Wegovy tablets

The Wegovy tablet has not yet been licensed for use in the UK. You can only access Wegovy (semaglutide) in the UK for weight loss in the form of an injection. The Wegovy tablet is expected to become available in the UK in summer 2026.

The Wegovy tablet is the first oral GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) medication that has been approved specifically for weight management in the US. It is a tablet version of the once-weekly injection of Wegovy (semaglutide). Instead of injecting Wegovy once weekly, this oral form is taken once daily. The Wegovy pill received FDA approval in December 2025 and launched in the US in early 2026.

The tablet contains the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, semaglutide, however it is in the form of an oral tablet: You take it by swallowing a tablet with a sip of water. It is taken once daily, rather than once weekly, and works by reducing your appetite and slowing down your digestive system, helping you to lose weight.

The OASIS 4 trial, which is a study of people taking the Wegovy tablet at a dose of 25mg for 71 weeks, shows that by week 64, patients lost 14% on average of their starting body weight. This is compared to those who lost 2% of their starting body weight on the placebo (no medication) tablet.

There are four doses of the Wegovy tablet currently approved in the US. Like with the injections, each dose is taken for a set amount of time before you move to a higher one. You can increase your dosage until you reach the maintenance dose of 25mg.

Wegovy tablet dose timeline

The dosage is increased slowly in a similar way to Wegovy injection doses. Your dose will be increased under the supervision of your doctor. You may end up staying on a lower dose if you get side effects on a higher dosage which are difficult to manage.

There is an ongoing clinical investigation into a 50mg dose of oral semaglutide for overweight or obese patients. The OASIS 1 trial found that patients lost 15.1% of their starting weight in 68 weeks when taking 50mg semaglutide compared to those who only lost 2.4% on the placebo pill.

Let’s look at the key differences between the semaglutide tablet and injection:

Yes, in the US you can switch from Wegovy injections to tablets. For example, the 25mg tablet can be switched for the 2.4mg injection as they are the equivalent to one another. US guidelines recommend you would need to stop the injection for at least 7 days (one week) before starting the tablet form to avoid the risk of having too much semaglutide in your system.

Wegovy in an oral form has similar side effects and safety considerations compared to injections. However, injections may cause side effects at the injection site, which will not happen when taking semaglutide orally. Taking Wegovy pills may have a higher chance of stomach-related side effects since the medication is absorbed in the digestive system.

Like with Wegovy injections, side effects are more likely when starting the Wegovy tablet, and when increasing the dosage.

You should speak to your doctor before starting Wegovy (pill or injection) if you:

• have kidney or liver problems
• are diabetic
• have had pancreatitis
• have severe heart failure
• have severe gastrointestinal disease including gastroparesis
• have been diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy
• are due to have surgery under anaesthetic
• have had allergic reactions to other GLP-1 receptor agonists
• are pregnant or are thinking about becoming pregnant
• are breastfeeding
• are using contraception

No, currently only Wegovy injections are licensed and approved for weight loss treatment in the UK.

Oral semaglutide is only available and approved for diabetes in the UK under the name of Rybelsus. MHRA approvals have been focused on expanding available Wegovy injection doses. For example, this includes the 2026 approval of 7.2mg as a maximum maintenance dose for Wegovy.

The MHRA and the European Medicines Agency are currently reviewing the possibility of approving the tablet form of Wegovy in the UK and Europe.

The Wegovy pill will need to be approved by the MHRA first and then NICE (National Institute for Care and Excellence) will review whether the medication will be available on the NHS. There may be a potential release toward the end of 2026, but there is no set launch date.

How much will the Wegovy tablet cost?

In the US, the starting dose for the Wegovy tablet is around $150, with prices around $300 for the maximum dose of 25mg. Predictions for the cost of the Wegovy tablet in the UK will depend on how it is regulated. Current expectations are for prices up to £220 monthly.

It is likely that price points will be similar to the Wegovy injection.

Will oral Wegovy be available on the NHS?

It’s not clear. There is no confirmed NHS or private prescribing pathway yet.

Yes, in the UK there are a range of weight loss tablets available to request, either over-the-counter or by prescription depending on the kind. At ZAVA, you can request:

• orlistat
• alli
• Xenical
• Mysimba
• Orlos

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