Wegovy pill

The Wegovy pill is a tablet that contain the same active ingredient as Wegovy, semaglutide. These tablets are used to support weight loss in the same way Wegovy injections are.

Semaglutide tablets work the same way as Wegovy injections. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 agonist, meaning it mimics the hormone GLP-1 in the body, which is responsible for managing blood sugar.

Wegovy injections and tablets work by:

• helping control blood sugar
• reducing appetite
• making you feel fuller for longer after eating
• reducing ‘food noise’ – the urge to think about food a lot

The main difference between Wegovy injections and Wegovy tablets is the way the medication gets into your body. When you inject semaglutide below the skin, it is absorbed into the bloodstream. Tablets enter through the digestive system.

The Wegovy pill available in the US comes in 4 doses:

• 1.5mg
• 4mg
• 9mg
• 25mg

This is similar to Wegovy injections, where you have a starting dose and then you slowly increase your dose up to the maximum daily dose if you want to. Wegovy tablets do not come in the same doses as the injection, because the tablet is absorbed into the body in a different way, meaning different doses are needed to get the best effect.

The manufacturer of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk, has also trialled a 50mg semaglutide tablet for weight loss. It’s not clear yet if this dose will become available in the UK in the future.

How do you take semaglutide tablets?

Wegovy tablets are taken once a day. They are swallowed whole and cannot be split or crushed.

Wegovy tablets are started on the lowest dose, and then you will move up to higher doses after at least 30 days. Note that dose increases need to be approved by a doctor. They can help you make sure you’re on the right dose for you. You may want to stay on a lower dose if higher doses give you side effects, or you are happy with your weight loss without a dose increase.

The Wegovy pill may become available in the UK for weight loss in summer 2026. They are currently available in the US, and studies show they are safe and effective.

Before Wegovy tablets can be offered in the UK, they must first be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA). If the MHRA does approve them, they can then be made available for healthcare providers in the UK to offer to patients.

It’s not possible to tell how much Wegovy pills will cost when they become available in the UK for weight loss. In the US, Wegovy pills cost between $150 and $300 or around £110 to £220. The cost will depend on the price the manufacturer sets for the UK market and availability.

If the Wegovy pill becomes available for weight loss on the NHS, it may then be offered for the standard prescription fee of £9.90, or for free if you do not pay for your prescriptions.

It’s not clear whether Wegovy pills would be available on the NHS. However, Wegovy injections are currently available on the NHS.

If the NHS do offer semaglutide tablets for weight loss, it’s likely they would have the same prescribing criteria as for Wegovy. Meaning they would only offer them if you:

• have already tried other weight loss methods
• have been referred to a weight management specialist
• meet the NHS BMI criteria for treatment

Wegovy tablets have been shown to be effective at supporting weight loss compared to a placebo (a pill with no medication in). Studies of Wegovy tablets show:

• average starting weight loss of 17%
• 76% of people lose at least 5% of their starting weight
• 60% of people lose 10% of their starting weight
• 47% of people lose 15% of their starting weight
• 28% of people lose 20% of their starting weight

Even though Wegovy injections and tablets both have the same active ingredient, they do not work exactly the same. While they still have the same effect on appetite and fullness, because injections and tablets get medication into the body in different ways, this can affect how well the medication works.

There are a number of other weight loss treatments available in the UK to compare Wegovy pills to, including Mounjaro injections and other weight loss tablets.

Like all medications, Wegovy can cause side effects for some people. These are normally mild and go away on their own as your body gets used to the medication. Side effects usually happen when you first start treatment, or after you increase your dose. If the medication is approved in the UK, a full list of side effects will be provided.

Reported common Wegovy pill side effects include:

• feeling sick (nausea)
• throwing up (vomiting)
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• a runny nose or sore throat
• low blood sugar
• gas
• stomach pain
• heartburn
• burping
• bloating
• feeling dizzy
• feeling tired
• headache

Since Wegovy pills for weight loss are not yet available, it’s not clear exactly who will be eligible. However, it may be likely that the same criteria are used for tablets that are used for Wegovy injections, which are also used in the US. These include:

• a BMI of 30 or more
• a BMI of 27 or more if you have a health-related condition, like high blood pressure

It’s also likely that Wegovy tablets will have similar restrictions to injections based on things like existing health conditions or other medications, such as if you:

• are pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• are breastfeeding
• have ever had a serious allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in Wegovy, especially semaglutide
• have diabetic retinopathy
• have a history of pancreatitis
• have severe, congestive heart failure
• have kidney problems
• have diabetes
• have inflammation of your pancreas
• have low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia)

Are Wegovy pills available in the UK right now?

No, there are no tablets available in the UK that are licensed for weight loss and contain the same active ingredient as Wegovy. There are Wegovy tablets available in the US for weight loss, but they are not available in the UK yet. Rybelsus is available in the UK, which has the same active ingredient (semaglutide), but is only licensed for treating diabetes.

Can I just take Rybelsus for weight loss instead?

It might be possible to get Rybelsus prescribed off-label for weight loss, but this is not recommended due to shortages of medication for diabetic patients, and this is not available at Asda Online Doctor.

The Rybelsus doses available are lower than those available for Wegovy tablets. Rybelsus leads to an average weight loss of just 3.7% after 26 weeks and is not as effective as approved weight loss treatments.

Will the tablets be cheaper than the injections?

It’s hard to say if Wegovy tablets will be cheaper than injections since they are not available yet. Wegovy injections cost between £100 to £250 for 4 weeks on average. It may be that Wegovy tablets cost around this much when they become available.

Can I buy Wegovy pills online?

Not currently in the UK. There are no tablets containing the same active ingredient as Wegovy licensed for weight loss in the UK. Some services will let you buy Rybelsus online off-label for weight loss, which contains the same active ingredient as Wegovy. However, Rybelsus is not available from Asda Online Doctor.