Is generic semaglutide available in the UAE?
No. As of 12 October 2026 we found no generic semaglutide approved in the UAE. The semaglutide sold here is Novo Nordisk's own: Ozempic and Wegovy pens, and Rybelsus and Wegovy tablets. Abu Dhabi's Department of Health warns that GLP‑1 products sold online may be fakes not registered with the Emirates Drug Establishment.
- GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the UAE, and Abu Dhabi's Department of Health tells the public not to buy them without a prescription, online or through adverts.1,2
- Prices here are official prices to the public, from Abu Dhabi's drug list. We don't name, link or rank sellers, and nothing here is for sale.
Which semaglutide brands are sold in the UAE?
Daman's April 2026 guideline lists semaglutide only as Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy, and the Wegovy pill was approved in June 2026.3,4
Abu Dhabi's official drug list, in force from 2 October 2026, names Novo Nordisk as the maker of every semaglutide pack on it.5 Pens cost AED 743.50 to AED 1,712 and tablets AED 641 to AED 1,610 for 30, depending on brand and strength.5 Prices are fixed at registration, so they don't vary between pharmacies.6 All of them are prescription-only.2 For liraglutide, an older GLP‑1, Daman's table lists other brand names besides Saxenda and Victoza.3
When could generics arrive?
We couldn't find semaglutide's patent status in the UAE, and no UAE regulator has announced a generic approval.
Patents were due to expire from April 2026 in countries including India, China, Canada, Brazil and Turkey, according to a March 2026 analysis that does not mention the UAE.7 The Emirates Drug Establishment tells the public to check that a product is officially registered and approved before using it.8
Are cheap "semaglutide" products sold online genuine?
Abu Dhabi's Department of Health warns that GLP‑1 products sold online and on social media may be fake, may contain undeclared ingredients and are not registered with the Emirates Drug Establishment.2
In 2024 the Ministry of Health and Prevention found a fake Mounjaro pack in which its lab could not detect any tirzepatide.9 In July 2026 the Emirates Drug Establishment acted against 71 sources selling unapproved peptide products.8 A Sharjah court fined two people Dh10,000 each for selling Mounjaro through social media.10 See Can I buy Ozempic without a prescription in the UAE? and Guide 7.
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Related questions
Sources
- 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)
- 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)
- Daman (National Health Insurance Company). Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonist adjudication guideline, V5, effective 15 Jan 2023, revised 19 Apr 2026 (diabetes criteria including HbA1c ≥ 6.5% and 6 months of other treatment; first request limited to 1 month; eligible prescribers Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Family Medicine, Cardiologist; obesity medicines "not covered for members who are not enrolled in the Thiqa Obesity Program"; Table 1 lists the brands and dose steps). damaninsurance.ae (PDF)
- Khaleej Times. UAE approves Wegovy pill for weight loss, cardiovascular risk reduction (approved by the Emirates Drug Establishment; second country after the US; long-term weight management in adults with obesity, or overweight with weight-related conditions). 1 Jun 2026. khaleejtimes.com
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Shafafiya drug price list (Drugs.xlsx), released 26 Sep 2026, effective 2 Oct 2026: official “Package Price to Public” for each pack named here, each listed as a prescription-only medicine (“POM”). Downloaded and checked 12 Oct 2026. shafafiyaportal.doh.gov.ae (XLSX)
- Clyde & Co. Pricing of pharmaceutical products in the United Arab Emirates (a Ministry of Health committee sets the price at registration; fixed distributor and pharmacy margins under Ministerial Resolution 140 of 2013). Law-firm analysis, 29 Sep 2016; older than the 2025 medicines law. mondaq.com
- Levi J, Cross S, Ramesh N, Venter F, Hill A. How low could semaglutide prices fall? An analysis of production cost and implications for global access ahead of patent expiry. medRxiv preprint (not peer reviewed), 4 Mar 2026 ("Ten countries with 2026 patent expiry", naming India, China, Canada, Brazil and Turkey; the UAE is not named). medrxiv.org
- 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
- 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)
- 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
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. Prices are official prices to the public from Abu Dhabi's drug list, never a discount, and we don't name, link or rank sellers. Figures marked as our arithmetic are worked out from those sources. 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