Prescription Weight Loss Pills UK: What Is Licensed (October 2026)

01 · The short answer

Which prescription weight loss pills are licensed in the UK?

Two GLP-1 tablets are licensed for weight management in the UK: Wegovy tablets, approved by the MHRA in June 2026, and Foundayo, approved in August 2026. Both are prescription-only, and orlistat is the other licensed tablet option, working in a different way.¹ Our guide to GLP-1 weight loss pills goes deeper on the class.

Tirzepatide is injection-only in the UK.

02 · Eligibility

Who can get weight loss tablets on prescription?

Adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, can be considered for Wegovy tablets or Foundayo, used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.²⁰²¹ Mounjaro uses the same BMI thresholds, and examples of weight-related conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.¹

A prescriber reviews your BMI, medical history and current medicines before deciding what is suitable. That is why the right question is not which pill is best, but which treatment fits your health and routine. Our page on whether weight loss pills are safe covers what to ask.

03 · Costs

What does the injection alternative cost?

For Mounjaro, the standard price of a 2.5mg pen (four weeks) is £169.99, and a new customer's first 2.5mg pen costs £129.99 with code FIRST40. Every later order is £25 off the standard price (code DOSE25).

Across the UK pharmacies we track, Mounjaro pens ranged from £143.96 to £339.00 per month across all doses, checked 10 October 2026. The same-dose gap between providers ran from £27 to £41. Consultation is free and the price shown is the price paid, with Klarna and pay-monthly options and no subscription.

04 · Getting started

How ordering works

Ordering takes three steps. First, complete the free online consultation, a short health questionnaire with no charge and no obligation. Second, your answers are reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber; payment is taken when you place the order, and if the prescriber decides the treatment is not suitable, the order is refunded automatically in full. Third, our registered pharmacy dispenses and dispatches the same day when ordered by 3pm, with free next-day tracked delivery in discreet, temperature-controlled packaging (Saturday delivery £14.99).

Start your free consultation or browse all weight loss treatments. You can also buy Mounjaro through the hub page. All six doses are in stock, sourced through official LillyDirect supply.

05 · Wegovy tablets explained

Wegovy tablets: what they are and how to take them

Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, taken as one tablet once a day.²⁰ They were approved by the MHRA in June 2026 and are prescription-only. They are licensed for 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

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

The routine is the main practical hurdle. 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). You then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other tablets.²⁰ In practice this suits people who can take it first thing and delay breakfast, and it is harder if you take other morning medicines or need an early meal.

If you miss a dose, skip it and take the next tablet the following day.²⁰ Do not double up.

People already on the 2.4mg weekly Wegovy injection can move to the 25mg tablet, starting one week after their last injection.²⁰ If you are on the injection now, our Wegovy prescription page explains that option, and the Wegovy pill product page shows current prices and availability.

Who might prefer the tablet? Mostly people who dislike needles or prefer a daily habit to a weekly one. Who might not? Anyone who cannot keep to the fasting window, or who struggles to remember a daily dose. A prescriber will weigh your health, your other medicines and your routine. For a wider comparison of formats, read weight loss pills versus injections.

As with every weight-management medicine, the tablet works alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased activity, not instead of them, and individual results vary.

06 · Wegovy tablet results

Wegovy tablets: OASIS 4 results and side effects

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.²² These are trial averages, and individual results vary.

The spread of results is also worth knowing. In the same trial, 76.3% of people on the tablet lost at least 5% of their body weight (compared with 30.5% on placebo), and 59.8% lost at least 10% (compared with 14.1%).²² That tells you more than a single average: most people on treatment lost a meaningful amount, but outcomes differed from person to person.

To make the average concrete, take someone starting at 100 kg. A 13.6% loss would be about 13.6 kg. That is straight arithmetic from the trial average, not a prediction for you, and trial averages do not predict your own result.

The most common side effects are digestive: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and stomach pain. Headache and tiredness also occur, and gallstones and hair loss are listed as common.²² Tell your prescriber about any new symptom, and you can report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme¹⁹.

One point on honesty: do not compare these figures with results from other medicines' trials as if they were head to head. OASIS 4 involved a particular group of people, a particular duration and a particular dose. Different trials differ in all three, which is why a ranking built from separate trials would mislead you.

Our blog on whether weight loss pills work sets realistic expectations across the whole category, and the page on do weight loss pills work goes further.

Your prescriber will talk through side-effect management, dose steps and what to do if nausea is troublesome. Stay on an earlier dose if advised rather than pushing ahead.

07 · Foundayo explained

Foundayo (orforglipron): what it is and how to take it

Foundayo contains orforglipron, a once-daily GLP-1 tablet made by Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro.²¹ It was approved in the UK in August 2026 and is prescription-only. Its standout practical feature is flexibility: it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food and without water restrictions, and 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

Dosing 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. There are at least 30 days at each dose, and 17.2mg once daily is the maximum.²¹ Your prescriber decides where you settle, based on how you respond and how well you tolerate it.

