Ozempic price in the UAE
An Ozempic (semaglutide) pen costs AED 743.50 at 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg in the UAE, AED 1,146 at 1 mg and AED 1,550 at 2 mg, on Abu Dhabi's official drug list from 2 October 2026. Each pen holds 4 weekly doses. Ozempic is a type 2 diabetes medicine, and insurance may pay when strict criteria are met.
- 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.
What does each Ozempic pen cost?
The two starting strengths cost AED 743.50 a pen and the 1 mg pen AED 1,146, the same at every pharmacy because UAE prices are fixed at registration.3,4
| Strength | Price per pen (4 doses) | Per weekly dose | 13 pens (52 weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | AED 743.50 | AED 185.88 | AED 9,665.50 |
| 0.5 mg | AED 743.50 | AED 185.88 | AED 9,665.50 |
| 1 mg | AED 1,146 | AED 286.50 | AED 14,898 |
| 2 mg | AED 1,550 | AED 387.50 | AED 20,150 |
Official prices to the public on Abu Dhabi's drug list, effective 2 Oct 2026, checked 12 Oct 2026.3 The last two columns are our arithmetic: pen ÷ 4, and pen × 13.
Gulf News put lower-dose pens "around Dh740" and higher doses above Dh1,100 in February 2026.5 The 2 mg pen costs AED 1,550 on the same official list.3
Which dose will you pay for?
The EU label starts Ozempic at 0.25 mg for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg, and allows 1 mg and then 2 mg, each after at least 4 weeks on the dose before.6
The 0.25 mg dose is only a starting step, not a long-term dose, and an opened 4-dose pen lasts 6 weeks below 30 °C or in a fridge.6 Daman's guideline lists a maximum of 1 mg a week for cover.7 So a year on 1 mg costs AED 14,898, and on 0.5 mg AED 9,665.50, by our arithmetic. Doctor visits and HbA1c tests are extra.
Will insurance pay?
For type 2 diabetes it may. Daman covers GLP‑1 medicines when you meet all its criteria, including an HbA1c of 6.5% or more and heart disease or several heart risk factors.7
Dubai's basic plan caps all medicines at AED 2,500, including a 30% co-insurance on each prescription.8 Ozempic is not approved for weight loss; the semaglutide brand for weight is Wegovy, and Dubai's basic plan excludes weight-loss medicines.6,8,9 More in Is Ozempic covered by insurance in the UAE? and Guide 6.
- Stomach effects are very common. Nausea and diarrhoea affect more than 1 in 10 people on the EU Ozempic label.6
- Gallstones are common (1 in 10 to 1 in 100) and a swollen pancreas (acute pancreatitis) is uncommon (1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000) on the EU Ozempic label.6
- Low blood sugar. Severe low blood sugar was seen mainly when Ozempic was used with a sulfonylurea or insulin, the EU label says.6
Read the full picture
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. 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
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