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Guide 2 of 9 · Stage: Understand

What do GLP-1 medicines do?

How semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) work in your body, what they can and can't do, the risks, and what is approved in the UAE.

GLP Guidebook teamUpdated 12 Oct 202613 min read42 sourcesWritten from published sources
The short answer

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone your gut makes after you eat. GLP-1 medicines copy it. They help you feel full sooner, slow your stomach and help control blood sugar. Most weight loss comes from eating less. Common side effects are feeling sick and diarrhoea, and weight usually returns after stopping. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or changing one.

Key facts

What they are
Medicines that copy GLP-1, a gut hormone1
Main ones in the UAE
  • Semaglutide: Wegovy (injection and pill), Ozempic, Rybelsus2,3
  • Tirzepatide: Mounjaro4
  • Liraglutide: Saxenda, Victoza and local brands2
  • Orforglipron: Foundayo, a daily tablet, approved April 20265
Approved in the UAE for
  • Type 2 diabetes: Ozempic, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Victoza and others
  • Weight management: Wegovy (injection and pill), Saxenda, Foundayo
  • Both: Mounjaro2,6,5
How weight loss happens
Mostly by eating less. They don't speed up the calories you burn at rest.7
Main risks
Feeling sick, diarrhoea and vomiting are common. Rarer serious risks include pancreatitis and gallbladder problems. See the risks, in brief8
Prescription
Yes, all of them are prescription-only medicines, to be used under a doctor's care. A pharmacy needs a prescription from a doctor licensed in the UAE.9,10
On this page
  1. What does GLP-1 mean?
  2. What do the medicines do in your body?
  3. Why do people lose weight on them?
  4. Do the results hold for people of different ethnic backgrounds?
  5. How is this different from metformin and other diabetes pills?
  6. Who these are for, and who they're not for
  7. Which GLP-1 medicines are approved in the UAE?
  8. Is Ozempic the same as Wegovy?
  9. How long do they take to work, and how long do they last?
  10. Do they do anything besides weight and sugar?
  11. What these medicines do not do
  12. Are these medicines new?
  13. Questions people ask

What does GLP-1 mean?

GLP-1 is short for glucagon-like peptide-1. It's a hormone your gut releases after you eat, telling your body that food has arrived.

It's made mostly in the lower part of your small intestine and in your large intestine.1 It sends signals to your brain, stomach and pancreas (an organ behind your stomach that makes hormones).

Your body's own GLP-1 doesn't last long. An enzyme (a protein that breaks other things down) clears it in about 1 to 2 minutes.1 So its natural effect is small and short.

What do GLP-1 medicines do in your body?

A GLP-1 medicine is a lab-made version of GLP-1, changed so your body can't break it down quickly. Your own GLP-1 is gone in 1 to 2 minutes. Semaglutide, the medicine in Wegovy and Ozempic, keeps working for about a week.1,8

So the "food has arrived" message that your gut normally sends for a few minutes after a meal is sent all day, every day, and more strongly.

Your own GLP-1Made by your gut after you eatGone in 1 to 2 minutes
A GLP-1 medicineA weekly injection or a daily tabletKeeps sending the message all week

The message reaches four parts of your body

BrainYou feel less hungryThe part of your brain that controls appetite is told you've eaten, so you want less food and feel full sooner.Helps with weight
StomachYou stay full for longerYour stomach empties more slowly, so a meal stays with you longer before you feel hungry again.Helps with weight
PancreasSugar leaves your blood fasterYour pancreas releases more insulin, the hormone that moves sugar out of your blood. It does this only when your sugar is high.Helps with blood sugar
LiverLess extra sugar is addedYour liver stores sugar and releases it when a hormone called glucagon tells it to. The medicine lowers glucagon when your sugar is high, so the liver adds less.Helps with blood sugar

Simplified. Based on a scientific review of GLP-1 and the US Wegovy label.1,8

In short: the brain and stomach effects are why people eat less and lose weight. The pancreas and liver effects are why these medicines lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes.

Because the pancreas and liver effects only switch on when sugar is high, the medicine mostly leaves normal sugar levels alone. Sugar can still drop too low if it's taken with insulin or certain other diabetes medicines.8

Why do people lose weight on them?

