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Guide 7 of 9 · Stage: Do it safely

Choosing where to get a GLP-1 in Australia: your GP, telehealth or a clinic

Your own GP, telehealth doctors, subscription weight programmes and specialist clinics all prescribe GLP-1 medicines. Here is how each route works, what you pay for, the rules they must follow, and how to check one before you hand over your details.

GLP Guidebook teamUpdated 12 Oct 202614 min read33 sourcesWritten from published sources
The short answer

Start with your own GP, who knows your health and can bulk-bill or claim Medicare for the visit. If you use telehealth, choose a doctor you can check on the Ahpra register, who talks to you in real time by video or phone, shares notes with your GP, and tells you the full monthly cost at your top dose before you pay. Never buy drops, patches, "peptides" or compounded versions, or anything from social media or overseas.

Key facts

Who prescribes
Any registered prescriber, including your GP; no specialist-only rule found1
Telehealth
A real-time consultation is expected; a questionnaire or chat alone isn't good practice2,3
What you pay
  • Type 2 diabetes: Ozempic or Trulicity can be on the PBS4
  • Weight: the full price on a private script; no PBS subsidy5
Under watch
The TGA has fined telehealth businesses and pharmacies for advertising, and Ahpra may investigate high prescribers without a complaint6,7
On this page
  1. Why are there so many providers?
  2. What kinds of provider are there?
  3. Who pays?
  4. How does a telehealth service run?
  5. What should each part look like?
  6. How do they charge?
  7. What are the rules in Australia?
  8. How do I check a provider?
  9. Checklist before you sign up
  10. Red flags
  11. Questions people ask
We don't name, rank, price or link to providers. In Australia, content that links to services promoting a prescription medicine, or shows its price, can count as advertising that medicine.8,9 So this guide describes the kinds of provider and the rules they follow, so you can check any of them yourself. We take no money from any of them.

Why are there so many providers?

Demand rose fast, supply was short for years, and no GLP-1 is subsidised for weight, so most people pay privately.

  • 2022–2025Ozempic was in shortage; for a time doctors were asked not to start new patients on it.10,11
  • Jun 2024Ahpra and the National Boards warned about telehealth services built around a "predetermined medicine".12
  • Jul 2024The TGA fined telehealth businesses over unlawful advertising of weight-loss medicines.6
  • Aug–Sep 2024Wegovy went on sale, and Mounjaro was approved for weight management.11,13
  • Oct 2024Pharmacy-made (compounded) GLP-1s were banned.14
  • Jul 2025About 420,000 Australians were getting semaglutide or tirzepatide privately.15
  • Sep 2026Ahpra said it may investigate high prescribers of these medicines even without a complaint.7

What kinds of provider are there?

Four main routes, plus private health insurance, and sellers that act illegally. They differ in who prescribes, what support you get, and how you pay.

None of the routes is automatically safer. A careful telehealth doctor can be better than a rushed visit anywhere else. What matters is whether the parts in the sections below are done properly.

1Your usual GP

A face-to-face or telehealth visit with the GP who knows your history. They can write a PBS script for type 2 diabetes if you meet the criteria, or a private script for weight.1,4

Usually included
The consultation, often with Medicare paying some or all of it, and a script you can fill at any pharmacy.16
Suits
Most people, and anyone with diabetes, heart or kidney problems to manage alongside.
Watch
Your GP can bring in a dietitian, exercise physiologist or psychologist, and refer you on if needed.17
2Specialist or hospital obesity service

A specialist, such as an endocrinologist, or a hospital or private obesity team, usually after a GP referral.

Usually included
Specialist and team care. The Australian algorithm says people with a BMI over 40 and weight-related complications are best managed in specialist care.17
Suits
People with a higher BMI or several health problems, or weighing medicine against surgery.
Watch
You need a referral. We didn't research waiting times or costs.
3Telehealth doctor, paid per consultation

An online GP service where you book a video or phone consultation, and the doctor sends a script to a pharmacy you choose.

Usually included
A consultation. You pay the medicine separately at the pharmacy.16
Suits
People who can't easily see their own GP.
Watch
Medicare usually only rebates telehealth with a GP you've seen face to face in the last 12 months or are registered with through MyMedicare, so this is often private.16
4Subscription weight programme

An online service selling a monthly programme: consultations, the medicine, delivery and an app or coaching, often for a set term.

