What are Abu Dhabi's rules for Mounjaro, Wegovy and other GLP-1s?
The BMI line, who can prescribe, the 6-month 5% check, Thiqa cover and video consultations, side by side with Dubai.
Written for the United Arab Emirates. Other country versions are coming.
Abu Dhabi's 2025 obesity standard lets a doctor consider a GLP-1 at a BMI of 30 or more with a weight-related condition, or over 40. A doctor with DoH-approved obesity certification decides when to start. Treatment should continue past 6 months only if you have lost at least 5% of your starting weight.
Key takeaways
- Abu Dhabi's 2025 obesity standard sets the GLP-1 starting line at BMI 30 or more with a weight-related condition, or a BMI over 40.1
- Dubai's 2024 guideline is wider: it allows medicine at BMI over 30, or 27 to 29.9 with a weight-related condition.2
- Abu Dhabi's standard says GLP-1 treatment should continue beyond 6 months only if at least 5% of starting weight has been lost.1
- In Abu Dhabi, the decision to start rests with a doctor who has obesity training and certification approved by the Department of Health.1
- Abu Dhabi's telemedicine standard requires a live audio or video call with the doctor before any remote prescription.3
On this page
Who sets the rules in Abu Dhabi?
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH). Its 2025 obesity standard applies to every DoH-licensed provider, every insurer it authorises and every insurance product in the emirate.1
- GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the UAE. They should only be used under medical supervision, with a prescription from a doctor licensed in the UAE.4
- Label facts here come from the EU label (EMA), the UK label or the US label (FDA), named each time. We could not find the UAE pack leaflets online, so check the leaflet in your own pack.
- Every risk of these medicines is in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
- This post describes labels, rules and trials. It is not a plan for your treatment, and no dose or brand guarantees any result.
The UAE has more than one health authority. The federal Emirates Drug Establishment approves medicines; it approved the Wegovy pill in June 2026.5 Each emirate’s authority licenses its own doctors and clinics. So the rules for who gets a GLP‑1, and how, depend on where your doctor is licensed.
| Rule | Abu Dhabi (DoH, 2025) | Dubai (DHA, 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| BMI to consider a GLP‑1 | 30 or more with a weight-related condition, or over 401 | Over 30, or 27 to 29.9 with a condition2 |
| Before medicine | Lifestyle change first, unless obesity is advanced1 | Lifestyle change that hasn’t reached 5% loss in 3 to 6 months2 |
| Who starts it | A doctor with DoH-approved obesity certification1 | A DHA-licensed doctor; we found no specialist-only rule2 |
| When to review | Continue past 6 months only with at least 5% loss1 | No GLP‑1 stopping rule in the guideline we read2 |
DoH Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity (Feb 2025); DHA Clinical Guidelines for Virtual Management of Obesity (Apr 2024). Checked 12 Oct 2026.
What BMI does Abu Dhabi use for GLP-1 medicines?
BMI 30 or more plus at least one weight-related condition, or a BMI over 40 on its own. That is stricter than the EU labels, which also allow a BMI of 27 to 30 with a condition.1,6
BMI is your weight in kg divided by your height in metres, squared. For someone 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) tall, BMI 30 is about 82 kg (180 lb).
The standard lists the weight-related conditions it means, for Thiqa cover. They include heart disease, high blood pressure, fatty liver, severe sleep apnoea, PCOS with infertility, and severe high cholesterol.1,7
- Waist matters too. For BMI 25 to 35, the standard says to measure your waist and your waist-to-height ratio. A ratio of 0.5 to 0.59 means raised health risk; 0.6 or more means high.1
- Asian origin. It notes that people of Asian origin start to face risk above a BMI of 23. It still uses BMI 30 as the line for medicine.1
More on this in BMI and waist cut-offs for South Asians in the UAE.
Guide 3: who these medicines are approved for in the UAE, and when not to use them.
Who can prescribe a GLP-1 in Abu Dhabi?
The standard says "the obesity certified physician determines the initiation time". That doctor needs obesity training and a certification approved by the DoH.1
Insurance adds its own layer. For Thiqa’s obesity cover, the prescriber must be a family or internal medicine doctor with DoH-approved obesity certification. A specialist trained and certified in obesity, such as an endocrinologist, also qualifies.7
For diabetes, Daman covers GLP‑1s only when prescribed by internal medicine, endocrinology, family medicine or cardiology doctors, with prior approval.8
What is the 6-month 5% rule?
Continue a GLP-1 beyond 6 months only if you have lost at least 5% of your starting weight. For someone who started at 100 kg (220 lb), that means 95 kg or less.1
If you were already on a GLP‑1 before, the standard measures from your weight before treatment to 3 months after you reached your highest tolerated dose.1
Most people pass this line in trials. In STEP 1, about 84 in 100 people on Wegovy 2.4 mg had lost at least 5% by week 68, against about 31 in 100 on a dummy injection. Put the other way, about 16 in 100 on Wegovy did not reach 5%.10 In SURMOUNT-1, it was about 89 to 96 in 100 on Mounjaro, depending on the dose, against about 28 in 100 on a dummy injection. These are separate trials, so they can’t be compared with each other.6
The standard also tells doctors to explain that the move from losing weight to keeping it off usually comes after 6 to 9 months.1 See stopping GLP‑1s and keeping weight off.
- Stomach effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are very common (more than 1 in 10), mostly while the dose rises.6,10
- Dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea can harm the kidneys.6
- Pancreatitis and gallbladder problems are uncommon (1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000) on the EU Mounjaro label.6
- Thiqa and Daman leave out people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, or with MEN 2 (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, an inherited condition that causes tumours in hormone glands), and pregnancy. Tell your doctor if either applies.8,7
How does Thiqa cover fit in?
