What Are the New Weight Loss Drugs Called? (October 2026)

01 · The short answer

The new weight loss drugs and what they are called

The new weight loss drugs fall into a family of medicines that act on gut-hormone receptors. People often call them 'GLP-1 medicines' or simply 'the weight loss jabs'.

If you were asking what the 'new Mounjaro' is called, the answer is that it is still Mounjaro. The medicine is tirzepatide, and the product is the Mounjaro KwikPen. Our guide to what Mounjaro is called covers the naming in more detail.

02 · Your decision

Which of these are you actually choosing between?

For most UK adults the real choice is between Mounjaro and Wegovy, because both are weekly injections with licensed weight management use. Saxenda is a daily injection, which some people find less convenient. Tablets suit people who would rather not inject, though they have their own product information and prescribing rules.

The medicine is chosen with a prescriber, not from a name alone. Suitability depends on your health history, your current medicines and your goals. If you are ready to explore Mounjaro, the Mounjaro pen page shows live prices. Your first 2.5mg pen costs £129.99 with code FIRST40 (standard price £169.99), and all six doses are in stock.

If you are still at the learning stage, our weight loss clinic page explains how a consultation works.

03 · Mounjaro (tirzepatide)

Mounjaro (tirzepatide)

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

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.

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.

For a worked example only: someone starting at 100 kg who matched the 20.9% average would lose about 21 kg. Trial averages do not predict your own result.

04 · Wegovy (semaglutide)

Wegovy (semaglutide)

Wegovy is the brand name for semaglutide when it is used for weight management. It is a once-weekly injection, and the dose ladder runs 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg. Titration steps up after at least four weeks, reaching the 2.4mg maintenance dose from week 17. The 2.4mg dose is the licensed maintenance dose for weight management.¹⁸

Semaglutide acts on the GLP-1 receptor only. Tirzepatide is different because it also acts on GIP, which is why Mounjaro is described as a dual-action medicine. The two are not identical, and the right choice depends on the person.

Wegovy and Mounjaro both have their own published trial results. Only SURMOUNT-5 supports a direct comparison between them. Our guide to whether the new drugs work explains how to read trial figures sensibly.

The first Wegovy pen price starts at £99.99 as a first-order figure. Check availability at the time of order.

05 · Saxenda and liraglutide

Saxenda and liraglutide

Saxenda is the brand name for liraglutide, an older GLP-1 medicine for weight management. Liraglutide (Saxenda, and products such as Erly) is supplied at a concentration of 6mg per millilitre. It is a daily injection, unlike once-weekly Mounjaro and Wegovy.

Ask your prescriber what to expect from Saxenda.

Our page on what the weight loss injection is called sorts the names out further.

06 · Tablets and what's coming

Tablets and what is coming next

Oral options now exist alongside the injections. Wegovy tablets contain oral semaglutide, and Foundayo contains orforglipron. Each has its own UK product information, which sets out who can take it and how.²⁰²¹

Tablet trial results were separate studies and are not head-to-head with Mounjaro. See the current Wegovy tablet prices on the product page.

Other medicines are in development. A medicine that is not yet licensed in the UK should not be bought from anyone offering to supply without a consultation or prescription. For a wider look at what is new, see what the new weight loss injection is.

07 · Names for the whole class

Names for the whole class of drugs

You will see several collective names for these medicines. 'GLP-1 medicines' is the most common and refers to the gut hormone they copy. 'Weight loss jabs' and 'fat jabs' are informal terms for the injections.

Tirzepatide is slightly different from the rest. It activates GIP and GLP-1, and this dual action is what distinguishes Mounjaro from single-action GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic).¹ Our explainer on what GLP-1 is called goes through the terminology.

The name 'Ozempic' deserves a note because it is often used for the whole group. It is a semaglutide brand licensed for type 2 diabetes only. It is not a UK weight-loss medicine, and not a name for every weight loss injection. If a prescriber offers you a specific product, check its brand name and its active ingredient.

08 · NHS and private access

NHS and private access

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.

NHS access to Wegovy runs through specialist weight-management services; ask your GP. If you go private, use a UK-registered pharmacy. You can check ours on the GPhC register, registration 9012878.

For private treatment, a short free consultation is reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber, and unsuitable orders are refunded automatically. Free next-day tracked delivery comes in temperature-controlled packaging, and monthly reviews are included. We supply Mounjaro through official LillyDirect supply.

09 · Safety and side effects

Safety and side effects of the new drugs

All of these are prescription-only medicines, used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Like all medicines, Mounjaro can cause side effects, and most are digestive. The most common, affecting more than 1 in 10 people, are nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation and abdominal discomfort. Side effects are most likely when starting treatment or moving up a dose, and for most people they ease within days to a few weeks as the body adjusts. Read the patient leaflet for the exact product you are prescribed.¹³

Tell your prescriber about any new or worrying symptom. You can also report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹ Our page on whether the new weight loss drugs are safe looks at this in more depth.

Because tirzepatide has a half-life of about five days, after a final dose it takes roughly four to five weeks to clear the system. There is no way to speed this up, and nothing needs doing while it clears.¹

10 · Supplements and cheap look-alikes

Supplements marketed as natural alternatives

Products sold as 'nature's Ozempic' or the 'poor man's Ozempic' are supplements, not GLP-1 medicines. Berberine is a common example. These are low-cost supplements with no clinical oversight, and dosing is not standardised.

Treat dramatic weight-loss claims with caution. Counterfeit and unregulated injectables also circulate online, and the MHRA publishes alerts about them. Anyone offering to supply without a consultation or prescription is a warning sign.⁷

Genuine Mounjaro comes as a KwikPen from a registered pharmacy. Ours is supplied through official LillyDirect supply direct from Eli Lilly's UK distribution.

11 · 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

12 · Cost and next steps

Cost and next steps

Across the UK pharmacies we track, Mounjaro pens range from £143.96 to £339.00 per month depending on dose and provider (checked 10 October 2026). Our guide to what the new weight loss drugs cost gives the wider picture.

New customers save £40 on their first order with code FIRST40. An automatic £25 reorder discount applies to every future order (code DOSE25). The price shown is the price paid, and consultations are free.

Ordering works in simple steps: a free online consultation, review by a GPhC-registered prescriber, then dispensing and dispatch. Same-day dispatch applies when ordered by 3pm, and delivery is free next-day tracked (Saturday delivery £14.99).

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.