What Types of Weight Loss Injections Are There? (October 2026)

01 · The answer

The main types of weight loss injection in the UK

Weight loss injections available through UK prescribers are tirzepatide, semaglutide and liraglutide. They are grouped by the active ingredient, because that decides how the medicine works, how often you inject and how the dose is built up. Anything else sold as a "weight loss injection" without a prescription should be treated with suspicion.

Tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro. It is a once-weekly pen licensed in the UK for weight management in adults and for type 2 diabetes.¹ It is the only one of these medicines that acts on both GIP and GLP-1 receptors.

Semaglutide is sold as Wegovy for weight management (and Ozempic for diabetes). The Wegovy pen is also once weekly, with a ladder of 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg.¹⁸

Liraglutide is sold as Saxenda, and in products such as Erly. It is supplied at 6mg/ml and, unlike the other two, is a daily injection.

Direct comparisons of results need a head-to-head trial, so separate trials' numbers should not be set beside each other. For a broader view, see our guide to types of weight loss medication and the overview of different types of weight loss injections.

02 · Counting them

How many types are there?

There is no single agreed count, because it depends whether you count by ingredient, by brand or by schedule. By active ingredient, the licensed injections are a short list. By brand and product, the list is longer, because the same ingredient is sold under different names for weight management and diabetes.

For more on the counting question, see how many different weight loss injections are there.

03 · Your decision

Which type is relevant to you?

The right type depends on your health history, other medicines, how you tolerate side effects and whether a weekly or daily routine suits you. A prescriber makes that call, not a comparison article. Our weight loss clinic starts with a free online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber.

If tirzepatide is the option you want to explore, the Mounjaro pen starts with a 2.5mg pen: your first 2.5mg pen costs £129.99 with code FIRST40 (standard price £169.99), and all doses are in stock. Prices checked 11 October 2026.

04 · Tirzepatide (Mounjaro)

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro): the dual-action injection

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-1.¹ Together these help regulate appetite, slow how quickly the stomach empties, and improve the way the body responds to insulin. In practice, most people feel fuller sooner and less hungry between meals, which supports a reduced-calorie diet.

Everyone starts on 2.5mg once a week. This starting dose is about letting your body adjust, not about weight loss itself. The dose then steps up gradually, depending on how you respond and tolerate it. Many people settle at a maintenance dose of 5mg, 10mg or 15mg, and higher is not automatically better.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, and individual results vary. Treatment works alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, not instead of them.

05 · Semaglutide (Wegovy)

Semaglutide (Wegovy): the single-action weekly pen

Wegovy is the semaglutide product licensed for weight management. It is injected once weekly, and the dose steps up after at least four weeks through 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg and 1.7mg, reaching the 2.4mg maintenance dose from week 17. The 2.4mg dose is the licensed maintenance dose for weight management.¹⁸

Semaglutide is described as a single-action medicine, in contrast with the dual action of tirzepatide. Ozempic is also semaglutide, but it is the diabetes brand, so it is not the product to look at for weight management.

Both Mounjaro and Wegovy are effective licensed treatments. A fair comparison needs a trial that tested them against each other, not two separate trials set side by side. If you are weighing them up, read about the healthiest weight loss injections, then discuss the choice with a prescriber. NHS access to Wegovy runs through specialist weight-management services; ask your GP.

06 · Liraglutide (daily)

Liraglutide: the daily injection

Liraglutide, sold as Saxenda and in products such as Erly, is supplied at a concentration of 6mg per millilitre. It is a daily injection, unlike once-weekly Mounjaro and Wegovy. For many people the practical difference is the routine: a daily habit rather than a weekly one.

The choice usually comes down to which medicine is suitable, how it is tolerated and which schedule you can keep up.

Be wary of anyone presenting liraglutide, or any other injection, as a shortcut. Every licensed option works alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.

07 · Tablets and newer options

Tablets, and are new types being trialled?

Yes, development in this area is active, and some of it has already reached the UK as tablets rather than injections. Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide) and Foundayo (orforglipron) tablets each have their own product information.²⁰²¹

A medicine in a trial is not a medicine you can safely obtain. Unlicensed products sold online as trial drugs have no verified quality, dose or safety record, and they should be avoided.

If a seller offers a "next-generation" injection without a consultation or prescription, treat it as a warning sign. The MHRA publishes counterfeit alerts and runs the Yellow Card scheme for reporting problems.⁷

08 · What to avoid

Injections and claims to avoid

Not everything marketed as a weight loss injection is a legitimate medicine. Lipotropic or "fat-burning" shots, vitamin injections and products sold with dramatic weight-loss claims are not the same as licensed prescription medicines, and they have no comparable evidence behind them.

Some warning signs are easy to spot. A seller offers to supply without a consultation or prescription. A product promises specific results. The packaging is unbranded or the source cannot be verified. Check any UK pharmacy on the GPhC register; ours is GPhC 9012878.

If you notice a side effect from any medicine, report it through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹ Our guide on side effects of weight loss injections explains what to expect and when to speak to your prescriber.

09 · NHS or private?

NHS or 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.

Whichever route you take, the medicine is the same prescription-only product, used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Private supply through us follows a free online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber, and orders declined at prescriber review are refunded automatically in full.

10 · Choosing between types

How a prescriber chooses between types

A prescriber looks at your medical history, current medicines, previous experience with weight loss treatment and what you can realistically keep up. Weekly versus daily is a genuine practical factor. So is how you have tolerated similar medicines before.

Side effects are usually the other deciding point. Mild nausea, altered appetite and tiredness in the days after an injection are among the commonest early effects and usually settle.¹ Insulin and sulfonylureas may need dose adjustments, because of low blood sugar risk, and 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 (such as condoms), for 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.¹ Mention both in your consultation.

Judge progress in months, not days. Weight loss on Mounjaro is gradual by design, trials measured results at 72 weeks, and your prescriber reviews your response along the way.

11 · Starting with us

What starting with EverydayMeds looks like

We are a GPhC-registered UK online pharmacy, and Mounjaro is supplied through official LillyDirect supply, direct from Eli Lilly's UK distribution. Genuine KwikPens, with needles, a sharps bin and injection guidance, come with every order.

The process is straightforward: a free online consultation, a prescriber review, then dispensing and dispatch. Delivery is free, next-day, tracked and temperature-controlled, with same-day dispatch when ordered by 3pm. Ongoing monthly reviews are included, and repeat orders re-check suitability, with no auto-shipping.

New customers save £40 on a first order at any dose, and every later order is £25 off the standard price (code DOSE25). Our free GLPTrackr app helps you log your journey.

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