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Does a GLP‑1 injection break my fast?

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

Most rulings we found say no. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta ruled in 2006 that the fast stays valid after an insulin injection under the skin, and the UAE Council for Sharia Fatwa said in 2021 that a vaccine injection does not break the fast. We found no UAE ruling on GLP‑1 injections such as Mounjaro or Ozempic specifically.

Before you go further
  • We report what named religious authorities have said. GLP Guidebook doesn't issue religious rulings; for your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
  • Tablets taken by mouth are a different case, covered below.

What has the UAE Fatwa Council said?

In April 2021 the UAE Council for Sharia Fatwa said a COVID‑19 vaccine injection taken in daytime in Ramadan does not break the fast or affect its validity.1,2

Its reason was that an injection is not among the things stated to break the fast, nor similar to them. It added that someone in real pain or hardship from the injection may break the fast and make up the day later.1 That ruling was about a vaccine, not a weekly medicine. We searched for a UAE ruling on insulin or GLP‑1 injections and did not find one.

What does Egypt's Dar al-Ifta say about injections under the skin?

Egypt's official fatwa body, Dar al-Ifta, ruled in 2006 that the fast of a person given an insulin injection under the skin is valid.3

Its reasoning is that what breaks the fast is something reaching the stomach through a natural opening, and an injection does not.3 An English fatwa from 2005 says injections, "whether medicinal or nutritional, do not invalidate the fast".4 Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy pens also inject under the skin.5,6 The IDF-DAR medical guideline states that insulin injections do not invalidate the fast, and records the Mufti of Egypt's approval of its fasting advice.7

Do GLP-1 tablets break the fast?

Yes, if swallowed during fasting hours, The Pharmacist notes, so the Wegovy pill, Rybelsus and Foundayo have to fit between Iftar and Suhoor.8

The Wegovy pill and Rybelsus are taken on an empty stomach with a little water, then nothing to eat or drink for 30 minutes, which makes Suhoor the usual time.8,9,10 Foundayo can be taken with or without food, so its timing is more flexible.11 Fasting itself can be unsafe for some people; dose timing and risks are in Can I take Mounjaro during Ramadan? and Guide 8.

Read the full picture

Related questions

Can I take Mounjaro during Ramadan? What is Foundayo? Rybelsus price in the UAE How much is the Wegovy pill in the UAE?
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Sources

  1. Al Ain News. UAE Council for Sharia Fatwa statement on Ramadan (a COVID-19 vaccine injection in daytime in Ramadan "لا يفسد الصوم", does not spoil the fast, as it is not among the stated things that break it; a person in real pain or hardship from the injection may break the fast and make it up). 7 Apr 2021. al-ain.com
  2. Gulf Today. Getting vaccinated while fasting is permissible: religious scholars (UAE Fatwa Council: the COVID-19 vaccine "via injection in the daytime during the Holy Month of Ramadan will not violate fasting or affect its validity"). 12 Apr 2021. gulftoday.ae
  3. Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah (Egypt). Fatwa 2026: ruling on taking an insulin injection under the skin while fasting ("فصيام المَحْقُون بهذه الحقنة تحت الجلد أثناء الصيام صحيح", the fast of a person given this injection under the skin is valid), 20 Jun 2006. dar-alifta.org
  4. Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah (Egypt). Taking insulin injections during the fasting hours of Ramadan ("Injections, whether medicinal or nutritional, do not invalidate the fast"), 28 Sep 2005. dar-alifta.org
  5. European Medicines Agency. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) product information (SmPC sections 4.1, 4.8 and 6.3: weight management at BMI ≥ 30, or ≥ 27 with a weight-related condition; nausea and diarrhoea very common; gallstones and acute pancreatitis uncommon; KwikPen after first use 30 days in a fridge or below 30 ºC). EU label; UAE label text not checked. ema.europa.eu (PDF)
  6. 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)
  7. International Diabetes Federation and DAR International Alliance. Diabetes and Ramadan: Practical Guidelines 2021 (GLP-1 RAs "appropriately DOSE-TITRATED prior to Ramadan (at least 2–4 weeks)" need no further changes; insulin by the subcutaneous, intramuscular or intravenous routes does "not cause a breaking of the Ramadan fast"; a chapter records the Mufti of Egypt's approval of its fasting risk categories). idf.org (PDF)
  8. Cahal McQuillan. Fasting and weight-loss medications: what to advise your patients. The Pharmacist (UK trade press), 29 Jul 2026 (injecting after Iftar may ease nausea, after Suhoor may help fullness; avoid changing day and dose together; a tablet taken in fasting hours "would break the fast"; break the fast for low blood sugar). thepharmacist.co.uk
  9. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets, US prescribing information, revised 06/2026: tablets 1.5 mg for days 1 to 30, 4 mg for days 31 to 60, 9 mg for days 61 to 90, then 25 mg; take on an empty stomach in the morning with up to 4 ounces of water and wait at least 30 minutes; Study 7 (64 weeks): body weight −13.6% on 25 mg tablets vs −2.4% on placebo; adverse reactions led 6.9% to stop vs 5.9% on placebo, most often gastrointestinal; warnings include acute pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease, hypoglycaemia with insulin or a sulfonylurea, and a boxed warning on thyroid C-cell tumours. US label. accessdata.fda.gov (PDF)
  10. European Medicines Agency. Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) product information (SmPC sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.8: type 2 diabetes; empty stomach after at least 8 hours, up to 120 mL of water, wait at least 30 minutes; nausea in 15%; gallstones uncommon; acute pancreatitis rare). EU label; UAE label text not checked. ema.europa.eu (PDF)
  11. Eli Lilly. Foundayo (orforglipron) tablets, US prescribing information, revised 7/2026: once daily, "with or without food"; 0.8 mg for at least 30 days, then 2.5 mg, then 5.5 mg, then optionally 9, 14.5 or 17.2 mg; Trial 1 (72 weeks, 3,127 adults without diabetes): −11.1% body weight on 17.2 mg vs −2.1% on placebo; Table 1: nausea 35% and vomiting 24% on 17.2 mg vs 10% and 4% on placebo; warnings include acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease and a boxed warning on thyroid C-cell tumours. US label. uspl.lilly.com

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Oct 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