Who can prescribe Mounjaro in Abu Dhabi?
For weight loss, a Department of Health-licensed doctor with obesity training and DoH-approved certification. Abu Dhabi's February 2025 standard says this doctor decides when to start a medicine such as Mounjaro (tirzepatide), from a BMI of 30 with a related condition or over 40. For diabetes cover, Daman names four specialties.
What does Abu Dhabi's obesity standard require?
The standard says the weight-management physician has obesity training and a DoH-approved certification, and that this obesity-certified physician decides when to start a medicine.3
It applies to every facility and professional licensed by the DoH to provide obesity management.3 It allows GLP‑1 medicines from a BMI of at least 30 with one or more weight-related conditions, or over 40. That is stricter than the EU label, which starts at 27 with a condition.3,4 Treatment continues beyond 6 months only if you've lost at least 5% of your starting weight.3
Who prescribes for Thiqa or Daman cover?
For Thiqa's obesity programme, the prescriber must be a family or internal medicine doctor with DoH-approved obesity certification, or a specialist certified in obesity management.5
For type 2 diabetes, Daman lists internal medicine, endocrinology, family medicine and cardiology as eligible prescribers, with prior approval and a first supply of 1 month.6 Outside insurance, we found no DoH rule limiting a diabetes prescription to particular specialties. Thiqa's targets are in Does Thiqa cover weight-loss injections?
Can an online doctor prescribe it?
Yes, if the doctor practises at a DoH-licensed facility and speaks to you on a live audio or video call before prescribing. A questionnaire alone doesn't meet the standard.7
The prescription and the call must be recorded in your medical record, and the doctor must refer you for a face-to-face visit when the right treatment is uncertain.7 In Dubai, DHA-licensed doctors can manage obesity by telehealth under a 2024 guideline.8 The full steps are in Guide 6.
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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. 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)
- 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. 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)
- 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. Standard on Tele-Medicine, DOH/SA/TLM/0.9/2020, effective 16 Sep 2020, section 12 ("The physician must have real-time audio/video communication with the patient before issuing the prescription"; refer for a face-to-face visit in cases of uncertainty). doh.gov.ae (PDF)
- Dubai Health Authority. Clinical Guidelines for Virtual Management of Obesity, DHA/HRS/HPSD/CG-53, issue 2, effective 21 Apr 2024 (applies to DHA-licensed physicians and facilities providing telehealth; drug therapy "can be considered for those with a BMI > 30 kg/m2, or a BMI of 27 to 29.9 kg/m2 with comorbidities" who have not lost at least 5% at 3 to 6 months of lifestyle change; Asian waist cut-offs over 80 cm for women and over 90 cm for men). dha.gov.ae (PDF)
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