How this works
Prices. We use the official price to the public in Abu Dhabi's drug list, released 26 September 2026 and effective 2 October 2026, for the pack named. UAE medicine prices are set by the authorities, with fixed margins for distributors and pharmacies, so the price is the same across the country.
How long a pack lasts. A pen of 4 weekly doses, or a pack of 4 weekly pens, lasts 4 weeks (28 days). A pack of 30 tablets lasts 30 days. Saxenda and Victoza pens each hold 18 mg of liraglutide, so a pack lasts longer at a low dose: Saxenda's 5 pens last 30 days at 3 mg a day and 150 days at 0.6 mg; Victoza's 2 pens last 30 days at 1.2 mg. The Ozempic 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg pens sold here are 1.5 ml pens with 4 needles, and the label says each delivers 4 doses, so we count 4 weekly doses a pen at every strength.
Months. Each day costs the pack price divided by the days the pack lasts at that dose. We count a year as 52 weeks (364 days), so a month is about 30.3 days, or about 4.3 weekly doses: 52 weekly doses (13 pens) a year, or 364 daily tablets (about 12 packs of 30). Pharmacies dispense whole pens and packs, so the last one may cost more than shown.
Dose steps. "Label's dose steps" moves up the ladder in the label: Mounjaro starts at 2.5 mg and goes up 2.5 mg at a time after at least 4 weeks, to at most 15 mg; Wegovy has 4 weeks each at 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 1.7 mg, then 2.4 mg; Ozempic has 4 weeks at 0.25 mg, then 0.5 mg, with steps to 1 and 2 mg after at least 4 weeks; Saxenda goes up 0.6 mg a week from 0.6 mg to 3 mg; Victoza starts at 0.6 mg for a week, then 1.2 mg, then 1.8 mg if needed; Trulicity steps from 1.5 mg to 3 mg and 4.5 mg, 4 weeks apart; Rybelsus has 30 days each at 3 mg and 7 mg, then 14 mg if needed. For the Wegovy pill and Foundayo, set the doses with your doctor. Mounjaro and Rybelsus cost the same at every strength, so the dose doesn't change their cost.
My own plan. You set each step in whole weeks, starting from the label's steps; the last step runs to the end. A weekly medicine is 1 dose a week, so a pen of 4 doses lasts 4 weeks. A daily medicine is 7 doses a week, priced by the day as above. Weeks become months on the same rule, 52 weeks a year: 26 weeks is 6 months. A label step given in days (Rybelsus: 30 days) stays at 4 weeks and 2 days until you change it. Left as filled in, it gives the same total, month by month, as the label's steps.
Diabetes medicines. Ozempic, Rybelsus, Victoza and Trulicity are approved for type 2 diabetes only. Using them for weight loss is off-label, and insurers treat the two uses differently.
Insurance. We explain it rather than compute it: it depends on your emirate, your policy and why the medicine is prescribed.
What this can't tell you
It can't tell you what a clinic or telehealth service will charge, what your insurer will pay, or which medicine or dose is right for you. Generic liraglutide pens are also in Abu Dhabi's list (Fitura, Liradiab and Viclutide), but we couldn't find what each is approved for, so they aren't in the calculator yet. Byetta and Bydureon (exenatide) and Lyxumia (lixisenatide) are still in the list with prices last changed in 2014 to 2016, but their makers have withdrawn them in Europe and we couldn't confirm they're sold here, so they're left out. Combined insulin pens (Xultophy, Soliqua) are dosed in insulin units and aren't included. The Wegovy 7.2 mg dose isn't approved in the UAE. No generic semaglutide is sold here, and Zepbound isn't marketed: tirzepatide for weight is sold as Mounjaro.
Questions people ask
How much is Mounjaro in the UAE?
Abu Dhabi's public drug list gives an official price of AED 1,734 for a Mounjaro KwikPen, the same at every strength from 2.5 to 15 mg (effective 2 October 2026). One pen holds 4 weekly doses, so a year of 52 doses is 13 pens, about AED 22,542.
How much is Wegovy in the UAE?
The official price per FlexTouch pen of 4 weekly doses is AED 743.50 at 0.25 and 0.5 mg, AED 1,145.50 at 1 mg, AED 1,440 at 1.7 mg and AED 1,712 at 2.4 mg. The Wegovy pill costs AED 779 for 30 tablets at 1.5 and 4 mg, AED 1,199 at 9 mg and AED 1,610 at 25 mg.
Is the price the same at every pharmacy?
Medicine prices in the UAE are set by the authorities, with fixed margins for distributors and pharmacies. The prices here come from Abu Dhabi's public drug list, effective 2 October 2026. Doctor and telehealth fees are separate.
Does insurance pay for these medicines in the UAE?
For weight loss, rarely. Dubai's basic plan excludes medicines for weight reduction, and in Abu Dhabi Daman covers obesity medicines only through the Thiqa obesity programme. Cover for type 2 diabetes is more common, with conditions. The calculator explains this rather than guessing a number.
Is this what I'll actually pay?
Treat it as a rough estimate for planning, not a quote. It uses the official prices in Abu Dhabi's public drug list and the label's dose steps. Your prescriber's plan, the pharmacy, dose changes and what your insurance covers, including any co-pay, can all change the real figure, and doctor or telehealth fees are extra.
Why doesn't the calculator include doctor or programme fees?
They aren't official prices: each clinic or telehealth service sets its own. We only use the official medicine prices, and we never name or rank a seller.
