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Semaglutide, tirzepatide and every other GLP‑1 medicine in the UK compared

Every GLP‑1 medicine sold in the UK on one page: the brands, what each is licensed for, how you take it, what its main trial found, side effects and NHS list price. None is ranked; a prescriber decides.

GLP Guidebook teamPublished 18 Oct 20269 min read42 sourcesWritten from published sources
What we checked42 sources, each one opened and linked to the sentence it supportsLast checked 18 Oct 2026 · Next review due 18 Apr 2027 · How we write
The short answer

Five GLP‑1 medicines are sold in the UK: tirzepatide, semaglutide, orforglipron, liraglutide and dulaglutide. Each is sold under one or more brands, such as Mounjaro, Wegovy or Saxenda. They differ in how often you take them, whether they come as a pen or a tablet, what they’re licensed for, how much weight people lost in their trials, and price. A prescriber decides which one, if any, fits you.

Key takeaways

  • Licensed for weight in the UK: Mounjaro, Wegovy injections and tablets, Saxenda, three generic liraglutide brands and Foundayo. Ozempic, Rybelsus and Trulicity are licensed for type 2 diabetes only.1,2,3,4,5,6,10
  • Liraglutide is taken every day, dulaglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide once a week. Wegovy tablets and Rybelsus need an empty stomach; Foundayo has no food rules.5,3,4,9
  • Each medicine’s main trial was a separate study, so their results can’t be set against each other. The exceptions are head-to-head trials such as SURMOUNT-5 (Mounjaro against Wegovy).24
  • NHS list prices run from about £26 to £358 a month, depending on the medicine and dose. Wegovy tablets and Foundayo have no official UK list price yet.26,27
  • On an NHS prescription you pay £9.90 an item in England and nothing in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, whichever medicine it is.33,35,36,37
Before you go further
  • GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only medicines in the UK, never sold over the counter.12
  • A prescriber decides whether a medicine fits, which one and at what dose. Nothing here is a recommendation. Talk to your GP, pharmacist or prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
  • Prices below are official NHS list prices. We don’t quote, rank or link to any seller.
  • The MHRA says medicines sold as a powder in vials that you mix yourself are not authorised.10
On this page
  1. Every GLP-1 medicine in the UK at a glance
  2. Which medicines and brands are there?
  3. Why are there so many?
  4. Why are some pills and some injections, some weekly and some daily?
  5. Why does the same medicine have two brands?
  6. How do the trial results compare?
  7. Which costs more, and what does the NHS cover?
  8. Which one? What a prescriber weighs
  9. Questions people ask
  10. How we researched this
  11. Sources

Every GLP-1 medicine in the UK at a glance (most searched first)

Most searched first in the UK (Google Trends, last 3 months to 18 Oct 2026). Not a ranking: the order says nothing about how well they work or what they cost.

