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Semaglutide, tirzepatide and every other GLP‑1 medicine in the UAE compared

Every GLP‑1 medicine sold in the UAE side by side: brands, how you take each one, trial results, side effects and official prices.

GLP Guidebook teamPublished 18 Oct 20269 min read26 sourcesWritten from published sources
What we checked27 sources, each one opened and linked to the sentence it supportsLast checked 18 Oct 2026 · Next review due 18 Apr 2027 · How we write

Written for the United Arab Emirates. Other country versions are coming.

The short answer

Five GLP‑1 medicines are sold in the UAE, each under one or more brand names. They differ in how often you take them, in form (pen or tablet), in what they’re approved for, in how much weight people lost in their trials, and in price. A doctor decides which, if any, fits you.

All the GLP‑1 medicines in the UAE at a glance (most searched first)

Most searched first in the UAE (Google Trends, last 3 months to 18 Oct 2026). Not a ranking: the order says nothing about how well they work or what they cost.

Before you go further
  • GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the UAE and should only be used under medical supervision.24 Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or changing one.
  • The medicine is what works in your body; the brand is the name on the box. Paracetamol is a medicine, and Panadol is one brand of it.
  • Label facts come from the EU or UK labels, named each time. We could not find the UAE leaflets online, so check the leaflet in your own pack.
  • Prices are official prices to the public. We name no pharmacy or clinic and rank nothing by price.
MedicineBrands in the UAE, and what each is forMakerHow you take itMain trial: average weight changeMost common side effectsOfficial price a month
Tirzepatide Mounjaro: type 2 diabetes and weight. Zepbound isn’t sold here1,18,2 Eli Lilly15 Injection once a week, KwikPen of 4 doses15,2 SURMOUNT-1, 72 weeks, 5 to 15 mg: −16.0% to −22.5%, against −2.4% on a dummy injection15 Nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation. Nausea in 31 in 100 on 15 mg, against 10 in 100 on a dummy15 About AED 1,879 at every dose2
Semaglutide Wegovy pen: weight. Wegovy pill: weight, and lowering heart risk. Ozempic and Rybelsus: type 2 diabetes1,14 Novo Nordisk10,2 Injection once a week (Wegovy pen, Ozempic), or a tablet once a day on an empty stomach (Wegovy pill, Rybelsus)10,11,13 STEP 1, 68 weeks, Wegovy pen 2.4 mg: −14.9%, against −2.4%. OASIS 4, 64 weeks, Wegovy pill 25 mg: −13.6%, against −2.2%10,11 Nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation. Nausea in 44 in 100 on the Wegovy pen against 16 on a dummy; 47 in 100 on the pill against 1910,11 About AED 805 to 1,855 (Wegovy pen), 788 to 1,628 (Wegovy pill), 805 to 1,679 (Ozempic), 648 (Rybelsus)2
Orforglipron Foundayo: weight, adults; approved April 20269 Eli Lilly7 Tablet once a day, at any time, with no food or water rules7 ATTAIN-1, 72 weeks, 36 mg (the trial’s form): −11.2%, against −2.1% on a dummy pill8 Mostly stomach and gut effects, mild to moderate. Side effects made 5 to 10 in 100 stop, against about 3 in 100 on dummy pills8 About AED 782 to 1,6172
Liraglutide Saxenda and Fitura: weight. Victoza: type 2 diabetes1 Novo Nordisk (Saxenda, Victoza); Fitura’s maker not confirmed5,4 Injection once a day, pen5 SCALE, 56 weeks, Saxenda 3 mg: −8.0% of body weight, against −2.6% on a dummy injection5,6 Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation. 68 in 100 on Saxenda had a stomach or gut side effect (no dummy figure given)5 At 3 mg a day: about AED 1,212 (Saxenda) or 1,147 (Fitura). Victoza: about AED 499 to 748 at 1.2 to 1.8 mg2
Dulaglutide Trulicity: type 2 diabetes1 Eli Lilly3 Injection once a week, single-dose pens3,2 Diabetes trials only. Over 26 weeks with metformin: −3.2 kg on 1.5 mg, against −1.5 kg on a dummy injection (EU label, Table 3)3 Nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain. Nausea in 21 in 100 people on 1.5 mg (the label gives no dummy figure)3 About AED 933 to 1,0372

