Landscape guide, 2026
Weight Loss Medication in the UK: What Has Arrived and What Is Next
Two years ago the choice for most people was one weekly injection or another. In 2026 the picture has changed quickly: two daily tablets are now licensed and on sale privately, a higher Wegovy dose exists, the NHS has opened its second rollout phase, and the next generation of medicines is in final trials. This page keeps a plain record of what is actually available in the UK today, what has been licensed but not yet launched, and what is still in trials, so you can tell fact from forecast.
Key facts
- Licensed and available privately in the UK: Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) injections; the Wegovy tablet (oral semaglutide, launched 6 July 2026); and Foundayo (orforglipron, launched 24 August 2026). Saxenda (liraglutide) remains licensed but is little used.
- None of the tablets is on the NHS yet. NICE must appraise each one first, and NHS rollout of the injections is itself phased over up to 12 years.
- Still in trials, not licensed anywhere in the UK: retatrutide (Lilly’s triple agonist), CagriSema (Novo Nordisk’s cagrilintide and semaglutide combination) and several others. Any UK availability is at least a year away and depends on trial results and regulators.
- The private market has become more competitive: Eli Lilly raised Mounjaro list prices from 1 September 2025, but pharmacy retail prices have since diverged widely, which is why comparing total cost matters more than it did.
What is available in the UK now
| Medicine | Active ingredient | Form | UK licence for weight management | NHS status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mounjaro | Tirzepatide | Weekly injection, 2.5 to 15 mg | November 2023 | Phased rollout under TA1026; cohort 2 open since June 2026 |
| Wegovy | Semaglutide | Weekly injection, up to 2.4 mg, with a 7.2 mg dose now licensed | 2021 | Available through specialist services under TA875 |
| Wegovy tablet | Semaglutide | Daily tablet, up to 25 mg, taken fasting | 11 June 2026; launched 6 July 2026 | Not yet appraised |
| Foundayo | Orforglipron | Daily tablet, no food or water rules | 10 August 2026; launched 24 August 2026 | NICE appraisal under way |
| Saxenda | Liraglutide | Daily injection | 2017 | Specialist services only |
Monj runs a separate price comparison for each: Mounjaro, the Wegovy injection, the Wegovy tablet and Foundayo.
The tablets, and what they change
The two tablets are different medicines with different rules. The Wegovy tablet is the same semaglutide molecule as the injection, made absorbable by a special formulation; it has to be taken on an empty stomach with a small amount of water and a wait before eating or drinking anything else, and the OASIS 4 trial reported average weight loss of about 14% at 64 weeks. Foundayo is a small-molecule GLP-1 that is not a peptide at all, so it can be taken at any time of day with or without food; in the ATTAIN-1 trial the top dose produced average weight loss of about 11% at 72 weeks.
Neither has been compared head-to-head with the other or with Mounjaro, so claims that one is “stronger” rest on separate trials with different designs. What the tablets clearly change is the reach of treatment: people who would never inject now have an option, manufacturing is simpler and more scalable than for peptide injections, and early evidence suggests orforglipron may help hold weight after stopping an injection. Expect prices to move as supply builds.
Where the NHS has got to
NICE recommended tirzepatide in December 2024, and NHS England is introducing it in phases. In primary care, cohort 1 (BMI 40 or more with four of five named conditions) opened in June 2025, cohort 2 (BMI 35 to 39.9 with four conditions) opened on 23 June 2026, and cohort 3 (BMI 40 with three conditions) is planned for April 2027. Since April 2026 GP practices can prescribe under the GP contract, but taking part is voluntary. Fewer than one in ten UK adults using these medicines is on an NHS prescription; the rest pay privately. The full criteria are in our NHS access guide.
What is still in trials
- Retatrutide (Eli Lilly) acts on three hormone receptors, GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. Phase 3 results have reported larger average weight loss than current medicines, but it has not been submitted for a UK licence and no launch date exists.
- CagriSema (Novo Nordisk) combines semaglutide with cagrilintide, an amylin analogue. Phase 3 results are published; UK licensing has not been announced.
- Higher and longer-acting formulations of existing molecules, and several early-stage oral and monthly candidates, are in development across the industry.
A medicine in phase 3 is typically two years or more from a UK pharmacy shelf even when everything goes well: the trial has to finish, the company has to file, the MHRA has to assess, and NICE has to appraise before NHS use. Treat any site quoting a launch date for these as guessing.
What is happening to prices
Lilly’s list price increase from 1 September 2025 pushed up the cost of higher Mounjaro doses across every pharmacy at once. Since then two things have pulled in opposite directions: competition between online pharmacies has widened the gap between the cheapest and dearest providers at the same dose, and the arrival of the tablets has given prescribers and patients an alternative to argue with. Supply is no longer the constraint it was in 2024, so the old pattern of paying whatever was in stock has gone. The practical consequence is that the pharmacy you chose a year ago is unlikely to still be the best value; Monj’s how pricing works page explains what “total cost” includes and why we rank on it.
Common questions
Is there a Mounjaro pill?
No. Foundayo is made by the same company but is a different medicine, orforglipron, acting on GLP-1 only. There is no tablet form of tirzepatide.
Can I get the Wegovy tablet or Foundayo on the NHS?
Not yet. Both need a NICE appraisal before NHS use. Foundayo’s appraisal is in progress; no NHS timeline has been published for either.
When will retatrutide be available in the UK?
No date exists. It is still in phase 3 trials and has not been submitted to the MHRA. Any UK availability is at least a year away and could be considerably longer.
Will prices fall now there is more choice?
Retail prices have already spread out between pharmacies, and the tablets add competition, but manufacturers’ list prices rose in 2025 and generics are years away. The reliable saving is choosing the right pharmacy at your dose rather than waiting.
Sources
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know, including the June 2026 and August 2026 authorisations of oral semaglutide and orforglipron.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity (TA1026), December 2024.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Semaglutide for managing overweight and obesity (TA875), March 2023.
- NHS England. Interim commissioning guidance: implementing NICE TA1026, March 2025.
- Wharton S et al. Orforglipron, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, in adults with obesity (ATTAIN-1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2025.
- Novo Nordisk. OASIS 4 trial results for oral semaglutide 25 mg, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 2025.
Monj is an independent price information service operated by Medstack Ltd. It does not sell, prescribe or supply medicines and does not give medical advice. Which medicine, if any, suits you is a decision for a prescriber. Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.