabetes rather than weight management, so it is not a licensed weight-management medicine. It is included on this list because it is a true GLP-1 receptor agonist and appears in every clinical listing of the class.

Tirzepatide

Tirzepatide is a weekly injection and the only dual agonist available in the UK. It acts on the GLP-1 receptor and on the receptor for glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, another gut hormone. Strictly speaking that makes it a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist rather than a GLP-1 medicine, though it is nearly always grouped with them.

In the UK a single brand covers both licensed uses, type 2 diabetes and weight management. This differs from some other countries, where the same molecule is sold under two separate brand names for the two indications. If you have read an American list, that is why a brand name you saw there may not exist here.

Why one active ingredient has several brand names

The brand name tells you what the product is licensed for, what strengths it comes in and what format it takes. It does not tell you the medicine is different.

This causes real confusion. People sometimes believe they have been given "the diabetes one" instead of "the weight loss one" and assume it will not work, or worse, that the two can be swapped freely. They cannot. Each brand has its own marketing authorisation, its own licensed strengths and its own patient information leaflet. A prescriber chooses the product that matches the licensed indication and your clinical circumstances.

Using a diabetes-licensed product for weight management, or another medicine outside its licensed indication, may involve off-label prescribing. A prescriber should only consider this when clinically appropriate and in line with professional prescribing responsibilities; it should not simply be requested as a way to obtain a different product.

Formats: injection or oral medication (tablet)

Most GLP-1 medicines in the UK are subcutaneous injections given with a pre-filled pen, either weekly or daily. Two are tablets.

Tablets are not simply an easier version. Oral semaglutide has to be taken on an empty stomach with a small sip of water, with nothing else to eat or drink for a set period afterwards, or absorption drops. Your prescriber and the patient information leaflet will explain the exact timing for your product.

What these medicines are licensed to treat, including weight loss

In the UK the licensed uses across this group are type 2 diabetes, weight management, and in one case reduction of cardiovascular risk in specific circumstances. Not every product covers every use.

For medicines licensed for weight management, eligibility criteria depend on the individual product. For example, the MHRA's June 2026 approval of the semaglutide tablet allows use in adults with obesity (BMI 30 or above), or adults who are overweight (BMI 27 to 30) with at least one weight-related comorbidity, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

Meeting the criteria does not mean treatment will be offered. Your prescriber or doctor will determine the appropriate treatment after reviewing your medical history, other medications, and any conditions that make treatment unsuitable.

What the clinical evidence shows

The evidence base for this group is large, but the results belong to specific medicines at specific doses, and they should not be transferred between products.

• SURMOUNT-1 studied tirzepatide in 2,539 adults over 72 weeks. Average weight reduction on the highest dose studied was in the region of one fifth of starting body weight.
• STEP 1 studied semaglutide 2.4 mg in 1,961 adults over 68 weeks, with average weight reduction of roughly 15 per cent of starting body weight.
• OASIS 4 studied oral semaglutide for weight management over 64 weeks. Average weight reduction was around 13.6 per cent, against around 2.2 per cent for placebo.

Read those as averages with a wide spread. Some participants lost far more and some lost very little. Results vary between individuals. Trial extensions have also shown that weight is commonly regained after treatment stops, which is why these are treated as medicines for a long term condition rather than a short course.

Safety: what the MHRA has said

The MHRA has issued several safety updates about this group, and two of them are recent enough that many drug lists have not caught up.

Pancreatitis

On 29 January 2026 the MHRA strengthened the warnings on all GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists as part of the broader safety picture, alongside their known side effects. The most common effects are usually gastrointestinal, while serious adverse events, other adverse effects, and adverse reactions are less common and should be discussed with a healthcare professional or checked against the official product information. Between 2007 and October 2025 the regulator received 1,296 Yellow Card reports of pancreatitis linked to this group, of which 19 were fatal and 24 were reported as necrotising.

The MHRA's advice to patients is direct: seek urgent medical attention if you develop severe, persistent abdominal pain that may spread to your back and may come with nausea and vomiting. The main symptom of acute pancreatitis is often severe pain in the upper abdomen that can radiate to the back. If pancreatitis is confirmed, treatment should not be restarted, although serious complications remain a low risk overall.

Vision

On 5 February 2026 the MHRA issued advice about non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, a condition that can cause sudden loss of vision, usually in one eye.The advice is to attend eye casualty or A&E urgently if your eyesight suddenly worsens or is lost while on treatment. For further information, see official NHS or GOV.UK guidance.

Surgery and sedation

GLP-1 and dual GIP/GLP-1 medicines can delay stomach emptying, which may leave residual stomach contents despite normal fasting before surgery. The MHRA has therefore warned about a potential risk of pulmonary aspiration during general anaesthesia or deep sedation. Tell your surgical or anaesthetic team if you are taking one of these medicines. The MHRA does not recommend a single fixed stopping interval for all patients; the anaesthetic team should assess the risk individually and decide how the medicine should be managed before the procedure.

Records and falsified products

If you receive a GLP-1 or dual GIP/GLP-1 medicine through a private service, tell your GP and any other healthcare professional involved in your care. This is particularly important before surgery, general anaesthesia or deep sedation, because these medicines can delay gastric emptying and may increase the risk of pulmonary aspiration. Your anaesthetic team can then assess how the medicine should be managed before the procedure.

The regulator has also issued warnings about falsified products, including a falsified batch of a tirzepatide pen supplied through an online pharmacy in the UK in early 2026. Buy only from a pharmacy registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), after a genuine clinical assessment, and inform your healthcare team before any surgical procedure or other procedure involving anaesthesia or sedation.

Before you start: what to check

Check that the pharmacy is registered with the appropriate UK regulator. In Great Britain, this means checking the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register; Northern Ireland has a separate regulatory system.

Confirm a UK registered prescriber or other healthcare professional reviews your consultation, and that you can contact a clinician afterwards.

Check which brand and active ingredient you are being supplied, and that the medication licence matches what you are being treated for.

Read the patient information leaflet that comes with your product before the first dose.

Tell your GP, and any other prescriber, that you are taking it.

Red flags

• A prescription only medicine offered without health questions, or with questions that cannot be failed.
• Products sold through social media, marketplaces or direct messages.
• A price far below the general market, which is a recognised sign of falsified supply.
• No named registered pharmacy or prescriber on the website.
• A service that presents an off-label use as though it were the medicine's licensed indication, without clearly explaining this and assessing whether it is clinically appropriate.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for general information and does not replace personalised medical advice. It is not a recommendation to use any specific medicine, and it does not provide dosing instructions or a dose escalation plan. These are prescription only medicines and should be used only under the supervision of an appropriately qualified prescriber, following a clinical assessment. Results vary between individuals. Follow the patient information leaflet supplied with your product. If you miss a dose, follow the instructions in that leaflet and never take extra to make up for a missed dose. Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme, and seek urgent medical attention for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.