“A month” is 364÷12 days, as in our cost calculator, so a month of a weekly pen costs a little more than one pen of 4 doses. Trial figures are from each medicine’s own trial, as in our trial results tool: separate trials, so the numbers can’t be compared directly. Prices from Abu Dhabi’s official drug list, effective 2 Oct 2026.

Which medicines and brands are sold in the UAE?

Five medicines, each sold under one or more brands. Two brands of the same medicine can differ in dose, form and approved use.1

  • TirzepatideMounjaro diabetes, weight
  • SemaglutideWegovy pen weightWegovy pill weight, heartOzempic diabetesRybelsus diabetes
  • OrforglipronFoundayo weight
  • LiraglutideSaxenda weightVictoza diabetesFitura weight
  • DulaglutideTrulicity diabetes

Brand uses from Daman’s cover rules and the UAE approval reports.1,9,14 The full family tree, with makers and forms, is in Guide 2: GLP‑1 types and brands.

A few names you may meet but won’t find in the table:

  • Zepbound is the US weight brand of tirzepatide. It isn’t sold in the UAE; here, tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro.2 See Is Zepbound available in the UAE?
  • LIRADIAB is another liraglutide brand, listed beside Victoza for type 2 diabetes in Daman’s rules.1 It isn’t in our price data yet.
  • Exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon) and lixisenatide (Lyxumia) are older diabetes medicines in the same family. They are still on Daman’s list, but we couldn’t confirm they are sold here, so they are left out.1
  • Wegovy 7.2 mg is not approved in the UAE. In March 2026 Novo Nordisk said talks with UAE regulators were ongoing, with no timeline.25

Why are there so many GLP‑1 medicines?

Different companies made them, and each newer one changed something: how often you take it, its form, or the hormones it acts on.15,8

All of them copy GLP‑1, a hormone your gut releases after you eat. It helps the body release insulin when blood sugar is high and acts on brain areas that control appetite.10,7 The dates below are first approvals in the EU, from each EU label, because most UAE approval dates aren’t public; UAE dates are given where a dated source exists.

  1. 2009Liraglutide (Victoza) for diabetes: an injection once a day.4 Its weight version, Saxenda, followed in 2015.5
  2. 2014Dulaglutide (Trulicity) for diabetes: once a week.3
  3. 2018Semaglutide (Ozempic) for diabetes: once a week.12
  4. 2020Semaglutide as a tablet (Rybelsus) for diabetes: the first GLP‑1 pill, taken on an empty stomach.13
  5. 2022Semaglutide for weight (Wegovy) in the EU.10 The same year, tirzepatide (Mounjaro) arrived: it acts on two gut hormones, GIP and GLP‑1. GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) is another hormone your gut releases after eating.15,1 The UAE was reported as the second country after the US to approve Mounjaro, in 2022.16
  6. 2026Two weight-loss tablets in the UAE: Foundayo (orforglipron) in April, a small-molecule pill with no food rules, and the Wegovy pill (semaglutide) in June.9,14,8

Generics. A generic is a copy made by another company once a patent ends. We found no generic semaglutide approved in the UAE: see Is generic semaglutide available in the UAE? Liraglutide is the one medicine here with extra brand names, Fitura and LIRADIAB, on Daman’s list; we couldn’t confirm who makes them.1

Why are some pills and some injections, and why weekly or daily?