MedicineBrands in the UK, and what each is licensed forMakerHow it’s takenWeight change in its main trial, against a dummyMost common side effects (UK label)NHS list price a month
Tirzepatide
  • Mounjaro: weight (adults) and type 2 diabetes (adults and children 10+)1
  • Zepbound, the US weight brand, isn’t sold in the UK
 Eli Lilly1 Injection once a week; each KwikPen holds 4 doses1 SURMOUNT-1, 72 weeks: −16.0% (5 mg) to −22.5% (15 mg), against −2.4% on a dummy injection1,19 Very common: feeling sick, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain. In SURMOUNT trials, about 25 to 29 in 100 felt sick, against about 9 in 100 on a dummy1 About £144 to £35826
Semaglutide
  • Wegovy injection: weight (adults and teens 12+), heart protection, MASH liver disease2
  • Wegovy tablets: weight (adults)3
  • Ozempic: type 2 diabetes only8
  • Rybelsus: type 2 diabetes only9
 Novo Nordisk2 Injection once a week (Wegovy, Ozempic), or a tablet once a day (Wegovy tablets, Rybelsus) on an empty stomach, then nothing for 30 minutes2,3,9 STEP 1, Wegovy 2.4 mg injection, 68 weeks: −14.9%, against −2.4% on a dummy injection2,18Tablets: OASIS 4, 25 mg, 64 weeks: −13.6%, against −2.2%3,22 Very common: feeling sick, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, stomach pain, headache, tiredness. In STEP trials, about 44 in 100 felt sick on Wegovy 2.4 mg, against about 16 in 100 on a dummy2 Wegovy injection about £79 to £358; Ozempic about £79 to £159; Rybelsus about £121; Wegovy tablets: no official UK list price26,27
Orforglipron
  • Foundayo: weight (adults) and type 2 diabetes4
 Eli Lilly4 Tablet once a day, at any time, with no food or water rules4 ATTAIN-1, 72 weeks: −7.8% (5.5 mg) to −12.4% (17.2 mg), against −0.9% on a dummy4,21 Very common: feeling sick, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion, stomach pain4 No official UK list price26
Liraglutide
  • Saxenda: weight, adults and teens 12+5
  • Biolide, Nevolat, Plaobes (generics): weight
  • Diavic, Zegluxen, Liraglutide Biocon (generics): type 2 diabetes6
 Novo Nordisk (Saxenda); other companies make the generics5,6 Injection once a day, multi-dose pen5 SCALE, Saxenda 3 mg, 56 weeks: −8.0%, against −2.6% on a dummy injection5,20 Very common: feeling sick, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, headache5 Saxenda about £40 to £198; generic liraglutide about £26 to £128 (the higher figure is the full 3 mg dose)26,27
Dulaglutide
  • Trulicity: type 2 diabetes only7
 Eli Lilly7 Injection once a week, single-dose pens7 Not licensed for weight. In AWARD-5, a 26-week diabetes trial: −3.2 kg on 1.5 mg, against −1.5 kg on a dummy injection7,23 Very common (more than 1 in 10): feeling sick, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain; low blood sugar when taken with insulin or some other diabetes medicines7 About £79 at every strength26

Side by side, most searched first in the UK, not ranked. Each trial was separate, with different people, doses and lengths, so the weight figures can’t be compared with each other. Weight change is the average % of body weight, except dulaglutide (kg, people with type 2 diabetes). Prices are NHS list prices excluding VAT, from the October 2026 Drug Tariff and NHS prescribing data: what the NHS is charged before its discounts, not what you pay. A month is our arithmetic on a 52-week year, the same as our cost calculator; the lower figures for liraglutide are the starting doses, when a pack lasts longer.26,27 Full trial detail is in our trial results tool.

Which medicines and brands are there?

The medicine is what works in your body; the brand is the name on the box. Paracetamol is a medicine, and Panadol and Calpol are brands of it.

GLP‑1 medicines copy a gut hormone, GLP‑1, that helps you feel full. Five are sold in the UK, under 13 brand names:41

  • Tirzepatideweekly injectionMounjaro
  • Semaglutideweekly injection or daily tabletWegovy (injection and tablets), Ozempic, Rybelsus
  • Orforgliprondaily tabletFoundayo
  • Liraglutidedaily injectionSaxenda, and the generics Biolide, Nevolat, Plaobes, Diavic, Zegluxen and Liraglutide Biocon
  • Dulaglutideweekly injectionTrulicity

Tirzepatide is a little different: it acts on two gut-hormone receptors, GIP and GLP‑1, where the others act on GLP‑1 alone.1 Our guide shows the full family tree of medicines and brands, with what each brand is for.

We found no exenatide or lixisenatide, two older GLP‑1 medicines, listed on the UK’s electronic Medicines Compendium.41 A combined insulin-and-liraglutide injection, Xultophy, is listed there, but it isn’t covered on this page.

Why are there so many?

Different companies made them, and each generation changed something: how often you take it, the form, or the hormones it acts on.

