EN
Home/United Arab Emirates/Answers/Ozempic without a prescription
AEUnited Arab Emirates News and rules

Can I buy Ozempic without a prescription in the UAE?

GLP Guidebook teamUpdated 12 Oct 202611 sourcesWritten from published sources
The short answer

No. Ozempic (semaglutide) is a prescription-only medicine in the UAE, and pharmacies should dispense it only against a doctor's prescription. Abu Dhabi's Department of Health has told the public not to buy Ozempic or Mounjaro online or through adverts, after counterfeit pens were found on sale through social media.

What do the rules say?

UAE law classes Ozempic and Mounjaro as prescription-only, and Abu Dhabi's Department of Health tells the public to buy them only with a prescription and from pharmacies.1,2

Its February 2025 alert followed fake Ozempic and Mounjaro sold on Instagram and a website, and it told the public not to buy them online or through any advert.1 In 2024 the Ministry of Health and Prevention found a fake Mounjaro 15 mg pack, labelled in English and Arabic, in which its lab could not detect tirzepatide.3 Selling without a licence is a crime. In July 2026 a Sharjah court fined two people Dh10,000 each for selling Mounjaro through social media.4 The same month, the Emirates Drug Establishment acted against 71 sources selling unapproved "peptide" products.5

What if a pharmacy sells it without one?

In a 2026 study, only 26.8% of 153 pharmacies in Dubai and the Northern Emirates asked for a prescription when a simulated patient requested Ozempic for weight loss.6

Chain pharmacies asked more often, 35.4% of the time.6 Buying it that way skips the medical check: nobody confirms the medicine suits you, that it is safe with your other medicines, or that you know the warning signs. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes.7 The semaglutide brand registered for weight in the UAE is Wegovy.8

How do you get a legal prescription?

See a UAE-licensed doctor in person or by telehealth. In Abu Dhabi, an online doctor must speak to you on a live audio or video call before prescribing.9

Dubai's 2024 telehealth guideline lets DHA-licensed doctors manage obesity remotely, and considers medicines at a BMI over 30, or 27 to 29.9 with a related condition.10 In Abu Dhabi, a doctor certified in obesity management decides when to start a weight-loss medicine.11 The steps are in Guide 6: getting a prescription in the UAE, and how to judge a clinic or app is in Guide 7.

Read the full picture

Related questions

Who can prescribe Mounjaro in Abu Dhabi? Is retatrutide legal in the UAE? Is generic semaglutide available in the UAE? How do I report a side effect in the UAE?
Did this answer your question?

Sources

  1. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 10/2025, 4 Feb 2025: alert against counterfeit Ozempic and Mounjaro sold through social media and a website; the medicines are prescription-only under UAE law; the public should buy them only with a prescription, from pharmacies, and not online or through adverts. Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae (PDF)
  2. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 Mar 2026: alert against counterfeit weight-loss products; GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide are prescription-only medicines; the products in the alert are not registered with the Emirates Drug Establishment but are sold online and on social media; report adverse reactions to the DoH Pharmacovigilance program ([email protected]). Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae (PDF)
  3. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 208/2024, 25 Oct 2024, relaying a Ministry of Health and Prevention alert: a counterfeit Mounjaro 15 mg single-dose pen pack with English and Arabic labelling, in which the ministry's quality control lab could not identify tirzepatide. Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae (PDF)
  4. Gulf News. Dh10,000 fine for selling Mounjaro injections without a licence in Sharjah (Sharjah Misdemeanours Court; two people fined Dh10,000 each, a third Dh5,000; the case began with a social media account advertising Mounjaro; medicines and funds confiscated). 31 Jul 2026. gulfnews.com
  5. Gulf News. UAE weight-loss drug crackdown: 71 sources, 14 influencers face action (Emirates Drug Establishment: retatrutide "remains under clinical investigation and has not been approved ... for marketing or medical use within the UAE"; "simply describing a product as a 'peptide' does not mean it is an approved medicine"; 71 sources, 14 of them registered establishments; 14 influencers referred to the National Media Office; the public should verify "that a product is officially registered and has obtained approval from the relevant regulatory authorities"). 25 Jul 2026. gulfnews.com
  6. Raisan NK, Al-Tabakha MM, Ashames A. Evaluating community pharmacists' dispensing and counseling practices of semaglutide for weight loss in the United Arab Emirates: a simulated patient study. Pharmacy Practice 2026 (153 pharmacies in Dubai and the Northern Emirates; 26.8% asked for a prescription; chains 35.4%). Abstract read. research.ajman.ac.ae
  7. European Medicines Agency. Ozempic (semaglutide) product information (SmPC sections 4.1, 4.8 and 6.3: type 2 diabetes; nausea and diarrhoea very common; gallstones common; acute pancreatitis uncommon; 4-dose pens 6 weeks after first use, below 30 °C or in a fridge). EU label; UAE label text not checked. ema.europa.eu (PDF)
  8. Dubai Health Authority. Ejada Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome KPIs and Recommendations, DHA/DHIC/HEIPD/CG-12, version 2, issued 3 Sep 2024 (tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy) each "registered for obesity pharmacotherapy in UAE"). isahd.ae (PDF)
  9. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard on Tele-Medicine, DOH/SA/TLM/0.9/2020, effective 16 Sep 2020, section 12 ("The physician must have real-time audio/video communication with the patient before issuing the prescription"; refer for a face-to-face visit in cases of uncertainty). doh.gov.ae (PDF)
  10. Dubai Health Authority. Clinical Guidelines for Virtual Management of Obesity, DHA/HRS/HPSD/CG-53, issue 2, effective 21 Apr 2024 (applies to DHA-licensed physicians and facilities providing telehealth; drug therapy "can be considered for those with a BMI > 30 kg/m2, or a BMI of 27 to 29.9 kg/m2 with comorbidities" who have not lost at least 5% at 3 to 6 months of lifestyle change; Asian waist cut-offs over 80 cm for women and over 90 cm for men). dha.gov.ae (PDF)
  11. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity, DOH/ST/HPS/Non-Surgical-MO/V1/2025, February 2025 (GLP-1 starting criteria: BMI of at least 30 with one or more weight-related comorbidities, or BMI over 40; continue beyond 6 months only with at least 5% weight loss; "The obesity certified physician determines the initiation time of pharmacological treatment"; the physician "has training in obesity management and certification approved by DoH"; people of Asian origin may carry risk at BMI over 23). doh.gov.ae (PDF)

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Apr 2027 · Report an error

How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above, all checked on 12 Oct 2026. It's general information, not medical advice, and religious questions are for a scholar you trust. Talk to a UAE-licensed doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write