It comes down to how long each medicine stays in the body and how well it is absorbed from the gut.5,10,11

Weekly or daily

The body clears half of a dose (its half-life) at very different speeds, according to the EU labels:

  • Liraglutide: about 13 hours, so it is injected every day.5
  • Dulaglutide: about 5 days, which the label says makes it suitable for once-weekly injection.3
  • Tirzepatide: about 5 days.15
  • Semaglutide: about 1 week, “making it suitable for once weekly” injection.10

Pills or injections

  • Semaglutide tablets (Wegovy pill, Rybelsus): only about 1 to 2% of a swallowed dose reaches the blood, and food or a lot of water lowers it. So they are taken on an empty stomach after at least 8 hours without food, with up to half a glass of water, then nothing for 30 minutes.11,13
  • Orforglipron (Foundayo): a small molecule rather than a peptide (a short protein chain, as semaglutide is).8,11 Food made no meaningful difference to how much is absorbed, so it can be taken at any time, with or without food.7

The tablet rules matter during fasting: see GLP‑1s in Ramadan. Same medicine, two forms: Wegovy pill vs Wegovy injection. The two weight-loss tablets: Wegovy pill vs Foundayo.

Why does the same medicine have two brands?

Because each brand is approved for a different use, at different doses.1

  • Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide): Ozempic is for type 2 diabetes, up to 2 mg a week; Wegovy is for weight, up to 2.4 mg in the UAE, where the 7.2 mg dose isn’t approved.12,10,1,25
  • Rybelsus and the Wegovy pill (semaglutide tablets): Rybelsus is for diabetes at 3, 7 or 14 mg; the Wegovy pill is for weight, up to 25 mg.1,11,2
  • Victoza and Saxenda (liraglutide): Victoza is for diabetes, up to 1.8 mg a day; Saxenda is for weight, up to 3 mg.4,5
  • Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide): in the US these are two brands. In the UAE there is only Mounjaro, used for both diabetes and weight.1,18

Pairwise pages: Mounjaro vs Ozempic vs Wegovy vs Foundayo and Saxenda vs Wegovy.

How do the results compare?

Each medicine was tested in its own trial against a dummy treatment (a placebo). The trials were separate, with different people and lengths, so their numbers can’t be compared directly.10,15

How these trials work:

  • People are split into groups at random.
  • One group takes the medicine; the other takes a dummy injection or pill that looks the same.
  • Everyone gets the same advice on diet and activity.
  • The gap between the groups is what the medicine added.
Average weight change in each weight medicine’s own trial
Separate trials, different people and lengths. Not a ranking.
Liraglutide · Saxenda 3 mg · SCALE · 56 weeks
Medicine−8.0%
Dummy−2.6%
Orforglipron · 36 mg (trial form) · ATTAIN-1 · 72 weeks
Medicine−11.2%
Dummy−2.1%
Semaglutide · Wegovy pen 2.4 mg · STEP 1 · 68 weeks
Medicine−14.9%
Dummy−2.4%
Semaglutide · Wegovy pill 25 mg · OASIS 4 · 64 weeks
Medicine−13.6%
Dummy−2.2%
Tirzepatide · Mounjaro 15 mg · SURMOUNT-1 · 72 weeks
Medicine−22.5%
Dummy−2.4%
% of body weight. Sources: EU Saxenda, Wegovy and Mounjaro labels; UK Wegovy tablets label; ATTAIN-1 paper. The same figures as our trial results tool. Dulaglutide, Ozempic and Rybelsus are not shown: their trials were in type 2 diabetes and report kilograms.

For someone who starts at 90 kg (198 lb), 22.5% is about 20 kg (45 lb), 14.9% about 13 kg (30 lb) and 8.0% about 7 kg (16 lb). These are averages: some people lose much more, some very little.