  1. 2009Liraglutide (Victoza) licensed for type 2 diabetes: one injection a day14
  2. 2014Dulaglutide (Trulicity): one injection a week7
  3. 2015Liraglutide at a higher dose, as Saxenda, licensed for weight15
  4. 2018Semaglutide (Ozempic): a weekly injection for type 2 diabetes16
  5. 2020Semaglutide as a tablet (Rybelsus), for type 2 diabetes, taken on an empty stomach17
  6. May 2022Semaglutide at a higher dose, as Wegovy, licensed in Great Britain for weight2
  7. Nov 2023Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) licensed in the UK for weight; it acts on GIP as well as GLP‑113,1
  8. Apr 2024Biolide, a generic liraglutide for weight6
  9. Jun 2026Wegovy tablets, the first GLP‑1 tablet for weight in the UK11
  10. Aug 2026Orforglipron (Foundayo), a tablet with no food rules; the UK was first in Europe12

Licences up to 2020 were issued for the whole EU, which then included the UK. They were converted into UK licences on 1 January 2021, which is why some UK labels show that date.42

A generic is a copy made by another company once the patent protection ends. Liraglutide, the oldest of these medicines, is the only one with generic versions in the UK; we found no generic semaglutide licensed here.6,41 What each generic liraglutide brand is licensed for differs, so a prescriber names the brand.10 Our post on generic liraglutide explains them.

Why are some pills and some injections, some weekly and some daily?

It comes down to how each medicine is absorbed and how long it stays in your body.

  • Daily injection (liraglutide). Half of each dose is cleared in about 13 hours, so it’s injected every day.5
  • Weekly injection (tirzepatide, semaglutide, dulaglutide). These stay in the blood much longer: half of a dose takes about 5 days to clear for dulaglutide and tirzepatide, and about a week for semaglutide. One dose a week is enough.7,1,2
  • Semaglutide tablet (Wegovy tablets, Rybelsus). Semaglutide is a close copy of the GLP‑1 hormone, a peptide (a short chain of protein building blocks), and the gut absorbs very little of it: about 1 to 2% of each tablet. It’s mixed with an ingredient that helps absorption in the stomach, and food or a lot of water lowers it further. So it’s taken whole after at least 8 hours without food, with a sip of water (up to half a glass, 120 ml), then nothing to eat or drink for 30 minutes.3,9,11
  • Orforglipron tablet (Foundayo). It isn’t a peptide; the label calls it a “nonpeptide” GLP‑1 medicine. Food made no meaningful difference to how much was absorbed, so it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food.4

How long a medicine stays in your body also sets how early to stop before a planned pregnancy. The MHRA says at least 2 months for semaglutide and at least 1 month for tirzepatide; the Foundayo label says at least 3 weeks.10,4 Our post on weight-loss tablets in the UK covers the two tablets in more detail.

Why does the same medicine have two brands?

Because one brand is licensed for one use, at its own doses, and the other for another.

  • Ozempic and Wegovy are both semaglutide injections. Ozempic is licensed for type 2 diabetes, up to 2 mg a week. Wegovy is licensed for weight, usually up to 2.4 mg a week, and 7.2 mg for some adults with obesity.8,2 The MHRA lists Ozempic as not licensed for weight loss.10 See Ozempic vs Wegovy.
  • Rybelsus and Wegovy tablets are both semaglutide tablets. Rybelsus is for type 2 diabetes, at lower doses; Wegovy tablets are for weight, up to 25 mg a day.9,3
  • Saxenda and the generic liraglutides are all liraglutide; some are licensed for weight and some for diabetes.6 See Saxenda vs Wegovy.
  • Mounjaro is the one tirzepatide brand in the UK, licensed for both type 2 diabetes and weight. In the US, tirzepatide for weight is sold as Zepbound; that brand isn’t sold here.1,41 See Mounjaro vs Ozempic and Is Zepbound available in the UK?

How do the trial results compare?

Each medicine was tested against a dummy injection or tablet (a placebo) in its own trial. Those trials were separate, so their numbers can’t be compared directly.

