Is There a Weight Loss Pill Instead of an Injection? (October 2026)

01 · The answer

Is there a weight loss pill instead of an injection?

Yes, there are now licensed weight loss tablets in the UK that work in the same family as the injections. Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, taken as one tablet once a day.²⁰ Foundayo contains orforglipron, a once-daily GLP-1 tablet made by Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro.²¹

There is no tablet form of Mounjaro. Tirzepatide is injection-only in the UK, and the tablets are different medicines with their own dosing, eligibility checks and trial results.¹ If you want the full picture on this theme, our guide to weight loss pills instead of injections goes further.

02 · Compare

Weight loss tablets and injections compared

03 · Next step

Which should you consider first?

The right choice depends on your health, your other medicines and how you prefer to take treatment. A prescriber checks which option is suitable for you.²⁰ People who dislike needles often start by looking at the tablets. People who dislike daily routines, or who want a once-weekly option, may prefer an injection.

If you want to see how the injection route works, our weight loss clinic explains the options and the free consultation, and the Mounjaro pen page shows current prices and stock, with all doses in stock.

Related guides: Endotime injection weight loss and Enbrel injection weight loss.

04 · Wegovy tablets

Wegovy tablets: how they work and how to take them

Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, taken as one tablet once a day. They are licensed for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.²⁰

The routine is the main thing to weigh up. The tablet must be taken on an empty stomach after fasting for at least 8 hours, swallowed whole with a sip of water (up to half a glass, about 120ml), and you then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other tablets.²⁰ That suits some people well and others badly.

Treatment starts at 1.5mg once daily and steps up to 4mg, 9mg and then the 25mg maintenance dose, with at least one month at each dose; the dose can stay at an earlier step if needed.²⁰ If a dose is missed, skip it and take the next tablet the following day.²⁰ You can read more on the Wegovy pill product page, where current prices are shown.

What the OASIS 4 trial found

In the OASIS 4 trial, adults taking semaglutide 25mg tablets for 64 weeks lost on average 13.6% of their body weight, compared with 2.2% on placebo. 76.3% lost at least 5% of their body weight (vs 30.5% on placebo) and 59.8% lost at least 10% (vs 14.1%).²² Individual results vary.

The most common side effects are digestive: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and stomach pain, along with headache and tiredness; gallstones and hair loss are listed as common.²²

05 · Foundayo

Foundayo (orforglipron): the once-daily tablet with no food rules

Foundayo can be taken at any time of day, with or without food and without water restrictions; the tablet is swallowed whole.²¹ It is licensed for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.²¹

Treatment starts at 0.8mg once daily, then steps up to 2.5mg and 5.5mg, and then to 9mg, 14.5mg or 17.2mg depending on response and tolerability, with at least 30 days at each dose; 17.2mg once daily is the maximum. If a dose is missed, take it as soon as possible, but never more than one tablet a day.²¹

Foundayo may make oral contraceptive pills less effective. Switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and for 30 days after each dose increase.²¹ Our Foundayo weight loss pill guide covers UK availability, and the Foundayo (orforglipron) page has current prices.

What the ATTAIN-1 trial found

In the ATTAIN-1 trial of 3,127 adults without type 2 diabetes, people taking the highest dose of orforglipron for 72 weeks lost on average 12.4% of their body weight, compared with 0.9% on placebo; the two lower doses gave 7.8% and 9.3%. The trial used capsules, and the UK 17.2mg tablet corresponds to the highest trial dose, so the tablet and capsule doses are not comparable milligram for milligram.²³

The most common side effects are digestive: nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion and stomach pain. In the trial, 10.3% of people on the highest dose stopped because of side effects, compared with 2.7% on placebo.²³

06 · Pill or injection

Are weight loss pills as good as injections?

Nobody can answer that from the trial numbers alone. Mounjaro is a once-weekly injection; Wegovy tablets and Foundayo are once-daily tablets. No trial has compared Mounjaro directly with either tablet, so results from separate trials, with different people, durations and doses, should not be set against each other as if they were head to head. SURMOUNT-5 is the trial that compared tirzepatide directly with injected semaglutide.¹⁵

The practical differences matter as much as the averages. Wegovy tablets need a strict empty-stomach routine every morning, Foundayo has no food or water rules, and Mounjaro needs one injection a week. A prescriber will check which option is suitable for your health, your other medicines and your routine.²⁰

For a fuller side-by-side, see whether a weight loss pill or injection is better.

Moving between injections and tablets is possible in some cases. People on the 2.4mg weekly Wegovy injection can move to the 25mg tablet, starting one week after their last injection.²⁰ Any other switch should be agreed with a prescriber.

07 · Orlistat and supplements

Orlistat and "natural GLP-1" supplements

Orlistat is a licensed tablet that blocks some dietary fat absorption, and it produces smaller average losses than the GLP-1 medicines.¹ It works differently from the GLP-1 injections and tablets, so it is not a like-for-like swap.

Ask your prescriber what is suitable for you.

Supplements are a different matter. "Natural GLP-1" products such as berberine are not medicines, are not regulated for this use and have no comparable trial evidence.¹ They are low-cost supplements with no clinical oversight, and their dosing is not standardised. Labels such as "nature's Ozempic" or the "poor man's Ozempic" are marketing phrases, not evidence. Treat dramatic weight-loss claims with caution.

08 · Safety and supply

Buying weight loss tablets safely in the UK

Weight loss tablets that work like GLP-1 medicines are prescription-only. Avoid any seller offering to supply them without a consultation or prescription, because counterfeit and unlicensed products are a real risk; the MHRA publishes counterfeit medicine alerts.⁷

We are a GPhC-registered pharmacy (registration 9012878). Payment is taken when you place the order; if the prescriber decides the treatment is not suitable, the order is refunded automatically in full. If you notice a side effect on any medicine, you can report it through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹

09 · Serious side effects

Serious side effects: when to get help straight away

Serious side effects are uncommon but need urgent attention. Seek immediate medical help for: severe, persistent stomach pain that may spread to your back, with or without vomiting (possible pancreatitis); pain in the upper right abdomen, fever or yellowing of skin/eyes (possible gallbladder problems); or signs of a severe allergic reaction such as swelling of the face or throat and difficulty breathing. If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea alongside Mounjaro, watch for low blood sugar (shakiness, sweating, confusion) — your prescriber may need to adjust those medicines.¹