Usually included
Medicine, delivery and an app. Some charge less per month if you pay for a longer term up front.
Suits
People who want regular coaching between doses.
Watch
Ahpra has raised concerns about services "designed solely to provide customers with access to a predetermined medicine", often with a linked pharmacy.12 Check how long you're tied in, and whether a doctor, not only a coach, reviews you.
5Private health insurance

Not a provider, but some extras policies pay part of a non-PBS script.

Usually included
A benefit only above the PBS co-payment, within yearly limits.18
Suits
People whose policy includes it.
Watch
Some insurers exclude weight-loss medicines.19 Ask your fund in writing before you count on it.
Not a provider: social media, "peptide" sellers and overseas websites. The TGA has found "GLP-1" drops, liquids and patches that contained no GLP-1 at all, some sold with fake endorsements.20,21 A fake "retatrutide" put its user in hospital.22 Counterfeits can't be imported under the Personal Importation Scheme.23

Who pays?

It depends on why the medicine is prescribed. The PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) subsidises GLP-1 medicines only for type 2 diabetes.4,5

Type 2 diabetes
  • Ozempic and Trulicity are on the PBS if an SGLT2 inhibitor hasn't worked or suited you and your HbA1c stays above 7% on other treatment. The first script needs authority approval.4
  • You pay the PBS co-payment, less with a concession card.24
  • Mounjaro isn't on the PBS: its maker turned down the price terms in 2026.25
Weight management
  • No GLP-1 is on the PBS for weight. You pay the full price on a private script.5
  • The PBAC recommended Wegovy for people with heart disease and a high BMI in November 2025, but it hadn't been listed by July 2026.5,26
The doctor's visit
  • Medicare rebates GP visits. For telehealth, you usually need a face-to-face visit with that practice in the last 12 months, or MyMedicare registration.16
  • Subscription programmes set their own fees.

These are points to discuss with your GP, not a promise that you qualify. Guide 4 helps you think through whether a GLP-1 fits you at all, and Guide 6 explains who pays in more detail.

How does a telehealth service run?

Most follow the same steps. The ones to slow down at are the consultation and the checks in steps 2 and 3.

1
Online formYour health history, medicines, height and weight. On its own, this isn't enough to prescribe.2
2
A real-time consultationBy video or phone, with a doctor who looks at your whole health. An online chat doesn't count.2,3
3
The doctor decidesIncluding whether a GLP-1 is right for you at all, and what else could help.12
4
Telling your GPWith your consent, so your usual doctor knows what you're taking. Ask for this.
5
Medicine from an Australian pharmacyDelivered cold or collected. Check the pack when it arrives.
6
Follow-upYour progress and side effects reviewed, especially as the dose goes up.17

Based on the Medical Board's telehealth guidelines and Ahpra's guidance for practitioners.2,12

The steps look the same from the outside. The differences are in who does each one and how carefully, which the next section covers.

What should each part look like?

Six parts, each with what good looks like and the warning sign to watch for.

1The prescriber

  • You can't find out who prescribesAhpra says it may investigate practitioners with high prescribing rates of these medicines.7
    You get the doctor's full name and can find them on the Ahpra register, including any conditions on their registration.27

2The consultation

  • Only a form, a chat or a "quick call"Prescribing after a questionnaire alone, when the doctor has never spoken with you, isn't supported by the Medical Board.2
    A real conversation by video, phone or in person, and a full assessment.2,12
  • Your weight taken on trustThe product information for weight starts at a BMI of 30, or 27 with a weight-related condition.28,29
    The doctor checks your weight and any condition that matters, not just your word.

3Your GP and your records

  • Nobody asks about your GPYour GP may be treating you for things that matter, such as diabetes or other medicines.
    The doctor asks your consent to tell your GP, and asks about your other medicines.

4The medicine

  • Vials, powders, drops or "peptides"Compounded GLP-1s are banned, and the TGA has found products with no GLP-1 in them.14,20
    A brand-name medicine approved in Australia, in its sealed pack, from an Australian pharmacy, kept cold. Guide 8 covers storage.
  • One medicine offered to everyoneAhpra warns that some services offer a "predetermined medicine" without weighing up whether it suits you.12
    The doctor talks through other options, including no medicine.