The UK Foundayo label reports a different analysis of ATTAIN-1, 12.4% against 0.9%; here, as in our trial results tool, we use the trial paper’s main figure. The paper reports everyone assigned to the medicine, including people who stopped it; the label reports people while they kept taking it.7,8,27

The head-to-head trials

Only two trials have put these weight medicines directly against each other:

  • SURMOUNT-5, tirzepatide vs semaglutide: 751 adults with obesity, without diabetes, took the highest dose they could tolerate for 72 weeks. Weight fell 20.2% on tirzepatide and 13.7% on semaglutide. Everyone knew which medicine they had, and Eli Lilly, tirzepatide’s maker, funded it.17
  • STEP 8, semaglutide vs liraglutide: over 68 weeks, weight fell 15.8% on Wegovy and 6.4% on Saxenda.10 Novo Nordisk makes both.

No trial has compared Foundayo with the Wegovy pill, or either tablet with the injections, for weight. Every risk of these medicines is in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.

Get help now: call 998 for an ambulance, or 999.26 Call for severe stomach pain that won’t go away, or vomiting or diarrhoea that stops you keeping fluids down.15
ToolWhat would a year cost?

The cost calculator uses the same official prices, dose by dose, for the months you choose.

Open the calculator

Which costs more?

Medicine prices in the UAE are fixed by the authorities, so they are the same at every pharmacy. The monthly range depends on the dose.2

About a month at the official price, by medicine, most searched first in the UAE (Google Trends):

  • Tirzepatide: Mounjaro AED 1,879 at every dose (AED 1,734 for a pen of 4 weekly doses).2
  • Semaglutide: Wegovy pen AED 805 to 1,855, Wegovy pill AED 788 to 1,628, Ozempic AED 805 to 1,679, Rybelsus AED 648 at every strength.2
  • Orforglipron: Foundayo AED 782 to 1,617.2
  • Liraglutide: Saxenda AED 242 to 1,212, Victoza AED 249 to 748 and Fitura AED 229 to 1,147. The low figures are the starting doses, each taken for about a week.2,5
  • Dulaglutide: Trulicity AED 933 to 1,037.2

Most people pay these prices themselves. Gulf News reported in February 2026 that cover is “typically restricted to diabetes or specific metabolic conditions”.21

  • Dubai: the basic plan excludes “pharmacological weight reduction regimens”.19
  • Abu Dhabi: Daman covers diabetes use when its criteria are met, and weight medicines only for people enrolled in the Thiqa obesity programme.1 Foundayo is also covered for adults eligible for Abu Dhabi’s Personalised Weight Management Programme.20

Every pack and dose: GLP‑1 medicines and prices in the UAE. Cover by emirate and insurer: Does insurance cover GLP‑1s in the UAE?

Which one? What a doctor weighs

A doctor decides, and this page doesn’t recommend any medicine. In Abu Dhabi, the obesity-certified doctor decides when to start one.22

Things a doctor may weigh:

  • Your health conditions: type 2 diabetes (Mounjaro, Ozempic, Rybelsus, Trulicity and Victoza are approved for it); heart disease (the Wegovy pill is also approved here to lower heart risk); and a scarring fatty-liver disease called MASH, for which Daman lists Wegovy.1,14 We found no UAE approval of any of these medicines for sleep apnoea.
  • Daily or weekly: liraglutide and the tablets are daily; the other injections are weekly.5,10
  • Needles or pills, and whether you can keep the empty-stomach rules of semaglutide tablets.11
  • Side effects you have had before, other medicines you take, and pregnancy plans.10,15
  • Availability and cost, including whether your insurer or an Abu Dhabi programme covers it.1,20

Who can be considered differs by emirate. Abu Dhabi’s standard starts at BMI 30 with a weight-related condition, or over 40.22 Dubai’s guideline allows BMI over 30, or 27 to 29.9 with a condition, after lifestyle changes alone haven’t worked.23 These are points to discuss with a doctor, not a sign that you qualify. See Guide 6 for prescriptions.

Questions people ask

How many GLP‑1 medicines are sold in the UAE?

