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Can I get Ozempic for weight loss in the UK?

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

Not as a licensed use. In the UK, Ozempic (semaglutide) is licensed only for type 2 diabetes, and the MHRA lists it as not licensed for weight loss. Wegovy contains the same medicine at higher doses and is licensed for weight management. Prescribing Ozempic for weight would be off-label, a prescriber's own decision.

Before you go further

What is Ozempic licensed for in the UK?

Ozempic's UK licence covers adults with type 2 diabetes not controlled by diet and exercise, and the MHRA lists it as not for weight loss.1,2

The Ozempic summary of product characteristics (SmPC, the official UK prescriber document) lists it for "insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes", on its own or with other diabetes medicines.1 It comes in weekly pens of 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg.1 The MHRA's patient guide marks Ozempic and Rybelsus (semaglutide tablets) "Yes" for diabetes and "No" for weight loss.2

Which semaglutide brand is licensed for weight in the UK?

Wegovy, the same medicine at higher doses, is the UK semaglutide licensed for weight, from a BMI of 30, or 27 with a related condition.3

Wegovy's weekly doses go up to 2.4 mg, and a single-dose 7.2 mg pen is also licensed.3,4 Ozempic stops at 2 mg.1

On the NHS in England, NICE allows Wegovy for weight only in specialist weight management services, for up to 2 years.5 A 2026 NICE decision adds a second route: adults with heart or circulation disease, such as a past heart attack or stroke, and a BMI of at least 27.6 See Wegovy on the NHS.

What does “off-label” mean for Ozempic?

Off-label means prescribing a licensed medicine outside the uses, doses or warnings in its licence, such as Ozempic for weight loss.7

The MHRA says a prescriber must "be satisfied that such use would better serve the patient's needs than an appropriately licensed alternative".7 The MHRA has not assessed these medicines when used outside their licence.2

Diabetes UK says the 2023–2025 shortage of diabetes medicines followed "a surge in off-label prescriptions" of semaglutide for weight loss.8 It still recommends that GLP‑1 medicines are prescribed only for their licensed use.8

What did trials of semaglutide for weight find?

In the STEP 1 trial, semaglutide 2.4 mg, a Wegovy dose, cut weight by 14.9% over 68 weeks, against 2.4% on a dummy injection.9

STEP 1 had 1,961 adults without diabetes, and both groups got diet and activity advice.9 For someone starting at 90 kg (14 st 2 lb), 14.9% is about 13 kg (2 st). That is an average: some people lost much more, some very little. More people on semaglutide stopped because of stomach side effects: 4.5% against 0.8%.9 A year after stopping, people had regained two-thirds of the weight they lost.10 STEP 1 used a higher dose than any Ozempic pen.1,9

RisksThe risks, in brief
  • Stomach effects are very common. The UK Ozempic leaflet lists feeling sick and diarrhoea in more than 1 in 10 people.11
  • Swollen pancreas (acute pancreatitis) is uncommon, up to 1 in 100.11
  • Gallstones are common, up to 1 in 10, on the UK Ozempic leaflet.11
  • Sudden sight loss (NAION) is very rare, up to 1 in 10,000.11
  • Pregnancy. The MHRA says stop semaglutide at least 2 months before trying to get pregnant.2
Full detail in Guide 5: Side effects and risks →
Get help now: call 999 for sudden, severe stomach pain spreading to your back,12 or a swelling throat, lips or tongue with trouble breathing.13
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Related questions

Can my GP prescribe Wegovy? Is the Wegovy pill available in the UK? Can I get Mounjaro on the NHS? Is it safe to buy Mounjaro online in the UK?
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Sources

  1. Novo Nordisk. Ozempic (semaglutide) UK SmPC, date of revision 07/2026, sections 4.1 and 6.3. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
  2. MHRA. GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know. Published 5 Jun 2025, updated 5 Feb 2026. gov.uk
  3. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy 2.4 mg FlexTouch (semaglutide) UK SmPC, date of revision 09/2026, sections 4.1 and 6.3. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
  4. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy 7.2 mg single-dose pen (semaglutide) UK SmPC, date of revision 09/2026, sections 6.3 and 6.4. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
  5. NICE. Semaglutide for managing overweight and obesity. Technology appraisal guidance TA875, 8 Mar 2023, recommendation 1.1. nice.org.uk
  6. NICE. Semaglutide for reducing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity. Technology appraisal guidance TA1152 (2026), recommendation 1.1. England. nice.org.uk
  7. MHRA. Off-label or unlicensed use of medicines: prescribers' responsibilities. Drug Safety Update, Apr 2009 (updated). gov.uk
  8. Diabetes UK. Our response to serious supply issues with drugs for people living with type 2 diabetes (latest update 20 Oct 2025). diabetes.org.uk
  9. Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). N Engl J Med 2021;384:989-1002. Funded by Novo Nordisk. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2032183 · PMID 33567185
  10. Wilding JPH et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: the STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab 2022;24(8):1553-64. PMID 35441470
  11. Novo Nordisk. Ozempic (semaglutide) UK patient information leaflet, last revised 11/2025, sections 2, 4 and 5. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
  12. NHS. Acute pancreatitis (page last reviewed 11 Mar 2026). nhs.uk
  13. NHS. Anaphylaxis (page last reviewed 21 Jun 2023). nhs.uk
  14. MHRA. First GLP-1 tablet for weight loss approved in the UK. Press release, 11 Jun 2026 ("As with all GLP-1 receptor agonists, this is a prescription-only medication"). gov.uk

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

How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write