Eligible candidates will be adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or adults with a BMI<\/a> of 27 or more and at least one co-morbidity, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n Patients who meet the criteria will still have to pay \u2013 the medication won\u2019t be available through the NHS, at least not initially. \u201cWe won\u2019t expect that until there\u2019s been a deal reached between [manufacturer] Novo Nordisk<\/a> and the government, and I expect that to take some time,\u201d says Dr Earim Chaudry, chief medical officer at digital healthcare provider Voy. <\/p>\n There already seems to be a great deal of interest in the Wegovy pill<\/a>. Voy, the only UK provider currently open for pre-orders, has experienced \u201cmassive demand\u201d. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen, on our waiting list, tens of thousands of patients who are currently waiting for the treatment,\u201d says Dr Chaudry.<\/p>\n The pill works in much the same way as the jab, providing the same type of hormone \u2013 a peptide called semaglutide that mimics GLP-1 to suppress appetite \u2013 in oral form. It\u2019s coupled with a molecule called SNAC (salcaprozate sodium), which enables the body to absorb the peptide in an adequate volume. <\/p>\n Unlike the injections, which are administered weekly, the pills are for daily use, taken every morning on an empty stomach. The patient must wait half an hour before they can eat afterwards. There are four dose strengths available \u2013 1.5mg, 4mg, 9mg and 25mg \u2013 with new users expected to start on the lowest dose before incrementally increasing over the course of several months.<\/p>\n The trials of the Wegovy pills have seen similar results to those of the jabs. After 64 weeks, adults taking semaglutide tablets lost an average of 16.6 per cent of their body weight, compared to 2.7 per cent for the control group, who took a placebo pill. <\/p>\n There is some evidence that injections might be slightly more effective: one real-world study<\/a> found that participants taking Wegovy injections had lost an average of 17.6 per cent of their body weight after 12 months and 20.3 per cent at 18 months. In a separate 72-week medical study<\/a>, those taking Wegovy jabs, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, lost an average of 19 per cent of their body weight.<\/p>\n Additional health benefits were observed during the Wegovy pill trial. Participants saw \u201cmaterial uplift in other metabolic markers, like improved blood pressure,\u201d explains Dr Chaudry. \u201cWe\u2019ve also seen that people\u2019s physical and functional health has improved, so being able to move and do things they ordinarily couldn\u2019t do.\u201d Eight out of 10 people who had prediabetes were put into a normal sugar state.<\/p>\n Studies<\/a> have shown that the side effects of Wegovy in either format are experienced at a slightly higher frequency than those of its main weight-loss drug rival, Mounjaro, whose active ingredient is tirzepatide, rather than semaglutide. The most commonly reported side effects are gastrointestinal, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea \u2013 these were reported by 74 per cent of participants in the Wegovy pill trial. Though these were generally classed as mild to moderate and transient, just under 7 per cent of the oral semaglutide group ended up discontinuing treatment.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unlocking medication for a cohort of patients who didn\u2019t previously feel that the injectable was for them<\/p>\n Dr Earim Chaudry, Voy<\/p>\n In terms of overall weight loss, Mounjaro<\/a> was found to be more effective in one 2025 trial<\/a> that put tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy) head to head. The US researchers found that those on tirzepatide lost 20.2 per cent of their body weight compared to 13.7 per cent for those on semaglutide. Those on tirzepatide also saw their waist sizes shrink by over 5 cm more on average than those on semaglutide.<\/p>\n One of the most compelling arguments for Wegovy in pill form is that it removes certain barriers for prospective users who don\u2019t like the idea of injections, whether because of the continuing stigma around this medication, the hassle of keeping medication in the fridge, or the actual administering of the drug \u2013 especially for those who are phobic of needles. <\/p>\n A study conducted by Voy found that 55 per cent of people who were on a weight-loss injectable were hiding it from their partner. \u201cWe know that that is linked to stigma and judgement and fear,\u201d says Dr Chaudry. \u201cAnd we know that no needles, no fridge, nothing visible with the oral pill \u2013 that\u2019s going to be fairly game-changing in terms of how comfortable people feel taking this medication.\u201d<\/p>\n Another potential boon of the Wegovy pills being touted is price; many have assumed that the tablets will be cheaper than injections. \u201cI would just slightly temper the enthusiasm around this idea that it\u2019s going to be a cheaper option,\u201d advises Dr Chaudry. \u201cThe reality is, this is the same molecule, this is the same technology, and so I\u2019m not convinced that it\u2019s significantly cheaper to produce than the injectables right now.\u201d <\/p>\n However, he does anticipate the cost coming down as manufacturers build more efficiencies into their processes and other rival oral weight-loss products, such as a pill from Eli Lilly with a projected launch later this year, enter the market. <\/p>\n If Voy\u2019s prices are anything to go by, Wegovy in pill form will initially cost more than the jabs; the former is priced at \u00a3134 a month for the lowest dose, while the latter is \u00a3124 per month. <\/p>\n Amid all the excitement, it\u2019s important to note that this is not the first oral semaglutide product to be available in the UK. In 2020, the same manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, launched a pill called Rybelsus. Though licensed in the UK for managing type 2 diabetes and available through the NHS, it can also be prescribed off-label for weight loss.