Thiqa, the Abu Dhabi government health cover for UAE nationals, pays for weight medicines only inside its obesity programme, for adults 18 and over.7
- A trial month first. The programme starts with a one-month trial, then up to 3 months’ supply at a time.7
- A 4-month check. Cover depends on keeping more than 5% off and meeting an activity target, such as 10,000 steps a day on average, tracked through the Sahatna app.7
- Other Daman plans. Daman’s rules say obesity GLP‑1s are not covered for members outside the Thiqa programme.8
The full rules are in Thiqa’s obesity programme explained. Separately, Abu Dhabi covers the Foundayo tablet for adults who qualify for its Personalised Weight Management Programme.11
Can you get a prescription by video call in Abu Dhabi?
Yes, from a DoH-licensed facility, but only after a live audio or video conversation with the doctor. A questionnaire alone is not enough.3
The standard says the doctor must prescribe live, from the facility’s own system, and record it in your medical record. If the right treatment is uncertain, the doctor must refer you for a face-to-face visit first.3
Dubai has its own telehealth rules. Telehealth GLP‑1 services in the UAE compares them.
Questions people ask
What BMI do I need for Mounjaro in Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi's standard sets BMI 30 or more with a weight-related condition, or over 40. A certified doctor still decides.1
Who can prescribe Mounjaro in Abu Dhabi?
A doctor with obesity training and DoH-approved certification decides when to start. Thiqa cover also needs a certified family, internal medicine or obesity-trained specialist doctor.1,7
What happens if I lose less than 5% in 6 months?
Abu Dhabi's standard says treatment should continue past 6 months only with at least 5% loss. Your doctor reviews what to do next.1
Are the rules different in Dubai?
Yes. Dubai's 2024 guideline also allows BMI 27 to 29.9 with a weight-related condition.2
Does Thiqa pay for weight-loss injections?
Only inside the Thiqa obesity programme, for adults, with weight-loss and activity targets.7
Shorter answers: Who can prescribe Mounjaro in Abu Dhabi? and Does Thiqa cover weight-loss injections?
How we researched this
On 12 Oct 2026 we read Abu Dhabi's Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity (Feb 2025), its Thiqa obesity-medicine policy (June 2025), its telemedicine standard (2020), Daman's GLP-1 cover rules (revised April 2026) and Dubai's obesity telehealth guideline (2024). Trial figures come from the EU labels.
We found no single list of DoH-certified obesity doctors to link, and we name no clinic or programme provider. The standard was due for revision in July 2025; the version we read is the one the DoH publishes now.
Before you move on
- Abu Dhabi: BMI 30+ with a condition, or over 40.
- A DoH-certified obesity doctor decides when to start.
- At 6 months, at least 5% lost, or the plan is reviewed.
- Video prescribing needs a live call with a DoH-licensed doctor.
More from the UAE blog
The monthly UAE update
An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don't sell medicines, take drug-company money or earn clinic commissions. Once a month: UAE approvals, official price changes, insurance rules and safety alerts. How we write
Sources
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity, DOH/ST/HPS/Non-Surgical-MO/V1/2025, published February 2025. Sections 3.3–3.4, 4.1 and Appendix 4. PDF doh.gov.ae
- Dubai Health Authority. Clinical Guidelines for Virtual Management of Obesity, DHA/HRS/HPSD/CG-53, issue 2, effective 21 April 2024. PDF dha.gov.ae
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. DOH Standard on Tele-Medicine, DOH/SA/TLM/0.9/2020, effective 16 September 2020. PDF doh.gov.ae
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 March 2026: alert on fake GLP‑1 products. GLP‑1 medicines "are prescription-only medicines and should only be used under medical supervision"; unregistered products are sold online and on social media; reports to the DoH pharmacovigilance team at [email protected]. Summarised, not reproduced, as the circular asks. PDF doh.gov.ae
- Khaleej Times. UAE approves Wegovy pill for weight loss, cardiovascular risk reduction. 1 June 2026. khaleejtimes.com
- European Medicines Agency. Mounjaro (tirzepatide): EU summary of product characteristics and package leaflet (EU label), sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.8, 5.1, 6.3, 6.4. PDF ema.europa.eu
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Thiqa reimbursement policy for obesity medications, DoH/Policy/TRP-OMM/HPS/V1/2025, published and effective 11 June 2025. PDF doh.gov.ae
- Daman (National Health Insurance Company). Adjudication guideline: GLP‑1 receptor agonists, version 5, effective 15 January 2023, revised 19 April 2026. PDF damaninsurance.ae
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 10/2025, 4 February 2025, "Alert Against the Use of Counterfeit Version of Ozempic and Mounjaro" sold through social media; the public should not buy them without a prescription, online or through adverts. Summarised, not reproduced. PDF doh.gov.ae
- European Medicines Agency. Wegovy (semaglutide injection and tablets): EU summary of product characteristics and package leaflet, sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.8, 5.1, 6.3, 6.4. PDF ema.europa.eu
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi expands access to innovative daily oral obesity treatment (Foundayo covered for adults eligible for the Personalised Weight Management Programme). News release, April 2026. doh.gov.ae
- Department of Digital Ajman. Handling emergencies: 999 police, 998 ambulance, 997 civil defence; Ministry of Health and Prevention hotline 80011111 for fake or harmful medicines. Checked 12 October 2026. ajman.ae
Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Apr 2027 · Report an error
How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write