5Diet, coaching and the app

  • The medicine sold as the whole answerThe Australian algorithm makes supervised lifestyle change part of every plan, and a 2026 heart consensus says these medicines complement it.17,30
    Advice on eating enough protein and doing strength exercise to protect muscle (see Guide 8). Questions about side effects or your dose go to a doctor, not only an app or a coach.

6Reviews and stopping

  • Doses keep going up with no reviewRepeat supplies sent on a timer, with no one asking how you are.
    Regular reviews against targets you set together, as the Australian algorithm suggests, and a plan for stopping (see Guide 9).17

How do they charge?

For weight, the medicine is the biggest part of the bill, it's paid every month, and its price rises as your dose goes up.17

We don't publish any provider's or pharmacy's prices. They change often and depend on the plan. Below is how the fees are usually built.

Your GP and a pharmacyThe GP visit (Medicare may pay some or all), then the pharmacy's price for the script.16
Telehealth, per consultationA fee for each consultation, often without a Medicare rebate, then the pharmacy's price for the medicine.16
Subscription programmeOne monthly fee for consultations, medicine and delivery, sometimes cheaper per month if you prepay a longer term, but you're tied in.
PBS, for type 2 diabetesThe PBS co-payment for Ozempic or Trulicity, if you meet the criteria.4,24
Ask one question before you pay: "What will I pay each month, all in, once I'm on my full dose?" A starting-dose price looks cheaper than it will be. Your pharmacist can tell you what a script costs at each strength.

Budget in years, not months: Guide 9 explains what happens to your weight when you stop. A long prepaid plan isn't automatically good value if you may need to stop or change medicine early.

What are the rules in Australia?

Every provider, online or not, works under the same rules on prescribing, consultations and advertising.

All GLP-1 medicines are prescription-only (Schedule 4).1 Only authorised health practitioners can prescribe, dispense or supply them.23

Telehealth (Medical Board, in effect since September 2023)
  • Prescribing without a real-time consultation, in person, by video or by phone, "is not good practice and is not supported by the Board".2
  • That includes requests made by text, email, live chat or an online form, when the doctor has never spoken with you.2,3
Who the medicines are approved for
  • For weight: adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to 29.9 with at least one weight-related condition.28,29
  • Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss, and promoting it for weight loss is illegal.31,32
Advertising
  • Prescription medicines can't be advertised to the public.32
  • The TGA treats words like "weight-loss injections" or "peptides", pictures of an injection pen, eligibility quizzes, testimonials and services that present themselves as a way to get a specific medicine as likely advertising.8
Enforcement
  • Since 2024 the TGA has fined telehealth businesses, compounding pharmacies and pharmacies for advertising weight-loss medicines.6
  • Compounded GLP-1s have been banned since October 2024.14
  • Ahpra may investigate high prescribers even without a complaint.7

How do I check a provider?

Every doctor, nurse and pharmacist in Australia should be on Ahpra's public register. Look them up before you share your details.27

Doctors, nurses and pharmacistsSearch Ahpra's registers of practitioners by name. It also shows any conditions that limit what they can do.27
The medicineIt should be a brand approved in Australia, from an Australian pharmacy. Guide 6 lists the approved brands.
Something went wrong?Report side effects or a suspect product to the TGA, or ask your doctor or pharmacist to.33 Guide 5 explains how.

Checklist before you sign up

Tick as you go. Any box you can't tick is a question to ask before you pay.

Before you pay

At the consultation

Once you're in

For questions to ask about the medicine itself, use Guide 6's question list or the doctor-visit tool.

Red flags

Any one of these is a reason to stop and look elsewhere.

  • Ads, testimonials or "TGA approved" claimsAdvertising prescription medicines to the public is illegal, and the TGA has fined businesses for it.6,32
    Offers a consultation first; the medicine is discussed only after it.
  • Drops, patches, "peptides" or retatrutideThe TGA found "GLP-1" drops and patches contained no GLP-1, and a fake "retatrutide" held about 8 times the approved semaglutide level.20,22
    Supplies only medicines approved in Australia, in their own packs.
  • Compounded "semaglutide" or "tirzepatide"Compounding these medicines has been banned since October 2024.14
    A brand-name medicine from an Australian pharmacy.
  • No real conversationA questionnaire, a chat, or a doctor you never speak to.2,3
    Talks to you in real time by video, phone or in person.
  • Sold for looks, or for a few kilos before a holidayThe approved uses for weight start at a BMI of 27 with a weight-related condition.28
    Prescribes only where it fits your health, and says no when it doesn't.
  • Promises of how much you'll loseTrial results are averages: some people lose much more, some very little.
    Quotes trial results with the trial's name, length and dose, and says results vary. See Guide 2.

