Roche GLP-1 Drugs: What Is in Development and What You Can Use Today (October 2026)

01 · The short answer

Does Roche have a weight loss drug?

Roche does not have a licensed GLP-1 weight loss drug you can be prescribed in the UK. It has candidates in clinical development, which means they are being tested and have not been approved by the MHRA for use.

That matters for the reader deciding what to do. A medicine in development has no UK product information, no approved dosing and no established safety record in everyday use. Headlines about trial results describe what happened to trial participants, not what a pharmacy can supply.

Roche is better known for diagnostics and cancer medicines than for obesity treatment. Its move into GLP-1 therapy is recent, and it mostly relies on candidates bought in rather than medicines it has marketed for years.

02 · Your decision

Relevant to you? What to do next

If you are curious about Roche for scientific or investment reasons, the pipeline is still in development and nothing is licensed. If you want treatment, the useful question is whether you meet the criteria for a licensed medicine now.

Mounjaro, the tirzepatide pen, is licensed in the UK for weight management in adults, and a prescriber reviews each order.¹ The Mounjaro pen starts at £169.99 for the 2.5mg strength, or £129.99 for a first 2.5mg order with code FIRST40. Our weight loss clinic explains the full route, from free consultation to delivery.

Related guides: Wat is glp-1 and Ozempil glp-1 and Trapezoid glp 1.

Related guides: Ampk and glp-1 and Agonisti glp 1.

03 · Roche's GLP-1 pipeline

Roche's GLP-1 pipeline explained

Roche's obesity work centres on candidates it gained when it acquired Carmot Therapeutics, plus later partnerships. Two are discussed most often: an injectable and an oral small molecule.

Enicepatide is described as a once-weekly dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist. That is the same broad idea behind Mounjaro, which activates the same two gut-hormone receptors. It is a different molecule, though, with its own trial programme, and it cannot be assumed to behave like tirzepatide.

The oral candidate is described as a once-daily small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist. Small molecules differ from peptide medicines because they can in principle be swallowed without the elaborate fasting routine some peptide tablets need. Whether Roche's version delivers that advantage in practice is for later trials to show.

Published headlines have reported mid-stage trial results for enicepatide, including in people with type 2 diabetes. Mid-stage results involve small groups, shorter durations and conditions that differ from licensed-use populations, so they are not comparable with the trials behind licensed medicines.

Why pipeline results are not the same as approval

A medicine goes from early studies to larger confirmatory trials before regulators decide. Most candidates in the early stages never reach the pharmacy shelf. Even those that do may be approved for a narrower group than the trials suggested.

For a UK buyer, three things have to happen before a new medicine is relevant: the manufacturer files for a licence, the MHRA approves it, and supply and prescribing arrangements follow. None of those has been announced for Roche's GLP-1 candidates.

Until then, any website offering a Roche GLP-1 injection or tablet for sale is offering something that is not a licensed UK medicine. Treat it as a warning sign, and report suspect products via the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹

04 · Roche oral GLP-1

Roche oral GLP-1: what exists today

No Roche oral GLP-1 tablet is licensed in the UK. Two oral GLP-1 weight-loss tablets are licensed, and neither is made by Roche: Wegovy tablets from Novo Nordisk and Foundayo from Eli Lilly.²⁰²¹

Roche's oral candidate is sometimes confused with Foundayo because both are described as oral small-molecule GLP-1 medicines. Foundayo contains orforglipron and is made by Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro.

Wegovy tablets

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 strict. 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

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 The most common side effects are digestive: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and stomach pain, along with headache and tiredness.²²

Foundayo (orforglipron)

Foundayo is a once-daily GLP-1 tablet. Unlike Wegovy tablets it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food and without water restrictions; the tablet is swallowed whole.²¹ It carries the same BMI criteria as Wegovy tablets.

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 The most common side effects are digestive, including nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion and stomach pain.²³

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

05 · Tablets vs injection

GLP-1 tablets vs the Mounjaro injection

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.¹⁵ 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.¹⁵ A prescriber will check which option suits your health, your other medicines and your routine.

Mounjaro in brief

Mounjaro is the brand name for tirzepatide, a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine made by Eli Lilly. In the UK it is licensed for weight management in adults and for type 2 diabetes. It comes as a pre-filled multi-dose pen (KwikPen) in six strengths: 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg.¹

In the SURMOUNT-1 trial of 2,539 adults, people taking tirzepatide alongside diet and exercise lost on average 15% of their 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; individual results vary, and treatment works alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, not instead of them.²

06 · How GLP-1 drugs work

How GLP-1 medicines work

GLP-1 medicines copy a natural gut hormone that helps regulate appetite.

Tirzepatide is the first treatment of its kind to activate two natural gut-hormone receptors at once: GIP and GLP-1. Together these help regulate appetite, slow how quickly the stomach empties, and improve the way the body responds to insulin.¹ In practice, most people feel fuller sooner and less hungry between meals, which supports a reduced-calorie diet.¹

This dual action distinguishes Mounjaro from single-action GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide, which is the ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic.¹ Roche's enicepatide is described as dual GLP-1/GIP, so it sits in the same family as tirzepatide, but only in concept.

07 · NHS and private access

NHS and private access to GLP-1 treatment

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, and 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.⁶ Nothing about a pipeline medicine from Roche changes that picture today.

Private treatment through a registered pharmacy means a prescriber reviews your answers before anything is dispensed. We are a GPhC-registered pharmacy (9012878), with Mounjaro supplied through official LillyDirect supply. Our consultation is free, and the price shown is the price paid.

08 · Spotting unsafe sellers

Spotting unsafe sellers of unlicensed GLP-1 products

Be wary of anyone selling a Roche GLP-1 product, because none is licensed in the UK. Unlicensed or counterfeit products carry unknown contents and no assurance of quality.⁷

Warning signs include sellers offering to supply without a consultation or prescription, products described only by a research code, and dramatic weight-loss claims. Check any pharmacy on the GPhC register before you order, and report suspected counterfeits or side effects through the Yellow Card scheme.⁷

"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, but that is a risk, not a benefit.

09 · About Roche

About Roche: ownership, famous drugs and standing

Roche is a Swiss pharmaceutical and diagnostics group. It is a publicly listed company, with its shares traded, and a founding family remains a prominent shareholder.

It is best known for cancer medicines and for diagnostic testing, which are its core businesses. Its portfolio also includes treatments for eye disease, immune conditions and neurological disease.

Whether Roche is the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world depends on how size is measured, such as sales, market value or research spending. Likewise, whether it is a "good company" is a matter of opinion. What matters for a patient is whether a specific medicine is regulator-approved and suits their health.

10 · 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