How much is Mounjaro in the UAE?
A Mounjaro (tirzepatide) KwikPen costs AED 1,734 in the UAE at every strength, from 2.5 mg to 15 mg, on Abu Dhabi's official drug list from 2 October 2026. Each pen holds 4 weekly doses, so a year of 13 pens comes to about AED 22,500. Most insurance plans don't pay for it for weight loss.
- 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.
- Nothing here promises any result. The risks are in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
Why does every Mounjaro strength cost the same?
Medicine prices in the UAE are set when a medicine is registered, and the Mounjaro KwikPen carries one price, AED 1,734, at all six strengths.3,4
A Ministry of Health committee sets the price at registration, and distributors and pharmacies take fixed margins, so the same pack costs the same at every pharmacy.4 Abu Dhabi's official drug list, in force from 2 October 2026, gives AED 1,734 for each strength.3 Gulf News put Mounjaro pens "often above Dh1,700" in February 2026.5 Wegovy and Ozempic work differently: their pens cost more as the dose goes up.3
How much is a year of Mounjaro?
A year is 52 weekly doses, or 13 KwikPens, which comes to AED 22,542 at AED 1,734 a pen. That is AED 433.50 a dose, by our arithmetic.3
Your dose doesn't change that total. The EU label starts at 2.5 mg for 4 weeks, then 5 mg, and raises the dose in 2.5 mg steps at least 4 weeks apart, up to 15 mg.6 Doctor visits, blood tests and any programme fees come on top. Abu Dhabi's obesity standard says to continue a GLP‑1 beyond 6 months only if you've lost at least 5% of your starting weight.7
Does insurance pay for Mounjaro?
Usually not for weight loss. Dubai's basic Essential Benefits Plan excludes weight-loss medicines, and Daman covers obesity medicines only for members of Abu Dhabi's Thiqa obesity programme.8,9
For type 2 diabetes, Daman pays only when strict criteria are met, starting with 1 month's supply and prior approval.9 Dubai's basic plan limits all medicines to AED 2,500 in total, including a 30% co-insurance on each prescription, which is less than the price of 2 Mounjaro pens.3,8 The details are in Is Ozempic covered by insurance in the UAE? and Does Thiqa cover weight-loss injections? How to get a prescription is in Guide 6.
- Stomach effects are very common. Nausea and diarrhoea affect more than 1 in 10 people on the EU Mounjaro label, and vomiting and constipation were also very common in its weight-management trials.6
- Gallstones and a swollen pancreas (acute pancreatitis) are uncommon (1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000) on the EU Mounjaro label.6
- Not for everyone. Abu Dhabi's Thiqa policy leaves out people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2, anyone who has had pancreatitis, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.10
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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)
- 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
- Gulf News. Anti-obesity drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro: are they getting cheaper? (Ozempic lower-dose pens "around Dh740", higher doses over Dh1,100; Mounjaro "often above Dh1,700"; GLP-1s "largely out-of-pocket expenses, with limited insurance coverage typically restricted to diabetes or specific metabolic conditions"). 7 Feb 2026. gulfnews.com
- 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)
- 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)
- Cigna. Essential Benefits Plan (EBP), Dubai, table of benefits (DHA-regulated basic plan): drugs "As per DHA formulary", "Maximum benefit AED 2,500 (including co-insurance)", "30% co-insurance payable per prescription"; exclusion 8, "Surgical and non-surgical treatment for obesity (including morbid obesity), and any other weight control programs, services, or supplies"; exclusion 9 includes "pharmacological weight reduction regimens". cigna-me.com (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)
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Thiqa reimbursement policy for obesity medications, DoH/Policy/TRP-OMM/HPS/V1/2025, published and effective 11 Jun 2025 (adults 18+; BMI rules in 3.2.2; prescribers in 3.2.3; more than 5% weight loss plus an activity target in 3.2.4; 1-month trial, up to 3 months' supply, check at 4 months in 3.3–3.4; cover continues even if BMI reaches 24.9 or below, 3.5.1.1). 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. 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