Alternative to Mounjaro for Weight Loss in the UK (October 2026)

01 · The short answer

Which alternative to Mounjaro suits whom?

For most adults, the realistic alternative to Mounjaro for weight loss is Wegovy, because it is the only other licensed once-weekly weight-loss injection in the UK.¹⁸ Both are effective, licensed treatments. Which suits you depends on your health profile, tolerance and prescriber advice, not the headline number alone.¹⁵

• Prefer a weekly injection: Mounjaro or Wegovy injection; your prescriber can advise which suits you.
• Tolerated Mounjaro badly, or your prescriber prefers a single-action GLP-1 medicine: Wegovy injection.
• Want to avoid injections: Wegovy tablets or Foundayo, if you meet the eligibility checks.
• Need a lower-intensity option: orlistat, which produces smaller average losses, or Saxenda, a daily injection.
• Tempted by a "natural Mounjaro": these supplements are not medicines and have no comparable trial evidence.

If you are still weighing up the field, our guides to whether there is an alternative and what makes a good alternative go through the same ground from different angles.

02 · Side by side

Mounjaro and its alternatives compared

Trial figures come from separate trials, so only the SURMOUNT-5 row is a direct comparison; do not read the other rows against each other as if they were head to head.

All Mounjaro prices are standard prices. A new customer saves £40 on their first order with code FIRST40, and an automatic £25 reorder discount applies to every future order (code DOSE25). All six Mounjaro doses are in stock.

03 · How to choose

The factors that should drive your choice

Start with what you want the medicine to do. In SURMOUNT-5, 64.6% of people on tirzepatide lost at least 15% of body weight, versus 40.1% on semaglutide.¹⁵ Trial averages do not predict your own result, though.

Next, consider tolerance. Both medicines commonly cause gastrointestinal side effects, and a prescriber can help you judge which is more likely to suit you given your history. If you struggled on one, your prescriber can supervise a switch to the other.

Then think about how you want to take it. A weekly pen is one injection a week; a daily injection or daily tablet is a different routine. You can see our Mounjaro pen prices and consultation and the Wegovy pen page side by side.

Related guide: What's the alternative to mounjaro.

04 · Wegovy injection

Wegovy injection: the closest alternative

Wegovy is semaglutide 2.4mg, a once-weekly injection licensed for weight management. It targets the GLP-1 receptor only, whereas tirzepatide activates both GIP and GLP-1.¹

Its pens come in 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg. The dose steps up after at least four weeks and reaches the 2.4mg maintenance dose from week 17.¹⁸ Your first Wegovy pen is £99.99 on a first order.

In STEP 1, adults on semaglutide 2.4mg lost on average 14.9% of body weight over 68 weeks, compared with 2.4% on placebo.⁹ In the same trial, 86.4% lost at least 5% of body weight, 69.1% lost at least 10% and 50.5% lost at least 15%.⁹ These are trial averages and individual results vary.

Gastrointestinal side effects were reported by 74.2% of people on semaglutide 2.4mg versus 47.9% on placebo, and 7.0% stopped treatment because of side effects, compared with 3.1% on placebo.⁹ Check availability at the time of order.

Wegovy's NHS access runs through specialist weight-management services; ask your GP.

05 · Head-to-head evidence

What the head-to-head trial shows

SURMOUNT-5 is the first large trial that compares tirzepatide with semaglutide directly. It followed 751 adults for 72 weeks on tirzepatide or semaglutide 2.4mg.¹⁵

Average weight loss was 20.2% on tirzepatide versus 13.7% on semaglutide, or 22.8 kg versus 15.0 kg.¹⁵ The share of people reaching each threshold also differed:

• At least 10% of body weight: 81.6% versus 60.5%
• At least 15%: 64.6% versus 40.1%
• At least 20%: 48.4% versus 27.3%
• At least 25%: 31.6% versus 16.1%

Both are effective, licensed treatments. Treatment works alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, not instead of them.

06 · Tablets

Is there a tablet alternative to Mounjaro?