In a trial like these, people are split at random into groups. One group gets the medicine and another a dummy that looks the same, and both get the same diet and activity advice. The gap between the groups is what the medicine added.18 But each trial had different people, doses and lengths, and the labels count people who stopped treatment in different ways, so a bigger number in one trial doesn’t mean that medicine does more.1,5

Average weight change in each medicine’s main weight trial
% of body weight, medicine against a dummy. Separate trials, not comparable.
Liraglutide (Saxenda 3 mg)SCALE, 56 weeks
Liraglutide−8.0%
Dummy−2.6%
Orforglipron (Foundayo 17.2 mg)ATTAIN-1, 72 weeks
Orforglipron−12.4%
Dummy−0.9%
Semaglutide (Wegovy 2.4 mg injection)STEP 1, 68 weeks
Semaglutide−14.9%
Dummy−2.4%
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro 15 mg)SURMOUNT-1, 72 weeks
Tirzepatide−22.5%
Dummy−2.4%
From the UK labels and trial papers.1,2,4,5 Highest licensed dose in each trial; lower doses gave less (orforglipron 5.5 mg −7.8%, tirzepatide 5 mg −16.0%). The tirzepatide figure counts people as if they all stayed on treatment, which gives larger numbers. Dulaglutide isn’t shown: it has no weight trial, only diabetes trials in kg. All four trials were paid for by the maker.18,19,20,21

For someone who starts at 90 kg (14 st 2 lb), a 15% loss is about 13.5 kg (2 st 2 lb). These are averages: some people lose much more, some very little. In STEP 1, about 84 in 100 people on Wegovy 2.4 mg lost at least 5% of their weight, against about 31 in 100 on the dummy; put the other way, about 1 in 6 people on Wegovy lost less than 5%.2

Where two medicines were tested against each other

  • SURMOUNT-5 put Mounjaro against Wegovy in 751 adults with obesity and no diabetes, at the highest dose each person tolerated. Over 72 weeks, average weight fell 20.2% on Mounjaro and 13.7% on Wegovy. Everyone knew which medicine they had, and Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, paid for it.24 See Wegovy vs Mounjaro.
  • STEP 8 put Wegovy against Saxenda in 338 adults without diabetes. Over 68 weeks, average weight fell 15.8% on Wegovy and 6.4% on Saxenda. It was also open-label, and paid for by Novo Nordisk, which makes both.25

Side effects are of the same kind across all of them: mostly feeling sick, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation, most often while the dose is going up.1,2,4,5 Every figure, dose by dose, is in our trial results tool.

RisksThe risks, in brief
  • Stomach effects are the most common side effects on every label, mostly while the dose goes up.1,2,4,5,7
  • Pancreatitis (an inflamed pancreas): severe stomach pain that won’t go away and may spread to the back. The MHRA updated its guidance on it in January 2026.38
  • The contraceptive pill. On Mounjaro, the MHRA advises adding a barrier method, such as condoms, for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose rise.10
  • Pregnancy. Stop semaglutide at least 2 months and tirzepatide at least 1 month before a planned pregnancy.10
Full detail in our side effects guide →
Get help now: call 999 or go to A&E for severe stomach pain that won’t go away, with or without vomiting. It can be pancreatitis. Not sure? Use NHS 111 (in Northern Ireland, your GP’s out-of-hours service).38,39
Free toolCost calculator

Add up a medicine at NHS list price over months, with the dose steps. No sign-up.

Work it out

Which costs more, and what does the NHS cover?

NHS list prices differ by medicine and dose, but on an NHS prescription you pay the same: £9.90 an item in England, nothing elsewhere in the UK.33,35,36,37

NHS list prices for a month, excluding VAT, most searched first:26,27

  • Tirzepatide (Mounjaro): about £144 to £358.
  • Semaglutide: Wegovy injection about £79 to £358 (£190 at 2.4 mg, £358 at 7.2 mg); Ozempic about £79 to £159; Rybelsus about £121; Wegovy tablets have no official UK list price yet.
  • Orforglipron (Foundayo): no official UK list price yet.
  • Liraglutide: Saxenda about £40 to £198; generic liraglutide about £26 to £128. The full 3 mg dose is the higher figure in each case.
  • Dulaglutide (Trulicity): about £79 at every strength.

These are what the NHS is charged before its confidential discounts. Private prescriptions are priced by each seller, and we don’t list those.29 Every dose is in our price table, and the cost calculator adds up a plan over months.

