Prescription Appetite Suppressants in NZ: What to Know (October 2026)

01 · The short answer

What counts as a prescription appetite suppressant?

A prescription appetite suppressant is a licensed medicine, supplied only after a prescriber has assessed you, that reduces hunger as part of a weight-management plan. GLP-1 based injections and tablets are one group of these medicines. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) activates both GIP and GLP-1 receptors, which helps regulate appetite and slows how quickly the stomach empties.¹ Most people feel fuller sooner and less hungry between meals, which supports a reduced-calorie diet.¹

None of these work instead of diet and activity. They are used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.¹ If you are comparing options in more detail, our guides to getting an appetite suppressant prescription and prescription appetite suppressants go further.

02 · Being straight with NZ readers

Prescription appetite suppressants in New Zealand

We are a GPhC-registered UK online pharmacy and our supply is UK-only, so approval, funding and prices in New Zealand need checking locally.

For NZ-specific answers, ask a New Zealand doctor or pharmacist what they can prescribe, and check the medicine on the NZ regulator's own listings. Be wary of any site offering to supply a prescription medicine without a consultation or prescription. Counterfeit weight-loss pens are a known risk, and the MHRA publishes alerts on them.⁷

03 · If you are in the UK

What a UK Mounjaro prescription costs

In the UK, a pen lasts four weeks, and the standard price rises with dose: £169.99 at 2.5mg, £218.99 at 5mg and £329.99 at 15mg per month. All six doses are in stock on the Mounjaro product page. A new customer's first order is £40 off at any dose with code FIRST40, and every later order is £25 off the standard price (code DOSE25).

If you step up after 4 weeks on each dose, your first four pens (2.5mg to 10mg) cost £959.96 at standard prices. A first year costs £2,711.88 if you stay on 5mg after your 2.5mg starting pen, up to £3,599.88 if you step up through every dose to 15mg, before discounts. Across the UK pharmacies we track, Mounjaro pens ranged from £143.96 to £339.00 per month as of 12 October 2026. These are UK prices only and do not convert to NZ pricing.

Related guide: Buy Mounjaro.

04 · Mounjaro evidence

How well does Mounjaro work?

In SURMOUNT-1 (2,539 adults), people taking tirzepatide alongside diet and exercise lost on average 15% of body weight on 5mg, 19.5% on 10mg and 20.9% on 15mg over 72 weeks, compared with 3.1% with lifestyle changes alone.² These are trial averages and individual results vary.

At 72 weeks, 85% of participants on 5mg, 89% on 10mg and 91% on 15mg had lost at least 5% of their body weight. Half of those on 10mg and 57% on 15mg lost at least 20%.² As a worked example, for someone starting at 100 kg, 20.9% is about 21 kg.

Mounjaro is a once-weekly pen in six strengths: 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg.¹ It is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 30 with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.¹ A prescriber assesses your BMI, history and current medicines first. You can start a free consultation to see whether you are suitable.

05 · Mounjaro vs Wegovy

Mounjaro versus Wegovy

Both are effective licensed treatments, and SURMOUNT-5 was the first large head-to-head trial comparing them. In SURMOUNT-5, adults on tirzepatide lost on average 20.2% of body weight over 72 weeks versus 13.7% on semaglutide 2.4mg (Wegovy).¹⁵ Which suits you depends on your health profile, tolerance and prescriber advice, not the headline number alone.

In SURMOUNT-5, at least 10% of body weight was lost by 81.6% on tirzepatide versus 60.5% on semaglutide, and at least 20% by 48.4% versus 27.3%. Average loss was 22.8 kg versus 15.0 kg.¹⁵

Separately, in STEP 1, adults on semaglutide 2.4mg lost on average 14.9% of body weight over 68 weeks versus 2.4% on placebo.⁹ In that trial, gastrointestinal side effects were reported by 74.2% on semaglutide versus 47.9% on placebo, and 7.0% stopped because of side effects versus 3.1%.⁹ Do not set STEP 1 numbers against SURMOUNT-1 as if they were head to head.

Wegovy's dose ladder is 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg once weekly, stepping up after at least four weeks to reach 2.4mg from week 17.¹⁸

06 · Other prescription options

Tablets, orlistat and liraglutide

There is no tablet form of Mounjaro; tirzepatide is injection-only in the UK.¹ Two GLP-1 weight-loss tablets are now licensed in the UK: Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide), approved by the MHRA in June 2026, and Foundayo (orforglipron), approved in August 2026.²⁰²¹ They are different medicines with their own dosing, eligibility checks and trial results, and both are prescription-only.

Orlistat is a tablet that blocks some dietary fat absorption and produces smaller average losses. Saxenda (liraglutide) is a daily injection supplied at 6mg per millilitre, unlike the once-weekly Mounjaro and Wegovy. For tablet pricing, see the current Wegovy tablet details on our weight loss treatments page.

Ozempic is semaglutide licensed for type 2 diabetes, not a UK weight-loss medicine, and prescribing it privately for weight loss is off-label. The licensed weight-management injectables are Mounjaro and Wegovy.

07 · Supplements and stacking

Over-the-counter pills and unlicensed products

Over-the-counter appetite suppressant pills are not the same as prescription medicines. "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, with no clinical oversight, and dosing is not standardised.

Mounjaro must not be combined with other GLP-1 medicines, unlicensed "research" peptides (such as retatrutide, which has no UK licence) or compounded copies.¹ They have no safety data and no regulated supply chain. If something promises faster results outside a licensed pathway, that is the warning sign.

Switching from Wegovy or Ozempic to Mounjaro has no licensed direct conversion. It is done under prescriber supervision, typically stopping the previous medicine, observing a washout interval and starting at a dose your prescriber judges appropriate. Never run two GLP-1 medicines together.

08 · Safety and who should ask first

Safety points to raise with a prescriber

Mounjaro must not be used during pregnancy, and should be stopped at least one month before trying to conceive.¹ It slows stomach emptying, which can reduce absorption of oral contraceptive pills; the SmPC advises a non-oral method, or a barrier method, for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose increase.⁷ Implants, coils and injections are unaffected.

Tirzepatide has a half-life of about five days, so after a final dose it takes roughly 4 to 5 weeks to clear the system.¹ Report any suspected side effect through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹

Mounjaro is available on the NHS in England, but access is being phased in over several years; the primary-care rollout began in June 2025 with the highest-need groups first.⁶

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

10 · How UK ordering works

How ordering works for UK customers

If you are in the UK, the process is short. Our Mounjaro ordering page has full details.

• Complete a free online consultation, with no charge and no obligation.
• A GPhC-registered prescriber reviews it. Payment is taken when you place the order; if the prescriber decides the treatment is not suitable, the order is refunded automatically in full.
• Our registered pharmacy dispenses, with same-day dispatch when ordered by 3pm, and free next-day tracked delivery in temperature-controlled packaging.

Mounjaro is supplied through official LillyDirect supply, direct from Eli Lilly's UK distribution. Ongoing monthly reviews are included, and repeat orders re-check suitability with no auto-shipping. Our appetite suppressant pharmacy page and guide to buying prescription appetite suppressants online cover safe sourcing.