Mainly because they eat less. In a small study, semaglutide did not change the calories people burned at rest.7

That study gave 30 people semaglutide 1 mg or a dummy injection (one with no medicine in it) for 12 weeks each. On semaglutide, they ate 24% less across a full day of eat-as-much-as-you-like meals.7 They also reported less hunger and fewer food cravings.7

The two biggest weight trials are called STEP 1 (semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk) and SURMOUNT-1 (tirzepatide, made by Eli Lilly). Each one worked the same way:

  • People were split at random into two groups. One group got the medicine. The other got a dummy injection.
  • Both groups got the same diet and exercise advice, and nobody knew which injection they were on.
  • So the gap between the two groups is what the medicine itself added.11,12

Average weight lost. Kilograms are for someone who starts at 90 kg (198 lb).

STEP 1Semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy), weekly

1,961 adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes. 68 weeks.11

Semaglutide14.9%about 13 kg
Dummy injection2.4%about 2 kg
SURMOUNT-1Tirzepatide 15 mg (Mounjaro), weekly

2,539 adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes. 72 weeks.12

Tirzepatide20.9%about 19 kg
Dummy injection3.1%about 3 kg

Which works better? You can't tell by comparing the two cards above, because they were different trials with different people. One trial, SURMOUNT-5, tested the two medicines against each other in the same group of people. Each person took the highest dose they could manage. It was paid for by Eli Lilly, the maker of tirzepatide.13 Tirzepatide also acts on a second gut hormone, called GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide), which may help explain the difference.14

SURMOUNT-5Tirzepatide vs semaglutide, head to head

751 adults with obesity, without diabetes. 72 weeks.13

Tirzepatide20.2%about 18 kg
Semaglutide13.7%about 12 kg

People with type 2 diabetes usually lose less. STEP 2 ran the same test in people with diabetes: about 9 kg lost instead of 13 kg, on the same dose.11,15

STEP 2Semaglutide 2.4 mg, people with diabetes

1,210 adults with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes. 68 weeks.15

Semaglutide9.6%about 9 kg
Dummy injection3.4%about 3 kg

All of these are averages. Some people lose much more, and some lose very little.11

RisksThe risks, in brief
44 in 100felt sick on Wegovy, against 16 in 100 on a dummy injection (US label)8
24 in 100vomited on Wegovy, against 6 in 100 on a dummy injection (US label)8
  • Pancreatitis (a swollen, painful pancreas) has been seen. Severe stomach pain that may spread to the back is a warning sign.8
  • Gallbladder problems, such as gallstones, are more common.8
  • Dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea can hurt the kidneys.8
  • Thyroid warning (US label). Semaglutide caused thyroid tumours in rodents. The US label says people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, or MEN 2 (a rare inherited condition that causes gland tumours), should not use it.8
  • Not in pregnancy. The EU Wegovy label says to stop semaglutide at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy.16
  • Report side effects to your doctor or pharmacist. In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Health takes reports by email at [email protected].9 How to report in the UAE
Full detail in Guide 5: Side effects and risks →
Weight usually comes back when you stop. In a STEP 1 follow-up, people had lost 17.3% on semaglutide. A year after stopping, they had regained about two-thirds of it, on average.17 More in Guide 9: Stopping

Not all the weight lost is fat. A scan study inside STEP 1 looked at 140 people. On semaglutide, fat fell by about 19% and lean mass by about 10%.18 In other words, people lost about a fifth of their fat and about a tenth of their lean mass. Lean mass means everything that isn't fat. It includes muscle, but also organs, bone and water.19 Guide 8 covers eating and exercise on these medicines.

Do the results hold for people of different ethnic backgrounds?

Trials in East Asian people show similar weight loss. None of the trials on this page was run specifically in South Asian or Black people.

  • Japan and South Korea (401 people, STEP 6): 13.2% of body weight lost on semaglutide 2.4 mg over 68 weeks, against 2.1% on a dummy injection.20
  • China (210 people, SURMOUNT-CN): 13.6% of body weight lost on tirzepatide 10 mg and 17.5% on 15 mg over 52 weeks, against 2.3% on a dummy injection.21
  • Japan (225 people analysed, SURMOUNT-J): people on tirzepatide lost about 16% (10 mg) and 21% (15 mg) more of their body weight than people on a dummy injection, over 72 weeks.22

In England, South Asian people at a BMI of about 24 have the same diabetes risk as white people at 30.23 Abu Dhabi's obesity standard notes that people of Asian origin start to face risk from a BMI above 23, though UAE rules for these medicines still use the WHO lines.24 Guide 1 explains the numbers UAE doctors use.