Already signed up and worried? Don't stop your medicine without talking to a doctor first; your own GP is a good place to start. Report side effects or a suspect product to the TGA.33

Questions people ask

Can my GP prescribe a GLP-1, or do I need a specialist?

Your GP can. All GLP-1 medicines are prescription-only, and we found no rule limiting them to specialists.1 Your GP can refer you to a specialist if your health needs it.17

Is a telehealth doctor as safe as my GP?

It can be, if a registered doctor talks to you in real time and looks at your whole health. The Medical Board doesn't support prescribing from a questionnaire or chat alone.2,3 What matters is a doctor you can check, a real consultation and follow-up.

Why should they tell my GP?

Your GP may be treating conditions or prescribing medicines that matter, such as diabetes treatment, and needs to know what you take. Ask any service to share notes with your GP.

Do I need a programme, or just a prescriber?

You need a prescriber. A programme adds coaching and an app, which some people find helpful. Australian guidance makes diet and activity support part of every plan, wherever it comes from.17

Will Medicare cover a telehealth weight consultation?

Usually only if you've had a face-to-face visit with that practice in the last 12 months, or are registered with it through MyMedicare.16 Many online weight services are private.

What if I'm told a GLP-1 isn't right for me?

That's the check working. Ask what to do instead; Guide 3 covers the other options.

Before you move on

  • Start with your own GP if you can.
  • Find the doctor on the Ahpra register.
  • Expect a real-time consultation, and a request to tell your GP.
  • Get the all-in monthly cost at your full dose, in writing.
  • Never buy drops, patches, "peptides" or compounded versions.
Getting a prescription, and the medicinesShould I consider a GLP-1?Stopping and the long term
Was this guide easy to understand?