Five: tirzepatide, semaglutide, orforglipron, liraglutide and dulaglutide. Semaglutide and liraglutide are each sold under several brands, such as Ozempic and Wegovy for semaglutide.1,2

Which GLP‑1 medicines come as a tablet?

Semaglutide, as Rybelsus for diabetes and the Wegovy pill for weight, taken on an empty stomach. And orforglipron, as Foundayo, which has no food or water rules.11,13,7

Are Ozempic and Wegovy the same medicine?

Yes, both are semaglutide. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, up to 2 mg a week; Wegovy is for weight, up to 2.4 mg in the UAE.1,12,10,25

Can I compare the trial results directly?

No. Each medicine was tested in a separate trial with different people and lengths. Only SURMOUNT-5 (tirzepatide vs semaglutide) and STEP 8 (semaglutide vs liraglutide) compared them head to head.17,10

Why does Mounjaro cost the same at every dose?

Abu Dhabi’s official list sets AED 1,734 for a pen of 4 weekly doses at every strength. Wegovy and Ozempic prices rise with the dose.2

How we researched this

On 18 Oct 2026 we read the EU labels for Trulicity, Victoza, Saxenda, Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy and Mounjaro, the UK labels for Wegovy tablets and Foundayo, the ATTAIN-1, SCALE and SURMOUNT-5 papers, and Daman’s GLP‑1 cover rules. UAE approvals come from dated UAE news reports; cover rules from Daman, the Dubai basic plan and Abu Dhabi’s health department.

Prices and trial figures are the same as in our cost calculator and trial results tool. Prices are the official “package price to public” on Abu Dhabi’s drug list, effective 2 October 2026, never a seller’s price. We name no pharmacy or clinic, and we don’t rank medicines.

Before you move on

  • Five medicines, each sold under one or more brands.
  • Brands of one medicine differ in use and dose.
  • Separate trials can’t be compared directly.
  • Prices are fixed; a doctor decides which medicine fits.
GLP‑1 types and brandsTrial results toolSide effects and risks

More comparisons

AEUnited Arab EmiratesMounjaro vs Ozempic vs Wegovy vs Foundayo AEUnited Arab EmiratesSaxenda vs Wegovy AEUnited Arab EmiratesWegovy pill vs Foundayo
About GLP Guidebook

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An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don't sell medicines, take drug-company money or earn clinic commissions. Twice a month: UAE approvals, official price changes, insurance rules and safety alerts. How we write