How is this different from metformin and other diabetes pills?

GLP-1 medicines lower blood sugar and also reduce appetite. They can be taken on their own or alongside metformin.25

Metformin mainly stops your liver releasing too much sugar and helps your body use insulin better. It doesn't make your pancreas release more insulin.26 In Abu Dhabi, the insurer Daman covers a GLP-1 for diabetes only after at least 6 months on metformin or other diabetes medicines without good enough control, among other conditions.2

HbA1c is a blood test showing your average sugar over the past few months. In a 30-week trial of Ozempic on its own, HbA1c started around 8.1% (65 mmol/mol). It fell by 1.4 to 1.6 percentage points, against 0.1 on a dummy injection.25 That means from about 8.1% to about 6.5–6.7%.

Watch for low blood sugar if you take other diabetes medicines. The risk goes up when GLP-1s are combined with insulin or sulfonylureas.8,25 Sulfonylureas include glimepiride, which can cause low sugar itself.27 Doctors may lower the dose of these when starting a GLP-1.8

The type 2 diabetes path covers this in more detail: I have type 2 diabetes.

Who these are for, and who they're not for

In the UAE, each brand is approved for set uses: type 2 diabetes, weight management, or both. Whether one suits you is a decision for you and a doctor.

  • Type 2 diabetes: Ozempic, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Victoza and Mounjaro, among others.2,4
  • Weight management: Wegovy (injection and pill), Mounjaro, Saxenda and Foundayo.2,6,3,5
  • Teenagers: news reports say Wegovy is approved in the UAE from age 12 under set medical criteria. Mounjaro is reported approved for type 2 diabetes from age 10, but not for weight loss in children.28 We could not find the regulator's own text.
  • Heart protection: the Wegovy pill was approved in June 2026 both for weight and to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart-related death in adults with heart disease and obesity or overweight.3
  • Fatty liver with scarring (MASH): the 2026 coverage policy of Daman, Abu Dhabi's national insurer, lists Wegovy for MASH as well as obesity.2

The label rules for weight are a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to 30 with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure.16,29 Dubai's guideline uses the same lines.30 Abu Dhabi's standard is stricter: a BMI of 30 or more with at least one weight-related condition, or over 40.24 These are points to start a conversation with a doctor, not a sign that you qualify.

Not tested in type 1 diabetes. The US Wegovy label says its use in people with type 1 diabetes has not been studied.8 (A label is the official prescribing document for a medicine. We use the US and EU labels because we could not find the UAE ones published online.)

Tirzepatide and the contraceptive pill. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) can make the pill work less well. The US Mounjaro label says to switch to a non-pill method, or add a barrier method such as condoms, for 4 weeks after starting and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.31

They're not for losing a few kilos before a wedding, Eid or a holiday. In the UAE they are approved for type 2 diabetes, or for obesity and overweight with a weight-related condition, not for cosmetic weight loss.2,3 They're long-term treatments, and weight tends to come back after stopping.17,32 If that's you, read I want to lose a few kilos.

Who shouldn't take them, and what to ask, is in Guide 4: Should I consider a GLP-1?

Which GLP-1 medicines are approved in the UAE?

Every GLP-1 medicine has two kinds of name: the name of the medicine itself, and the brand names it's sold under. Knowing the difference stops a lot of confusion.

The medicineWhat actually works in your bodyThe same chemical, whoever makes it. Doctors and labels use this name.
e.g. Paracetamol
The brandThe name on the boxChosen by the company selling it. One medicine can have many brands.
e.g. Panadol, Calpol

GLP-1 medicines work the same way. Semaglutide is the medicine, and Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus are brands of it. Two brands of the same medicine can still differ in dose, in whether they're an injection or a tablet, and in what they're approved for.

A generic is a copy made by another company once the patent ends. We found no generic semaglutide approved in the UAE.33 Liraglutide is the only one of these medicines with a second, local brand name on the insurer's list.2

