Wegovy weight loss pill now available in UK – here’s what you need to know
11 hours ago
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The once-a-day Wegovy weight loss pill is now available to buy privately from High Street and online pharmacies in the UK – but is not yet on the NHS
It contains the same ingredient – semaglutide – as the Wegovy weight loss injections but is still advised to be used alongside a healthy diet and increased physical activity
So, what do you need to know about this pill version of the skinny jab?
How do you take the pill?
There are a number of strict guidelines to help make sure the pill is absorbed well by the body
- On an empty stomach after not eating for at least eight hours
- At least 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything else or taking other tablets
- With a sip of up to 120ml of water – (that’s plain water, not fizzy water or coffee or tea) – and swallow it down whole
Ideally, it’s taken at the same time every day so it becomes routine
If you miss a dose, skip that day’s dose and get back on track by taking the scheduled dose the next day, advice says
Tablets vs injection
Aside from the obvious that one is in pill form and one is an injectable, both treatments work well and trials show they are similarly effective
If you don’t like needles, the tablet may be a better option for you
But if you don’t like the idea of using something daily or it doesn’t suit your lifestyle to fast (not eat) eight hours before taking a pill each day, the injection may be more convenient
You can take the once-weekly jab any time of the day but it does need to be stored in the fridge
Who can get the pill and where can you buy it?
The pill is available to people with a BMI of 30 and above (generally considered obese) or a BMI of 27-30 (overweight) if they also have certain weight-related health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure
This is essentially the same criteria as people getting the injection
And like the jab, a consultation – either online or face-to-face – is needed to make sure the pill is right for you
A number of online and high street pharmacies say they will have stocks soon to send out
Some suggest signing up to a waiting or a mailing list to be kept up-to-date
People are being advised to go to credible websites to avoid buying any fake medicine
What are the side effects?
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The semaglutide in the jab and pill mimics the actions of a hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like-peptide-1), which is released from the intestine after people eat
It acts on receptors in the brain that control appetite, making people feel fuller, less hungry and crave food less
Very common side effects with both include stomach problems, like feeling sick, being sick (vomiting), constipation and diarrhoea
With the jab, you may get little bit of skin redness, itching or mild swelling where you inject
Some people on the tablets or injections may experience stomach pain, headaches and tiredness
More rarely, people can get more serious complications, like low blood sugar, pancreatitis or severe allergic reactions
It’s worth checking the patient information leaflet for the full details
Do not take the medication if you are under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, and make sure you speak to your doctor about any other medical conditions you have or medication you take
What dose do you start on?
The starting dose is a 1.5mg tablet once a day for one month and then, after consultation, the dose would generally increase each month until the recommended maximum dose of 25mg once a day
Like the jab, it can take several months to get full benefits and there is the risk that weight may go back on after you stop the medication
Patients currently being treated privately with a 2.4mg semaglutide injection can switch to daily semaglutide 25mg tablets, with medical supervision
A healthcare professional should always be consulted before patients try and switch like for like, as the most appropriate dose and treatment will vary by individual
How do weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy work?
How much does it cost and will it be cheaper than the injection?
This is likely to depend on where you get it
Some pharmacies have limited-time introductory offers, where the first few doses are sold at a relatively low price
The price will also partly depend on the dose taken, with the higher doses costing more
Some pharmacies are currently pricing the lowest dose (1.5mg) at £99 for a month’s supply and the highest dose (25mg) at £199 for a 30-day supply
When it launched in the US, the manufacturer listed the starting dose of 1.5mg at $149 (around £110) a month
There are hopes that the pill will be cheaper than the injection in the long term but we don’t know that for certain yet
Some pharmacies are currently charging similar prices for both
When will it be available on the NHS?
Earlier this month it became the first tablet of its kind to get cleared by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
We don’t yet know if or when it will be available on the NHS
The next step is for the healthcare watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to see if its expert panel recommends it
NICE will need to see trial data from the pill’s manufacturer and other information to assess, amongst other things, how cost-effective it would be
Adam Burt, head of obesity for pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, told the BBC’s Today Programme that “we need to make sure the medicines are cost effective for the NHS [and] the taxpayer”
He added that the review normally takes 9 to 12 months
Are the pills a short-term fix?
GLP-1 drugs are not meant for a short-term or cosmetic weight loss – in any form
Health experts strongly advise against using them as a quick-fix to get “beach body” ready, although it is clear people do misuse them
How well does it work?
In a recent trial, people took Wegovy or a placebo (dummy pill), alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for 64 weeks
People who took Wegovy tablets lost on average 13.61% of their body weight, compared with 2.18% in the placebo group
Professor of diet and population health at the University of Oxford, Susan Jebb,says the drugs have the potential to be used in a long-term way, similar to blood pressure or cholesterol medication. But admits she is apprehensive about relying on them for solving the obesity issue
“Pretty much everybody has a good intention to eat healthily today, but somehow that gets eroded when you walk down the high street and there are coffee shops and cafes and muffins… and chocolates on a three-for-two deal.”
What is being done about counterfeit pills?
Fake pills being sold is a “massive concern”, Burt said, but added that Novo Nordisk had a number of measures to prevent such medication being distributed
“[This includes] monitoring of online spaces, particularly online where people can be exposed to fake drugs websites selling counterfeit medicines, fortified medicines
“We have an operation where we take down sites directly, we had a successful High Court judgement a couple of weeks ago, that enables us to work directly with service providers to take down these sites.”
In April this year, pharmacies called for more to be done to tackle the “sophisticated criminal enterprise” of counterfeit weight-loss jabs after Northamptonshire Police carried out a raid, seizing £250,000 worth of drugs
Burt said the company was working with regulators including MHRA and law enforcement, with police conducting “a number of sting operations”
He also told people to
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