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Sources

  1. Daman (National Health Insurance Company). Adjudication guideline: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP‑1) Receptor Agonist, version 5, effective 15 January 2023, revised 19 April 2026: Table 1 (Trulicity, Victoza/LIRADIAB, Ozempic and Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes; Saxenda/Fitura for obesity; Wegovy for obesity and MASH; Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and obesity; Byetta, Bydureon, Lyxumia); tirzepatide “activates both the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor and the GLP‑1 receptor”; section 3.3 (obesity medicines “not covered for members who are not enrolled in the Thiqa Obesity Program”). Checked 18 October 2026. PDF damaninsurance.ae
  2. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Shafafiya drug price list (Drugs.xlsx), released 26 September 2026, effective 2 October 2026: official “Package Price to Public” for each pack, each a prescription-only medicine, as used in our cost calculator; no Zepbound on the list. Downloaded and checked 12 October 2026. Monthly figures are our arithmetic (364÷12 days). XLSX shafafiyaportal.doh.gov.ae
  3. European Medicines Agency. Trulicity (dulaglutide): EU summary of product characteristics, sections 4.1 (type 2 diabetes), 4.2 (once weekly, up to 4.5 mg), 4.8 (nausea 21.2%, diarrhoea 13.7%, vomiting 11.5% on 1.5 mg up to 104 weeks), 5.1 (Table 3: −3.18 kg on 1.5 mg vs −1.47 kg on placebo at 26 weeks, with metformin; half-life of 4.7 days “suitable for once-weekly” use), 5.2 (half-life about 5 days) and 9 (first authorised 21 November 2014). Not the UAE label. Checked 18 October 2026. PDF ema.europa.eu
  4. European Medicines Agency. Victoza (liraglutide): EU summary of product characteristics, sections 4.1 (type 2 diabetes), 4.2 (up to 1.8 mg a day) and 9 (first authorised 30 June 2009). Not the UAE label. Checked 18 October 2026. PDF ema.europa.eu
  5. European Medicines Agency. Saxenda (liraglutide): EU summary of product characteristics, sections 4.1 (weight management), 4.2 (once daily, 0.6 mg rising weekly to 3 mg), 4.8 (very common: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation; 67.9% had a gastrointestinal event), 5.1 (Table 5: SCALE, −8.0% vs −2.6% at 56 weeks), 5.2 (half-life about 13 hours) and 9 (first authorised 23 March 2015). Not the UAE label. Checked 18 October 2026. PDF ema.europa.eu
  6. Pi-Sunyer X et al. A randomized, controlled trial of 3.0 mg of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes). N Engl J Med 2015;373:11–22. Funded by Novo Nordisk. PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. Eli Lilly. Foundayo (orforglipron) film-coated tablets: UK summary of product characteristics, sections 4.2 (“once-daily at any time of day, without food or water restriction”), 4.8, 5.1 (ATTAIN-1, Table 3: −12.4% vs −0.9%, intent-to-treat), 5.2 (“No clinically relevant food effect”) and 9 (first authorised 10 August 2026). UK label: the UAE leaflet is not published online. Checked 18 October 2026. medicines.org.uk
  8. Wharton S et al. Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP‑1 receptor agonist for obesity treatment (ATTAIN-1). N Engl J Med 2025;393:1796–1806. Orforglipron is “a small-molecule, nonpeptide oral” medicine; 36 mg: −11.2% vs −2.1% on placebo at 72 weeks; adverse events led to stopping in 5.3 to 10.3% vs 2.7%. Funded by Eli Lilly. Checked 18 October 2026. PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. The National. UAE-approved daily weight loss pill to be made available next month (orforglipron, sold as Foundayo, authorised by the Emirates Drug Establishment). 4 April 2026. Checked 18 October 2026. thenationalnews.com
  10. European Medicines Agency. Wegovy (semaglutide): EU summary of product characteristics, sections 4.1 (weight management), 4.2 (up to 2.4 mg a week), 4.8 (nausea 43.9% vs 16.1% in the 68-week trials), 5.1 (Table 4: STEP 1, −14.9% vs −2.4%; Table 9: STEP 8, −15.8% on semaglutide vs −6.4% on liraglutide), 5.2 (half-life about 1 week, “making it suitable for once weekly” use) and 9 (first authorised 6 January 2022). Not the UAE label. Checked 18 October 2026. PDF ema.europa.eu
  11. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide): UK summary of product characteristics, sections 4.2 (empty stomach after at least 8 hours, up to 120 ml of water, then 30 minutes), 4.8 (nausea 46.6% vs 18.6% in OASIS 4), 5.1 (OASIS 4: −13.6% vs −2.2%) and 5.2 (“absolute bioavailability of semaglutide is approximately 1-2%”; absorption “decreased if taken with food or large volumes of water”). UK label. Checked 18 October 2026. medicines.org.uk
