What do GLP-1 medicines cost in Australia? PBS scripts, private scripts and the costs around them

Why doesn’t this page list prices?

Australian rules treat price information for prescription medicines as advertising, and only pharmacies and a few approved doctors may publish it.⁹

The TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) regulates medicine advertising. Its guidance says price information “can only be produced and distributed by” community pharmacists, pharmacy marketing groups and certain approved doctors.⁹ Even they must publish lists of 25 medicines or more, in alphabetical order, with no claims.⁹

We are an independent guide, not a pharmacy. So we explain how the costs work and where the official figures live. For today’s PBS charges, the PBS website publishes the current patient fees.¹

The rule has a purpose. The TGA says permitted price lists help “promote competition amongst retailers”, without steering you to one medicine.⁹ The PBS website notes that prices can vary from one pharmacy to the next, even for PBS medicines.

What does a PBS script cost you?

A capped co-payment per script, lower if you have a concession card, with the government paying the rest of the medicine’s price.¹

The PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) sets a general co-payment and a lower concession co-payment. The general amount is indexed each 1 January from 2027; the concession amount stays the same until 2029.¹ The PBS Safety Net lowers what you pay once a family’s PBS spending passes a yearly threshold.¹

For GLP-1 medicines, a PBS script exists only for type 2 diabetes. The PBS lists Ozempic and Trulicity, under criteria that include an HbA1c above 7%.^2,3 A first Ozempic script needs a telephone or online authority from the doctor.^3,10

GLP-1 medicines are also excluded from 60-day dispensing, which covers most other diabetes medicines.³ So each PBS supply covers about a month, with its own co-payment. Our post on Ozempic and the PBS criteria walks through each rule.

What does a private script cost you?

The full price, with no government subsidy. The pharmacy sets it, and it usually goes up with the strength of the pen.^1,11

Every GLP-1 script for weight is private. Wegovy was not PBS-listed on 1 October 2026, and Mounjaro’s listing process had ceased.^4,5 A doctor can also write a private script for a PBS medicine if you don’t meet its criteria.

Price rises with dose. In the price table of the 2024 Australian Obesity Management Algorithm, higher-strength Wegovy and Mounjaro pens cost more than starting-strength pens.¹¹ As your dose climbs, so does your pharmacy bill.

The highest Wegovy dose costs more again. The 7.2 mg weekly dose is given as 3 injections of 2.4 mg, so it uses three times the medicine of a 2.4 mg week.⁷ See Wegovy 7.2 mg in Australia.

How many pens does a year take?

Thirteen. A Mounjaro KwikPen and a Wegovy FlexTouch pen each hold 4 weekly doses, and a year has 52 weeks.^6,7

Budget in pens, not months. Twelve “monthly” pens cover only 48 weeks, so a year needs 13.^6,7

The first pens are lower strengths. Mounjaro starts at 2.5 mg for 4 weeks, then 5 mg, rising in 2.5 mg steps of at least 4 weeks.⁶ Wegovy climbs over 16 weeks through 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 1.7 mg to 2.4 mg.⁷

So the first few months often cost less than later ones. Your prescriber may move more slowly or stop at a lower dose. Australian guidance says weight medicines “will usually be required long-term”, so price the second year too.¹¹

What other costs come with it?

Doctor visits, and sometimes a telehealth program fee. Medicare pays a rebate for telehealth only when the doctor is your eligible telehealth practitioner.¹⁴

Your GP. Medicare rebates a GP visit in person. For a telehealth rebate, the doctor or practice must have seen you face to face in the past 12 months. Being registered with the practice through MyMedicare also counts.¹⁴

Online services. Many weight services are private and charge their own fees. Our post on getting a script online covers what a proper consult looks like.

Insurance. Some private health extras policies pay a part of a private script, and some exclude weight-loss medicines. See private health insurance and GLP-1s.^15,16

Questions people ask

How we researched this

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