The GLP-1 medicines approved in the UAE, and their brands

MedicineSemaglutide →Weekly injection, or a daily tablet
  • Wegovy injectionNovo Nordisk · weekly injectionFor weight management6,2
  • Wegovy pillNovo Nordisk · daily tablet, since June 2026For weight, and heart protection3
  • OzempicNovo Nordisk · weekly injectionFor type 2 diabetes2
  • RybelsusNovo Nordisk · daily tabletFor type 2 diabetes2
MedicineTirzepatide →Weekly injection
  • MounjaroEli Lilly · weekly KwikPen injectionFor type 2 diabetes and weight4,6
  • Not ZepboundZepbound is the US weight brand of tirzepatide. We found no sign it is sold in the UAE; here, tirzepatide for weight is Mounjaro.6
MedicineOrforglipronDaily tablet
  • FoundayoEli Lilly · daily tablet, approved April 2026. Can be taken at any time of day, with no food or water rules.For weight management5,29
MedicineDulaglutide →Weekly injection
  • TrulicityEli Lilly · weekly injectionFor type 2 diabetes2
MedicineLiraglutide →Daily injection
  • SaxendaNovo Nordisk · daily injectionFor weight management2
  • VictozaNovo Nordisk · daily injectionFor type 2 diabetes2
  • Other brandsFitura (weight) and LIRADIAB (diabetes) appear on the same insurer list.2

Names only, not a recommendation. Older diabetes medicines in the same family, exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon) and lixisenatide (Lyxumia), are also on the list.2 Doses, official prices and how to get them are in Guide 6.

UAE note: fakes are a real problem.
  • In October 2024, the Ministry of Health and Prevention found fake Mounjaro 15 mg pens. Lab tests could not find tirzepatide in them.34
  • In February 2025, Abu Dhabi's Department of Health warned of fake Ozempic and Mounjaro sold through social media, and told people not to buy them without a prescription or online.35
  • In July 2026, the Emirates Drug Establishment acted against 71 sources selling unapproved weight-loss products, including retatrutide, which is still being tested and is not approved.36
Guide 6 covers safe ways to get them.

Is Ozempic the same as Wegovy?

Same medicine, different brand. Both are semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk. They are licensed for different uses and go up to different doses.

  • Ozempic is approved in the UAE for type 2 diabetes. Its highest dose is 2 mg a week.2,25
  • Wegovy is approved for weight management. Its usual full dose is 2.4 mg a week. A higher 7.2 mg dose approved in Europe was not approved in the UAE as of March 2026.16,37

Using a medicine for something it isn't approved for is called "off-label". We found no UAE rule written about prescribing Ozempic off-label for weight. Insurers in Abu Dhabi list Ozempic for type 2 diabetes only.2 Wegovy is the semaglutide brand approved for weight.6

Mounjaro is a different medicine: tirzepatide, made by Eli Lilly.38

How long do they take to work, and how long do they last?

You start on a low dose and go up slowly, usually every 4 weeks. Weight loss builds over many months.16,11

In trials, stomach side effects happened mostly while the dose was still going up.12,13

Your doctor sets your dose. This is the EU label schedule for Wegovy injections, shown so you know what to expect. The same pen strengths, 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg, are sold in the UAE.16,10
  1. Weeks 1–40.25 mg once a week
  2. Weeks 5–80.5 mg
  3. Weeks 9–121 mg
  4. Weeks 13–161.7 mg
  5. Week 17 on2.4 mg, the full dose in the UAE

In STEP 1, average weight kept falling until about week 60, then levelled off.11 Abu Dhabi's obesity standard says to continue beyond 6 months only if you have lost at least 5% of your starting weight.24

Why once a week, and how long it stays in your body

Your body clears semaglutide slowly. About half of each dose is gone after a week, so one injection a week keeps enough in your blood.1,8

The same slow clearing means the medicine doesn't leave your body the day you stop taking it. After your last dose, it takes about 5 weeks to leave your blood.25

This matters most if you're planning a pregnancy. The EU Wegovy label says to stop semaglutide at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy, to give it time to leave your body.16

Do they do anything besides weight and sugar?

In one large trial, semaglutide lowered the combined risk of heart attack, stroke and heart-related death. Most of that came from fewer heart attacks.

The SELECT trial followed 17,604 people for about 3 years.39 All were 45 or older, had overweight or obesity, and no diabetes. All already had heart or blood-vessel disease: a past heart attack, a past stroke, or narrowed leg arteries.8

6.5 in 100had a heart attack, stroke or heart-related death on semaglutide39
8.0 in 100did on a dummy injection39

That's about 1 fewer event for every 67 people treated. Heart attacks fell from 3.8 to 2.8 in 100. Strokes went from 2.0 to 1.8 in 100, a difference too small to be sure of.8

This heart use is on the US Wegovy label.8 In the UAE, the Wegovy pill was approved in June 2026 with a heart-risk use, for adults with established heart disease and obesity or overweight.3 It applies to people who already have that disease, not to everyone.