Sources

  1. Healthdirect Australia. Wegovy: medicine information ("Schedule 4: Prescription Only Medicine"). healthdirect.gov.au
  2. Medical Board of Australia. Guidelines: Telehealth consultations with patients, in effect 1 September 2023 ("Prescribing … without a real-time direct consultation, whether in-person, via video or telephone, is not good practice and is not supported by the Board"). medicalboard.gov.au
  3. Ahpra. Information for practitioners who provide virtual care ("The Boards do not consider an online chat to be a synchronous (in real time) consultation"). Updated 7 October 2025. ahpra.gov.au
  4. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Type 2 diabetes mellitus pharmacotherapy diagram, at 1 December 2024 (GLP-1 RA subsidised after an SGLT2 inhibitor is contraindicated, not tolerated or not effective, with HbA1c above 7% on metformin, a sulfonylurea or insulin). pbs.gov.au
  5. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Medicine status: semaglutide (Wegovy), document 1460 ("Medicine listed on PBS: Has not yet occurred"), updated 23 July 2026. pbs.gov.au
  6. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Media release on telehealth businesses fined for alleged unlawful advertising of weight-loss medicines (including alleged claims that medicines were "TGA approved"). Media release, 12 July 2024. tga.gov.au
  7. newsGP (RACGP). Ahpra launches new guidance in peptide prescribing ("We may investigate the practice of practitioners with high rates of prescribing or compounding of any scheduled medicine, even if we have not received a complaint"). 16 September 2026. racgp.org.au
  8. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Complying with the restrictions on advertising prescription medicines to the public. Guidance, 18 June 2026. tga.gov.au
  9. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Determining if your content is advertising (price and availability information, links and a seller's financial interest point to advertising). Updated 7 April 2026. tga.gov.au
  10. Diabetes Australia. Ozempic supply returning to normal in Australia ("doctors can now prescribe Ozempic for new patients"). 23 July 2025. diabetesaustralia.com.au
  11. newsGP (RACGP). Wegovy launches in Australia (available from 5 August 2024). racgp.org.au
  12. Ahpra and National Boards. Joint statement on prescribing and dispensing ("services designed solely to provide customers with access to a predetermined medicine"). 3 June 2024. ahpra.gov.au
  13. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Australian Public Assessment Report (AusPAR): Mounjaro, chronic weight management (decision 9 September 2024; on the ARTG 10 September 2024). tga.gov.au
  14. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Update: glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) pharmacy compounding changes (no compounding of any GLP-1 RA from 1 October 2024). Media release, 18 June 2024. tga.gov.au
  15. newsGP (RACGP). Wegovy recommended for PBS listing ("approximately 420,000 Australians were receiving semaglutide or tirzepatide through private markets as of July 2025"). 19 December 2025. racgp.org.au
  16. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. MBS factsheet: Medical practitioners, non-referred MBS telehealth services (face-to-face service in the previous 12 months, or MyMedicare registration from 1 November 2025). Updated 23 October 2025. mbsonline.gov.au
  17. Markovic TP, Proietto J, Dixon JB et al. The Australian Obesity Management Algorithm. Australian Diabetes Society, with ANZOS, ANZMOSS and the RACGP, July 2024. diabetessociety.com.au
  18. HIF. Can you claim for weight loss drugs on your extras cover? ("Benefits can only be paid on non-PBS prescription items"; "The cost of the item must exceed the current PBS co-payment"). 30 July 2026. Insurer article. hif.com.au
  19. The Nightly. Private health insurer HBF tightens belt on weight-loss drug coverage (Saxenda, Contrave, Duromine, Wegovy and compounded weight-loss medicines dropped from 9 July 2024). 1 May 2024. News report. thenightly.com.au
  20. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Counterfeit weight loss products claiming to contain GLP-1 (laboratory testing found "no GLP-1 or any GLP-1 analogues"). Safety advisory, 2 March 2026. tga.gov.au
  21. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Imported unregistered GLP-1 weight loss products (oral "GLP-1 peptide" drops with fake endorsements). Safety advisory, 29 September 2025. tga.gov.au
  22. Therapeutic Goods Administration. TGA tests counterfeit retatrutide product following serious adverse event report (contained undeclared semaglutide, "approximately 8 times higher" than approved levels). Safety advisory, 14 September 2026. tga.gov.au
  23. Therapeutic Goods Administration. How we regulate therapeutic peptide products (Personal Importation Scheme conditions; counterfeits cannot be imported). tga.gov.au
  24. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. What are the current patient fees and charges? (the co-payment set from 1 January 2026, lower with a concession card, and the safety net). pbs.gov.au
  25. newsGP (RACGP). Mounjaro manufacturer rejects PBS recommendation ("price conditions proposed by the Australian Government are unrealistic and unviable"). 28 April 2026. racgp.org.au
  26. newsGP (RACGP). Wegovy recommended for PBS listing (established cardiovascular disease; BMI 35 or more, or 32.5 or more for Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patients). 19 December 2025. racgp.org.au
  27. Ahpra. Registers of practitioners ("When a health practitioner's name appears on the list, you know that they are allowed to practise"; includes medical practitioners, nurses and pharmacists, and any conditions on registration). Checked 12 October 2026. ahpra.gov.au
  28. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) Australian Product Information, revised 22 June 2026 (sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4.8, 6.4). medsinfo.com.au
  29. Eli Lilly. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Australian Product Information, version A14.0, October 2026 (sections 4.1, 4.5, 4.6, 6.4). medsinfo.com.au
  30. newsGP (RACGP). Critical role of GLP-1s addressed in Australian-first consensus (Heart Foundation statement: incretin medicines "complement, not replace" behaviour change). 18 May 2026. racgp.org.au
  31. Novo Nordisk. Ozempic (semaglutide) Australian Product Information, revised 25 September 2026 (sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.6, 6.3). medsinfo.com.au
  32. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Advertising Ozempic and GLP-1 receptor agonists is prohibited ("It is illegal to advertise Ozempic for weight loss, even to health professionals"). Updated 11 March 2025. tga.gov.au
  33. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Reporting adverse events: consumers (report online, or ask your doctor or pharmacist to report). Updated 2 September 2026. tga.gov.au

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · PBS and telehealth rules re-checked every 3 months · Next full review due Jan 2027 · Report an error

How this guide was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above: Medical Board, Ahpra, TGA, PBS and Medicare documents, and Australian clinical guidance. We don't name, rank, price or link to any provider. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to your GP or another qualified prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. In an emergency, call triple zero (000). For health advice any time, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222. Report suspected side effects to the TGA. How we write