Who can get which on the NHS in England

  • Mounjaro for weight: NICE says it can be used in primary care (your GP practice) or specialist services, for adults with a BMI of 35 or more and a weight-related condition. Access is being phased in, priority groups first.28
  • Wegovy for weight: only within a specialist weight management service, for up to 2 years.29 Wegovy is also backed for adults with established heart or blood-vessel disease and a BMI of 27 or more, to cut the risk of heart attack and stroke.30
  • Saxenda: in specialist services, for a narrower group with a BMI of 35 or more, raised blood sugar and high heart risk.31
  • Foundayo: NICE is still assessing it; guidance is expected on 27 January 2027.32
  • Type 2 diabetes: NICE’s diabetes guideline sets when a GLP‑1 medicine or tirzepatide is added to other treatment.40 In England, a medical exemption certificate covers prescriptions for people whose diabetes is treated with medicine, so they don’t pay the £9.90.34

NICE uses lower BMI thresholds, usually by 2.5, for people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds.28 Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own rules: see NHS and private, Mounjaro on the NHS and Wegovy on the NHS.

Which one? What a prescriber weighs

Your prescriber, not a comparison table, decides. These are the things they look at.

  • What you need it for. Type 2 diabetes, weight, or heart disease with a BMI of 27 or more each point to different licences. Ozempic, Rybelsus and Trulicity are licensed for diabetes only; Wegovy injection also has heart and MASH licences.8,9,7,2
  • Your other health conditions and medicines, including any past pancreatitis, and the contraceptive pill on Mounjaro.1,10
  • Daily or weekly, needle or tablet, and whether a fasting routine for semaglutide tablets fits your mornings.3
  • Side effects you’ve had before, and how you manage the dose steps.
  • Pregnancy plans, because of the gap before trying for a baby.10
  • What’s available to you: what your NHS area offers, and the cost if you pay privately.

Lifestyle changes are the base: NICE says weight-loss medicines go alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more activity, not instead of them.28 Our doctor questions tool helps you prepare, and Seeing a doctor, and the medicines lists what to bring.

Questions people ask

Which GLP-1 medicines are licensed for weight loss in the UK?

Mounjaro, Wegovy injections and tablets, Foundayo, Saxenda, and the generic liraglutides Biolide, Nevolat and Plaobes. Ozempic, Rybelsus and Trulicity are licensed for type 2 diabetes only.1,2,3,4,5,6,10

Is Mounjaro the same as Ozempic or Wegovy?

No. Mounjaro is tirzepatide, made by Eli Lilly. Ozempic and Wegovy are both semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk.1,2

Is Zepbound sold in the UK?

No. Zepbound is the US weight brand of tirzepatide. In the UK, tirzepatide for weight is sold as Mounjaro.1,41

Is there a generic semaglutide in the UK?

We found none licensed in the UK. Liraglutide is the only GLP-1 medicine with generic versions here.41,6

How much do GLP-1 medicines cost in the UK?

NHS list prices run from about £26 to £358 a month, depending on the medicine and dose; Wegovy tablets and Foundayo have no official list price yet. On an NHS prescription you pay £9.90 an item in England and nothing in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.26,27,33

Can I compare the weight loss from different trials?

Not directly: the trials had different people, doses and lengths. Head-to-head trials are the exception: in SURMOUNT-5, weight fell 20.2% on Mounjaro and 13.7% on Wegovy over 72 weeks.24

How we researched this

On 18 October 2026 we read the UK labels (SmPCs on the electronic Medicines Compendium) for every brand, the EMA records for licence dates before 2021, the trial papers on PubMed, NICE guidance and MHRA notices. Prices and trial figures are the same as our cost calculator and trial results tool, which use the October 2026 Drug Tariff, NHS prescribing data and the labels.

Every trial figure names the trial, dose and length. Results from separate trials are not set against each other. The medicines are listed most searched first in the UK (Google Trends), which is not a ranking.