There is no tablet form of Mounjaro, because tirzepatide is injection-only in the UK. But two GLP-1 weight-loss tablets are now licensed.

Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk) were approved by the MHRA in June 2026.²⁰ Foundayo (orforglipron, made by Eli Lilly) was approved in August 2026.²¹ Both are prescription-only medicines with their own dosing, eligibility checks and trial results.

07 · Saxenda and orlistat

Saxenda and orlistat

Saxenda (liraglutide) is a licensed injectable, but it is a daily injection, unlike once-weekly Mounjaro and Wegovy. Liraglutide is supplied at 6mg per millilitre. Average results vary, so your prescriber can advise on what to expect.

Orlistat is a tablet that blocks some dietary fat absorption. It produces smaller average losses than the GLP-1 medicines. It works differently from Mounjaro: it acts in the gut on fat absorption rather than on appetite hormones.

08 · Supplements and myths

"Natural Mounjaro", Ozempic and other myths

The "poor man's Ozempic" is a nickname for berberine, a supplement. "Natural GLP-1" supplements such as berberine are not medicines, are not regulated for this use and have no comparable trial evidence. They are available cheaply without assessment, which is part of the risk: there is no clinical oversight and dosing is not standardised. Dramatic weight-loss claims on these products should be treated with suspicion.

Ozempic is semaglutide licensed for type 2 diabetes. It is not a UK weight-loss medicine, and prescribing it privately for weight loss is off-label. The licensed weight-management options are Mounjaro and Wegovy, so a regulated UK pharmacy will not supply Ozempic for weight loss.

Be equally cautious about unlicensed "research" peptides such as retatrutide, which has no UK licence, and compounded copies. These have no safety data and no regulated supply chain. If something promises faster results outside a licensed pathway, that is the warning sign. Report suspected counterfeit medicines or side effects via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.⁷

09 · Switching safely

Switching between GLP-1 medicines safely

There is no licensed direct conversion between semaglutide and tirzepatide, so switching is done under prescriber supervision. Typically the previous medicine is stopped, a washout interval is observed, and the new one is started at a dose your prescriber judges appropriate. With Mounjaro that is often the 2.5mg starting dose, sometimes adjusted based on your history.

Never run two GLP-1 medicines together. If you are leaving Mounjaro, tirzepatide has a half-life of about five days, so after a final dose it takes roughly 4–5 weeks to clear the system. There is no way to speed this up, and nothing needs doing while it clears.¹

If you are switching to us from another provider at a higher dose, your first order still qualifies for the new-customer discount of £40 with code FIRST40. Your prescriber decides the starting dose.

10 · NHS route

The NHS route

Mounjaro is available on the NHS, but access is being phased in over several years. NICE recommends it for adults with a BMI of at least 35 plus at least one weight-related condition. The NHS primary-care rollout began in June 2025 with the highest-need groups first, initially BMI 40+ with four or more qualifying conditions.⁴⁶

Full rollout is expected to take years, which is why many people who meet the licensed criteria choose regulated private treatment rather than waiting. If you want to understand your NHS options first, see our page on weight loss injections as an NHS alternative.

11 · Getting started

How to get a prescribed alternative with us

EverydayMeds is a GPhC-registered UK online pharmacy (registration 9012878), and our Mounjaro comes through official LillyDirect supply direct from Eli Lilly. Ordering takes three steps:

• Free online consultation: a short health questionnaire with no charge and no obligation.
• Prescriber review: reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber. Payment is taken when you place the order; if the prescriber decides the treatment is not suitable, the order is refunded automatically in full.
• Dispatch and delivery: same-day dispatch when ordered by 3pm, then free next-day tracked delivery in temperature-controlled packaging.

Ongoing monthly clinical reviews are included, and you can pay with Visa, Mastercard or Klarna with no subscription lock-in. Start your free consultation and the prescriber will advise which option fits you.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a prescription-only medicine, supplied only after an online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber. It is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Individual results vary. This page is information, not a substitute for medical advice.

12 · 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