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible, but never more than one tablet a day.²¹

There is one interaction to know about before you start. Foundayo may make oral contraceptive pills less effective. The advice is to 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 Tell your prescriber which contraception you use so they can plan around it.

Who might prefer Foundayo? People who want a tablet but cannot manage the strict fasting routine of Wegovy tablets, and people whose mornings are unpredictable. It is also a natural question for existing Lilly-medicine users, but being from the same manufacturer does not make it equivalent to Mounjaro. They are different medicines with different dosing, eligibility checks and trial results.

You can see current prices and availability on the Foundayo product page.

Results vary between individuals, and the medicine is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

08 · Foundayo trial results

Foundayo: ATTAIN-1 results and side effects

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%.²³ Those lower-dose figures matter because not everyone ends up on the top dose, and individual results vary.

A worked example: for someone starting at 100 kg, 12.4% is about 12.4 kg. That is simple arithmetic from the trial average, not a forecast for you.

A detail that is easy to miss: the trial used capsules, and the UK 17.2mg tablet corresponds to the highest trial dose. The tablet and capsule doses are not comparable milligram for milligram.²³ If you see trial doses quoted elsewhere, do not assume they map directly onto the UK tablet strengths.

The most common side effects are digestive: nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion and stomach pain.²³ In the trial, 10.3% of people on the highest dose stopped because of side effects, compared with 2.7% on placebo.²³ A prescriber can hold you at a lower dose if needed.

Why do these numbers differ from OASIS 4 and from the injection trials? They involved different people, different durations and different doses, and they are separate studies. Setting them side by side would suggest a precision that does not exist. If you are weighing options, the more useful questions are about routine, tolerance, other medicines and what a prescriber advises.

Is Foundayo the "new drug better than Mounjaro"? No trial has compared them directly, so nobody can honestly say so. They are different medicines: one is a daily tablet, the other a weekly injection. Our overview of prescription weight loss medication pills lays out what is available.

If you experience a side effect that worries you, speak to your prescriber and report it through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹

09 · Tablets vs Mounjaro

Weight loss tablets vs the Mounjaro injection

Mounjaro is a once-weekly injection, while Wegovy tablets and Foundayo are once-daily tablets, and no trial has compared Mounjaro directly with either tablet.¹ So the honest answer to "is there a tablet equivalent to Mounjaro?" is no: there are tablets for the same condition, but they are different medicines with their own results.

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 suits your health, your other medicines and your routine.

For context on Mounjaro itself: tirzepatide activates two gut-hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1, which together help regulate appetite, slow stomach emptying and improve the body's response to insulin.¹ In SURMOUNT-1, 2,539 adults on 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, versus 3.1% with lifestyle changes alone.² Individual results vary.

SURMOUNT-5 was the first large head-to-head trial of tirzepatide and injected semaglutide for weight loss. In SURMOUNT-5, adults lost on average 20.2% of body weight on tirzepatide versus 13.7% on semaglutide 2.4mg (Wegovy) over 72 weeks.¹⁵ In STEP 1, adults on Wegovy 2.4mg lost on average 14.9% over 68 weeks, compared with 2.4% on placebo.⁹ Both are effective, licensed treatments, and which suits you depends on your health profile, tolerance and prescriber advice.

The OASIS 4 and ATTAIN-1 tablet figures come from separate trials, so they should not be lined up against SURMOUNT-1 as if they were a contest. No head-to-head evidence exists between the two tablets either.

What you can do is match format to life. Some people dislike needles and prefer a daily tablet. Others prefer a single weekly action and no daily routine. Our guide to pills versus injections goes further. You can review the Mounjaro pen and consultation if the injection appeals.

Whichever route you choose, treatment works alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

10 · Orlistat and alternatives

Orlistat, other options and "natural Ozempic" claims

Orlistat is a licensed tablet that blocks some dietary fat absorption, and it produces smaller average losses than the GLP-1 medicines.¹ It is a different kind of medicine altogether. Our guides on what to eat on orlistat and orlistat safety and contraindications go through the practical detail.

Other licensed options are injectables. Wegovy (semaglutide) pens step up from 0.25mg to 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg, after 4 weeks on each dose, reaching the 2.4mg maintenance dose from week 17. Saxenda (liraglutide) is a daily injection supplied at 6mg per millilitre, unlike once-weekly Mounjaro and Wegovy.

What about the "poor man's Ozempic"? That phrase is marketing for berberine and similar supplements. Such products 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 dosing is not standardised. Dramatic weight-loss claims attached to them should be treated with caution.

The same caution applies to anything sold as a "Japanese trick" or similar. If a product promises specific results outside a licensed pathway, that is the warning sign.

Ozempic deserves a separate note. It is semaglutide licensed for type 2 diabetes, not a UK weight-loss medicine, and prescribing it privately for weight loss is off-label. A regulated UK pharmacy will not supply Ozempic for weight loss. The licensed weight-management options are Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4mg), plus now the two tablets.

Be wary of anyone offering to supply any prescription weight loss product without a consultation or prescription. You can check any pharmacy on the GPhC register; ours is registration 9012878. The MHRA also publishes counterfeit medicine alerts.⁷

For a broader look at what is on offer, read our piece on which weight loss pills are worth considering and the blog on fat loss pills and tablets.