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a bit of deja vu, really, because we have been here before \u2013 it\u2019s not actually new,\u201d says Caroline Balazs, nurse practitioner and founder of SkinnyJab, and one of the UK\u2019s original weight-loss injection pioneers. \u201cThere was a lot of hype about it six years ago, and everybody bought the pills, because they thought: \u2018Oh great, it\u2019s the pill, it\u2019s easy, we don\u2019t have to worry about keeping things cold, we\u2019re not administering injections!\u2019 And loads and loads of people bought this drug.\u201d <\/p>\n These pills can be fantastic for maintenance \u2013 but they\u2019re not going to radically change anything<\/p>\n Caroline Balazs, SkinnyJab<\/p>\n A lot of Balazs\u2019s customers decided quite quickly that it wasn\u2019t for them. \u201cThe side effects of nausea were quite prevalent. In some ways, it\u2019s not as easy as the injections because you\u2019ve got to remember to take it every day on an empty stomach. Some people found it less effective, or not effective at all.\u201d According to one study, participants lost 15.1 per cent of their initial body weight over 68 weeks of taking Rybelsus.<\/p>\n A small proportion of Balazs\u2019s clients do still opt for Rybelsus because it\u2019s more convenient for travelling, or because they hate having to inject themselves, but she advises that it\u2019s better for maintenance rather than dramatic weight loss. \u201cThese pills, they\u2019ve got a place; they can be fantastic for maintenance \u2013 but they\u2019re not going to radically change anything,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat I don\u2019t want is people stopping their Mounjaro medication, thinking that this is the next big thing, because those people are going to be strongly disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Chaudry broadly agrees with this sentiment: \u201cCurrently I see the oral medication as sitting alongside the injectables. I would recommend that people who are doing well on injectables continue on that path, because they\u2019re on a stable medication and it\u2019s having a great result for them. If you don\u2019t have any challenges, don\u2019t feel that you have to be on the new oral pill.\u201d<\/p>\n The big difference with the Wegovy pill is the potential to increase the dosage, which could have a bigger impact on weight loss than Rybelsus, even if it doesn\u2019t quite achieve the results seen with Mounjaro. Rybelsus comes in the same initial three doses as oral Wegovy \u2013 1.5mg, 4mg and 9mg \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t offer the final, much stronger dose of 25mg. That could be what makes the difference.<\/p>\n Another weight-loss drug, slated for UK release sometime in 2027 or 2028, is going to be a much bigger game-changer than the Wegovy pill, claims Balazs. Retatrutide<\/a>, a product developed by Eli Lilly that\u2019s currently in phase 3 clinical trials, is what\u2019s known as a \u201ctriple agonist\u201d, meaning it stimulates three metabolic pathways simultaneously: GLP-1 receptors, which slow digestion and suppress appetite; GIP receptors, which reduce hunger and improve insulin secretion; and glucagon receptors, which increase energy expenditure and boost fat breakdown. This unique trifecta is expected to deliver radical results. <\/p>\n By comparison, semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus) primarily stimulates one specific receptor (GLP-1), while tirzepatide (Mounjaro) is a dual-receptor agonist, stimulating GLP-1 and GIP receptors.<\/p>\n Ultimately, although Wegovy pills aren\u2019t likely to be a major disruptor in the weight-loss world, they\u2019re still a helpful alternative for people who\u2019ve felt uncomfortable with jabs, enabling them to access potentially life-saving treatmen<\/a>t<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are having challenges \u2013 maybe you\u2019re in that 55 per cent of people who feel stigmatised about taking the injections, or you\u2019re worried about some element of it \u2013 then I think the oral medication is great,\u201d says Dr Chaudry. \u201cIt\u2019s really unlocking the medication for a cohort of patients who didn\u2019t previously feel that the injectable was for them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":706970,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[97,308,23664,243],"class_list":["post-706969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-health","tag-horizontal","tag-illustration","tag-medication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=706969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/706970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=706969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=706969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=706969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Wegovy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-(2).png\")
Wegovy pills have delivered similar results to the jabs in clinical trials (Wegovy)<\/p>\n![\"Weight-loss](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2280584269...jpeg\")
Weight-loss injectables like Mounjaro and Wegovy have exploded in popularity in the UK (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Another](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Retatrutide.jpeg\")
Another weight-loss jab, Retratrutide, is slated for a release in 2027 or 2028 (UGC)<\/p>\n