Before you move on

  • Check what each brand is licensed for: some are for diabetes only.
  • Compare like with like: head-to-head trials, not separate ones.
  • Think about daily or weekly, and needle or tablet.
  • Ask which ones your NHS area offers.
  • Bring your full medicine list to the appointment.
Trial resultsGLP‑1 types, brands and how they workSide effects and risks

More from the UK blog

UKUnited KingdomIs there a weight-loss pill in the UK? Wegovy tablets and Foundayo explainedUKUnited KingdomGeneric liraglutide in the UKUKUnited KingdomHow much do Mounjaro and Wegovy cost in the UK, on the NHS or privately?
About GLP Guidebook

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An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don’t sell medicines, take drug-company money, earn commissions or link to any provider. Twice a month: NHS changes, approvals, list prices and safety alerts. How we write

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Sources

  1. Eli Lilly. Mounjaro KwikPen: UK summary of product characteristics (SmPC), electronic Medicines Compendium. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.8, 5.1 (SURMOUNT-1, Table 9) and 5.2 (half-life about 5 days). Date of revision 29 August 2026. Link
  2. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy FlexTouch: UK SmPC, electronic Medicines Compendium. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.8, 5.1 (STEP 1, Table 4) and 5.2 (half-life about 1 week); first authorised 10 May 2022. Date of revision 09/2026. Link
  3. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy 25 mg tablets: UK SmPC, electronic Medicines Compendium. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 (OASIS 4) and 5.2 (bioavailability about 1–2%, salcaprozate sodium, food effect). Date of revision 06/2026. Link
  4. Eli Lilly. Foundayo (orforglipron) 0.8 mg film-coated tablets: UK SmPC, electronic Medicines Compendium. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.6, 4.8, 5.1 (“nonpeptide GLP-1 receptor agonist”; ATTAIN-1, Table 3) and 5.2 (no clinically relevant food effect). Revised 10 August 2026. Link
  5. Novo Nordisk. Saxenda 6 mg/ml: UK SmPC, electronic Medicines Compendium. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.8, 5.1 (SCALE, Table 4) and 5.2 (half-life about 13 hours). Date of revision 11/2025. Link
  6. Biocon. Biolide 6 mg/ml: UK SmPC, electronic Medicines Compendium, section 4.1 (weight management); first authorised 12 April 2024. Also the compendium’s liraglutide listings: Nevolat and Plaobes (weight), Diavic, Zegluxen and Liraglutide Biocon (type 2 diabetes). Link
  7. Eli Lilly. Trulicity: UK SmPC, electronic Medicines Compendium. Sections 4.1, 4.8 (Table 1), 5.1 (Table 3: AWARD-5, 26-week results; Table 7) and 5.2 (half-life about 5 days); first authorised 21 November 2014. Date of revision 25 February 2026. Link
  8. Novo Nordisk. Ozempic: UK SmPC, electronic Medicines Compendium. Sections 4.1 (type 2 diabetes) and 4.2. Date of revision 07/2026. Link
  9. Novo Nordisk. Rybelsus 1.5 mg, 4 mg and 9 mg tablets: UK SmPC, electronic Medicines Compendium. Sections 4.1 and 4.2 (empty stomach after at least 8 hours’ fasting, up to 120 ml of water). Date of revision 03/2026. Link
  10. MHRA. GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know. Guidance, updated 5 February 2026. Link
  11. MHRA. First GLP-1 tablet for weight loss approved in the UK. Press release, 11 June 2026. Link
  12. MHRA. UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes. Press release, 10 August 2026. Link
  13. MHRA. MHRA authorises diabetes drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for weight management and weight loss. Press release, 8 November 2023. Link
  14. European Medicines Agency. Victoza: EPAR (marketing authorisation issued 30 June 2009). Link
  15. European Medicines Agency. Saxenda: EPAR (marketing authorisation issued 23 March 2015). Link
  16. European Medicines Agency. Ozempic: EPAR (marketing authorisation issued 8 February 2018). Link
  17. European Medicines Agency. Rybelsus: EPAR (marketing authorisation issued 3 April 2020). Link
  18. Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). N Engl J Med 2021;384:989–1002. PMID 33567185. Funded by Novo Nordisk. Link