11 · NHS vs private

NHS or private: how to get weight loss treatment

Mounjaro is available on the NHS, but access is being phased in over several years.⁴ 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.⁶ Full rollout is expected to take years.

"Do I qualify for Mounjaro on the NHS?" depends on where you sit in that phased order, so ask your GP. "How do I get Mounjaro free from my GP?" is the same route: an NHS assessment against the criteria. "Why won't my doctor prescribe it?" often comes down to those criteria and the phasing, not a judgement about you. Our page on weight loss pills on the NHS covers the tablets, and for Wegovy, NHS access runs through specialist weight-management services, so ask your GP.

The NHS prescription charge in England is £9.90 per item where a prescription is issued, though that applies to NHS prescriptions only and does not apply to private treatment.

Private treatment follows the licensed criteria: a BMI of 30 or above, or between 27 and 30 with at least one weight-related condition.¹ That is wider than the current NHS entry point, which is why many people who meet the licensed criteria choose regulated private treatment rather than waiting.

Private does not mean unregulated. Treatment is reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber, dispensed by a registered pharmacy and supported with ongoing monthly reviews, dose-titration and follow-up assessments by the prescribing team. Repeat orders re-check suitability, with no auto-shipping.

Pharmacy sell prices vary because of confidential discounts, and our live prices are shown on the Mounjaro UK pharmacy page.

In short: if you qualify and can wait for the NHS, that route is worth asking about. If you meet the licensed criteria and want to start sooner, private treatment is a legitimate alternative.

12 · Safety and combinations

Safety, switching and combining medicines

Never run two GLP-1 medicines together. Mounjaro must not be combined with other GLP-1 medicines, unlicensed "research" peptides such as retatrutide (which has no UK licence), or compounded copies, because these combinations have no safety data and no regulated supply chain. The same logic applies to taking a GLP-1 tablet alongside a GLP-1 injection. If something promises faster results outside a licensed pathway, that is the warning sign.

If you want to change medicine, do it under prescriber supervision. There is no licensed direct conversion between semaglutide and tirzepatide. Typically the previous medicine is stopped, a washout interval is observed, and Mounjaro is started at a dose your prescriber judges appropriate, often the 2.5mg starting dose, sometimes adjusted for your history. For the tablet route, people on the 2.4mg weekly Wegovy injection can move to the 25mg tablet, starting one week after their last injection.²⁰

Contraception needs planning. Mounjaro slows stomach emptying, which can reduce how well oral contraceptive pills are absorbed. The SmPC advises switching to a non-oral method, or adding a barrier method, for 4 weeks after starting and for 4 weeks after each dose increase. This applies to the pill only; implants, coils and injections are unaffected.¹⁷ Foundayo has its own guidance: switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and for 30 days after each dose increase.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Mounjaro must not be used during pregnancy and should be stopped at least one month before trying to conceive. If you become pregnant during treatment, stop the medicine and tell your prescriber promptly.¹ Current prescribing information indicates minimal transfer of tirzepatide into breast milk, so discuss breastfeeding with your prescriber.¹

PCOS: Mounjaro is not licensed specifically for PCOS, but many women with PCOS meet the licensed weight-management criteria, and weight loss is a first-line recommendation that can improve insulin resistance, cycles and symptoms. Mention PCOS and any fertility plans in your consultation, because improving weight can restore ovulation.¹¹

When stopping 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. Nothing needs doing while it clears and it cannot be sped up.¹

Report suspected side effects through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹ For a general overview, see are weight loss pills safe.

13 · Planning the cost

Planning the cost of the injection route

Always check the live tablet prices on the Wegovy pill page or Foundayo page rather than relying on any article.

For Mounjaro, each pen lasts four weeks. The standard pen prices are £169.99 at 2.5mg, £218.99 at 5mg, £279.99 at 7.5mg, £290.99 at 10mg, £319.99 at 12.5mg and £329.99 at 15mg, which works out as £42.50, £54.75, £70.00, £72.75, £80.00 and £82.50 per week respectively.

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 (13 pens) 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. If you settle at 7.5mg, 10mg or 12.5mg, the monthly price is £279.99, £290.99 or £319.99.

These totals are standard prices before discounts. A new customer's first order is £40 less with code FIRST40, at any dose, including people switching to us from another provider at a higher dose. Switching at 15mg? Your first order is £289.99. Every later order is then £25 off the standard price, applied automatically (code DOSE25).

Prices vary between providers. Across the UK pharmacies we track, the cheapest and dearest 2.5mg starting pens were £143.96 and £179.99, checked 10 October 2026, and Boots' Mounjaro prices ranged from £179.00 to £339.00.

Payment is by Visa or Mastercard, with Klarna and pay-monthly options and no subscription. Our free GLPTrackr app helps you track a GLP-1 journey on iOS or Android.

Treatment is only worth paying for if it is suitable for you, so the free consultation comes first. Start it here. If you do begin, remember it is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, and individual results vary.

14 · 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