  12. European Medicines Agency. Ozempic (semaglutide): EU summary of product characteristics, sections 4.1 (type 2 diabetes), 4.2 (up to 2 mg a week) and 9 (first authorised 8 February 2018). Not the UAE label. Checked 18 October 2026. PDF ema.europa.eu
  13. European Medicines Agency. Rybelsus (semaglutide tablets): EU summary of product characteristics, sections 4.2 (“on an empty stomach after a recommended fasting period of at least 8 hours”, with up to 120 ml of water) and 9 (first authorised 3 April 2020). Not the UAE label. Checked 18 October 2026. PDF ema.europa.eu
  14. Khaleej Times. UAE approves Wegovy pill for weight loss, cardiovascular risk reduction (approved by the Emirates Drug Establishment for “long-term weight management in adults with obesity or overweight linked to weight-related medical conditions”). 1 June 2026. Checked 18 October 2026. khaleejtimes.com
  15. European Medicines Agency. Mounjaro (tirzepatide): EU summary of product characteristics, sections 4.1 (type 2 diabetes; weight management), 4.4 and 4.8 (nausea 31.0% on 15 mg vs 9.5% on placebo in the weight study), 4.6, 5.1 (“GIP and GLP‑1 receptor agonist”; Table 8: SURMOUNT-1, −16.0% to −22.5% vs −2.4%), half-life about 5 days, and 9 (first authorised 15 September 2022). Not the UAE label. Checked 18 October 2026. PDF ema.europa.eu
  16. Gulf News. Mounjaro injection for type 2 diabetes, weight management now available at King’s (“UAE is the second country after the USA to have this medication approved”). August 2022. Checked 18 October 2026. gulfnews.com
  17. Aronne LJ et al. Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-5). N Engl J Med 2025;393:26–36. Open-label, 751 adults, 72 weeks: −20.2% vs −13.7%. Funded by Eli Lilly. Checked 18 October 2026. PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  18. Dubai Health Authority. Ejada KPIs and Recommendations: Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, issued 3 September 2024 (semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) “registered for obesity pharmacotherapy in UAE”). PDF isahd.ae
  19. Cigna. Essential Benefits Plan (Dubai Health Authority basic plan), table of benefits: exclusion 9 includes “pharmacological weight reduction regimens”. PDF cigna-me.com
  20. 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, 24 April 2026. Checked 18 October 2026. doh.gov.ae
  21. Gulf News. Anti-obesity drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro: are they getting cheaper? 7 February 2026. Checked 18 October 2026. gulfnews.com
  22. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity, DOH/ST/HPS/Non-Surgical-MO/V1/2025, February 2025: section 3.4.2 (GLP‑1 medicines from BMI 30 with a weight-related condition, or over 40; “The obesity certified physician determines the initiation time of pharmacological treatment”). PDF doh.gov.ae
  23. Dubai Health Authority. Clinical Guidelines for Virtual Management of Obesity, DHA/HRS/HPSD/CG-53, issue 2, effective 21 April 2024 (medicines can be considered at BMI over 30, or 27 to 29.9 with a condition, after lifestyle changes alone have not worked). PDF dha.gov.ae
  24. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 March 2026: GLP‑1 medicines “are prescription-only medicines and should only be used under medical supervision”. Summarised, not reproduced, as the circular asks. PDF doh.gov.ae
  25. Gulf News. Higher maintenance dose of weight-loss drug Wegovy approved in EU: when will UAE get it? (“discussions with UAE regulators are ongoing, though no timeline has been set”). 2 March 2026. Checked 18 October 2026. gulfnews.com
  26. Department of Digital Ajman. Handling emergencies: 999 police, 998 ambulance, 997 civil defence. Checked 12 October 2026. ajman.ae
  27. Eli Lilly. Lilly’s oral GLP-1, orforglipron, demonstrated meaningful weight loss and cardiometabolic improvements in complete ATTAIN-1 results published in The New England Journal of Medicine. News release, 16 September 2025: 36 mg −12.4% vs −0.9% (efficacy estimand: “had all randomized participants remained on study intervention”) and −11.2% vs −2.1% (treatment-regimen estimand: “regardless of adherence”). PR Newswire. Checked 18 October 2026.

Last checked 18 Oct 2026 · Next review due 18 Apr 2027 · Report an error

How this page 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