  19. Jastreboff AM et al. Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-1). N Engl J Med 2022;387:205–216. PMID 35658024. Supported by Eli Lilly. Link
  20. Pi-Sunyer X et al. A randomized, controlled trial of 3.0 mg of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes). N Engl J Med 2015;373:11–22. PMID 26132939. Funded by Novo Nordisk. Link
  21. Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity treatment (ATTAIN-1). N Engl J Med 2025;393:1796–1806. PMID 40960239. Funded by Eli Lilly. Link
  22. Wharton S et al. Oral semaglutide at a dose of 25 mg in adults with overweight or obesity (OASIS 4). N Engl J Med 2025;393:1077–1087. PMID 40934115. Funded by Novo Nordisk. Link
  23. Nauck M et al. Efficacy and safety of dulaglutide versus sitagliptin after 52 weeks in type 2 diabetes in a randomized controlled trial (AWARD-5). Diabetes Care 2014;37:2149–2158. PMID 24742660. With metformin; the UK label’s Table 3 gives the 26-week placebo results: −3.18 kg on 1.5 mg against −1.47 kg. Funded by Eli Lilly. Link
  24. Aronne LJ et al. Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-5). N Engl J Med 2025;393:26–36. PMID 40353578. Open-label; funded by Eli Lilly. Link
  25. Rubino DM et al. Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes: the STEP 8 randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2022;327:138–150. PMID 35015037. Open-label; sponsored by Novo Nordisk. Link
  26. NHS Business Services Authority. Drug Tariff, Part VIIIA, October 2026 (basic prices excluding VAT): tirzepatide pens £133.00 to £330.00; semaglutide pens £73.25 to £175.80; semaglutide tablets £120.00 for 30; dulaglutide £73.25 for 4 pens; liraglutide £50.49 for 2 pens. No orforglipron or Wegovy tablet entry. Link
  27. NHS Business Services Authority. English Prescribing Dataset (EPD), July 2026: basic NHS price of Saxenda (£196.20 for 5 pens) and Wegovy 7.2 mg single-dose pens (£330.00 for 4 pens), excluding VAT. Link
  28. NICE. Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity, technology appraisal TA1026, section 1. Published 23 December 2024. Link
  29. NICE. Semaglutide for managing overweight and obesity, technology appraisal TA875, sections 1 and 2 (confidential NHS discount). Published 8 March 2023. Link
  30. NICE. Semaglutide for reducing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity, technology appraisal TA1152. Published 7 May 2026. Link
  31. NICE. Liraglutide for managing overweight and obesity, technology appraisal TA664, section 1. Published 9 December 2020. Link
  32. NICE. Orforglipron for managing overweight and obesity [ID6516]: in development, expected publication 27 January 2027. Link
  33. NHS Business Services Authority. NHS prescription prepayment certificate (PPC): the prescription charge in England is £9.90 an item. Link
  34. NHS Business Services Authority. Medical exemption certificates: cover “diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone”. Link
  35. Citizens Advice Scotland. Help with health costs: prescriptions in Scotland are free. Link
  36. Welsh Government. Free prescriptions. Link
  37. nidirect (Northern Ireland government). Help with health costs. Link
  38. MHRA. MHRA updates guidance for GLP-1 prescribers and patients. Press release, 29 January 2026. Link
  39. NHS. When to call 999. Link
  40. NICE. Type 2 diabetes in adults: management, guideline NG28. Last updated 18 February 2026. Link
  41. Electronic Medicines Compendium (emc), searches for semaglutide, tirzepatide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, exenatide and lixisenatide, 18 October 2026: semaglutide is listed only as Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus, tirzepatide only as Mounjaro, dulaglutide only as Trulicity; no exenatide or lixisenatide product. Link
  42. MHRA. Converting centrally authorised products (CAPs) to UK marketing authorisations (guidance, now withdrawn): EU marketing authorisations were converted into UK ones on 1 January 2021. Link

Last checked 18 Oct 2026 · Next review due 18 Apr 2027 · Report an error

How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It’s general information, not medical advice. Talk to your GP, pharmacist or prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. We don’t sell, prescribe or recommend any brand or provider. How we write