Daman, Abu Dhabi's national insurer, also lists Wegovy for fatty liver with scarring (MASH) in its 2026 policy.2

What these medicines do not do

  • They're not a cure. On average, people regained two-thirds of the lost weight within a year of stopping.17
  • They don't burn fat. They work by cutting how much you eat, not by speeding up your body.7
  • They're not a short course. WHO treats obesity as a long-term condition needing lifelong care.32
  • They don't replace food changes. Dubai's guideline adds medicine to a lifestyle programme, not in place of one.30
  • They're not for cosmetic weight loss. They're approved for diabetes and for obesity or overweight with a weight-related condition, and should only be used under a doctor's care.9,3

Are these medicines new?

No. The first GLP-1 medicine was approved in the US in 2005. What's new is how strong and long-lasting they've become, and that some now come as tablets.40,3

The first one, exenatide, came from a substance found in the saliva of a lizard, the Gila monster.1 Later versions were changed to last longer in the body. Half of each semaglutide dose is cleared in about a week.1,8

  1. 2005Exenatide (Byetta) approved in the US40
  2. Aug 2022Mounjaro available in the UAE, the second country after the US to approve it4
  3. Oct 2024Health authorities warn of fake Mounjaro pens34
  4. Apr 2026Foundayo (orforglipron) approved, second in the world after the US5
  5. Jun 2026Wegovy pill approved and launched, the first launch outside the US3,41
  6. Jul 2026Regulator acts against sellers of unapproved weight-loss products36

Questions people ask

What does GLP-1 stand for?

Glucagon-like peptide-1. It's a hormone your gut makes after you eat.1

Is Ozempic approved for weight loss in the UAE?

No. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes.2 Wegovy is the same medicine, semaglutide, approved for weight management, as an injection or a daily pill.6,3 See Ozempic vs Wegovy.

Is a GLP-1 medicine the same as insulin?

No. Insulin lowers blood sugar directly. GLP-1 medicines help your body release its own insulin when sugar is high, and they also reduce appetite.1

Why is it an injection once a week?

Half of each semaglutide dose is cleared in about a week, which is why it's taken once a week.1,8 Your own GLP-1 lasts 1 to 2 minutes.1 Some newer versions are daily tablets instead.3,5

Can food or supplements do the same thing?

Eating does release your own GLP-1, but your body clears it within minutes.1 The medicines are built to last about a week.8 Abu Dhabi's Department of Health warns not to buy weight-loss injections without a prescription, online or through adverts and social media.35

Do I need a prescription in the UAE?

Yes. They are prescription-only medicines, and a pharmacy needs a prescription from a UAE-licensed doctor.9,10 In Abu Dhabi, a doctor with DoH-approved obesity training decides when to start one for weight, and an online doctor must see you on a live audio or video call before prescribing.24,42 Guide 6 explains the rules in each emirate.

Before you move on

  • GLP-1 medicines mostly work by making you eat less.
  • Wegovy and Ozempic are both semaglutide; Mounjaro is tirzepatide.
  • Stomach side effects are common, and there are rarer serious risks.
  • They're long-term. Weight usually returns after stopping.
  • In the UAE they're prescription-only, from a UAE-licensed doctor.
Side effects and risksShould I consider a GLP-1?I have type 2 diabetes
Was this guide easy to understand?

