How much is the Wegovy pill in the UAE?
The Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) costs AED 779 for 30 tablets of 1.5 mg or 4 mg in the UAE, AED 1,199 at 9 mg and AED 1,610 at the 25 mg maintenance dose, on Abu Dhabi's official drug list from 2 October 2026. One pack lasts 30 days. 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.
What does each strength cost?
The price rises with the dose, from AED 779 for the two starting strengths to AED 1,610 for 25 mg, the maintenance dose on the US label.3,4
| Strength | 30 tablets | Days on the US label schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 mg | AED 779 | Days 1 to 30 |
| 4 mg | AED 779 | Days 31 to 60 |
| 9 mg | AED 1,199 | Days 61 to 90 |
| 25 mg | AED 1,610 | Day 91 onwards |
Official prices to the public on Abu Dhabi's drug list, effective 2 Oct 2026, checked 12 Oct 2026.3 Schedule from the US label.4
A pack of 30 tablets lasts 30 days, and the label says not to take more than one tablet a day.4 Khaleej Times reported launch prices "starting from Dh779" in June 2026.5
How much is a year?
Following the US label's steps, the first 12 packs, or 360 days, come to AED 17,247, and each later month at 25 mg is AED 1,610, by our arithmetic.3,4
That is one pack each of 1.5, 4 and 9 mg, then 9 packs of 25 mg. Doctor visits and tests are extra. Dubai's basic insurance plan excludes weight-loss medicines,6 and Daman covers obesity medicines only within Abu Dhabi's Thiqa obesity programme.7 Pen prices are in How much is Wegovy in the UAE?
What do you get for that price?
The UAE approved the Wegovy pill on 1 June 2026 for long-term weight management, the second country after the US, and it went on sale on 3 June.8,9
In the 64-week trial on the US label, people taking 25 mg lost 13.6% of their body weight on average, against 2.4% on a dummy tablet.4 You take it once a day on an empty stomach in the morning, with up to 4 ounces (about 120 ml) of water, then wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other tablets.4 How it compares with other options is in Guide 6.
- Stomach effects lead the list. In the 64-week US trial of the 25 mg tablet, 6.9 in 100 people stopped because of side effects, against 5.9 in 100 on a dummy tablet, most often for stomach problems.4
- Label warnings on the US Wegovy label include acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar with insulin or a sulfonylurea, and a boxed warning on thyroid C-cell tumours seen in rodents.4
- 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
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)
- 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)
- Khaleej Times. Wegovy weight-loss pill available in UAE pharmacies; how much it will cost ("prices starting from Dh779"). 10 Jun 2026. khaleejtimes.com
- 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)
- 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
- Novo Nordisk. Wegovy pill launches in the UAE (launched 3 Jun 2026; "the first country outside the United States to make the Wegovy pill available"; semaglutide 25 mg once daily). Company press release, via BioSpace. biospace.com
- 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