Sources

  1. Müller TD et al. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Molecular Metabolism, 2019;30:72–130. doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2019.09.010 · PMID 31767182
  2. 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 of GLP-1 brands and approved uses; diabetes cover conditions, including at least 6 months on metformin or other agents; obesity medicines covered only within the Thiqa obesity programme). Checked 12 October 2026. PDF
  3. Khaleej Times. UAE approves Wegovy for weight loss and cardiovascular risk reduction (the Wegovy pill, approved by the Emirates Drug Establishment: "long-term weight management in adults with obesity or overweight linked to weight-related medical conditions", and to reduce the risk of major heart events in adults with established heart disease). 1 June 2026. khaleejtimes.com
  4. Gulf News. Mounjaro injection for type 2 diabetes, weight management now available ("UAE is the second country after the USA to have this medication approved"). 31 August 2022. gulfnews.com
  5. The National. UAE approves weight-loss pill Foundayo (orforglipron), the second country after the US, with availability expected the following month. 5 April 2026. thenationalnews.com
  6. 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"). Checked 12 October 2026. PDF
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  8. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information, US label (FDA), revised June 2026. Not the UAE label. DailyMed
  9. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 March 2026, relaying an alert on fake GLP-1 products ("GLP-1 receptor agonists … are prescription-only medicines"; unregistered products sold online and on social media; reports to [email protected]). Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae
  10. Product listings of three national pharmacy chains for Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro ("can only be dispensed against a valid prescription from a registered doctor"; Wegovy FlexTouch 0.25 to 2.4 mg). Checked 12 October 2026. Not linked: we don't link to sellers.
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  15. Davies M et al. Semaglutide 2·4 mg once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, and type 2 diabetes (STEP 2). Lancet, 2021;397:971–84. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00213-0
  16. European Medicines Agency. Wegovy (semaglutide), product information (EU label), sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.6. Not the UAE label. PDF
  17. Wilding JPH et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: the STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2022;24:1553–64. doi:10.1111/dom.14725
  18. Wilding JPH et al. Impact of semaglutide on body composition in adults with overweight or obesity: exploratory analysis of the STEP 1 study. Conference abstract, 2021. 140 people in a body-scan substudy of STEP 1. Abstract PDF
  19. Neeland IJ, Linge J, Birkenfeld AL. Changes in lean body mass with GLP-1-based therapies and mitigation strategies. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2024;26 Suppl 4:16–27. doi:10.1111/dom.15728
  20. Kadowaki T et al. Semaglutide once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes, in an east Asian population (STEP 6). Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2022;10:193–206. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(22)00008-0
  21. Zhao L et al. Tirzepatide for weight reduction in Chinese adults with obesity (SURMOUNT-CN). JAMA, 2024;332:551–60. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.9217
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  24. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity, DOH/ST/HPS/Non-Surgical-MO/V1/2025, February 2025 (Asian origin and BMI over 23; GLP-1 starting criteria; "Continue beyond 6 months only if the patient has lost at least 5% of their initial body weight"; obesity-certified physician decides when to start). Checked 12 October 2026. doh.gov.ae
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  26. Metformin hydrochloride prescribing information, US label (FDA), via DailyMed, September 2026. DailyMed
  27. Glimepiride tablets prescribing information, US label (FDA), via DailyMed, September 2026. DailyMed
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  29. Khaleej Times. Foundayo obesity pill approved in the UAE: prescription, eligibility and availability (BMI 30 or more, or over 27 with a weight-related condition). 17 April 2026. khaleejtimes.com
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  31. Eli Lilly. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) prescribing information, US label (FDA), sections 7.2 and 8.3 (oral hormonal contraceptives). Not the UAE label. Lilly
  32. World Health Organization. WHO issues global guideline on the use of GLP-1 medicines in treating obesity. 1 December 2025. WHO
  33. AGBI. Fat chance: Globalpharma paves way for Ozempic alternatives (preparing generic GLP-1s "once regulatory approvals are secured"). May 2025. agbi.com
  34. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 208/2024, 25 October 2024, relaying a Ministry of Health and Prevention alert on a counterfeit Mounjaro 15 mg/0.5 ml single-dose pen pack (the Ministry's lab could not identify tirzepatide). Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae
  35. 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 or over the internet. Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae
  36. Gulf News. UAE weight-loss drug crackdown: 71 sources, 14 influencers face action (Emirates Drug Establishment; retatrutide "remains under clinical investigation"). 25 July 2026. gulfnews.com
  37. 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. gulfnews.com
  38. European Medicines Agency. Mounjaro (tirzepatide), product information (EU label). Not the UAE label. PDF
  39. Lincoff AM et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes (SELECT). NEJM, 2023;389:2221–32. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2307563
  40. US Food and Drug Administration. Byetta (exenatide) NDA 021773, approved 28 April 2005. 2005 label (FDA)
  41. Novo Nordisk press release via BioSpace. Wegovy pill launches in the UAE ("first country outside the United States to make the Wegovy pill available"), 3 June 2026. biospace.com
  42. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard on Tele-Medicine, DOH/SA/TLM/0.9/2020, effective 16 September 2020 ("The physician must have real-time audio/video communication with the patient before issuing the prescription"). doh.gov.ae

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due Jan 2027 · Report an error

How this guide was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above: published trials, US and EU drug labels, guidance and alerts from UAE health authorities, and named reports. Where we cite a US or EU label, we say so. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. In a medical emergency, call 998 for an ambulance, or 999. How we write