Medically reviewed by Dr Dan McNally.
As of June 11th 2026, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy tablet (the first GLP-1 agonist tablet) is approved for UK patients. Here’s everything you should know now, and how to access the tablets.
Wegovy: what is it?
Wegovy is the brand name for semaglutide: a peptide, mimicking a hormone your body naturally produces to make you feel full by interacting with Glucagon Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptors. This feedbacks to your brain, suppressing your appetite.
Up until now, GLP-1 agonists (such as Wegovy) have only been available as an injection for UK patients. Introducing them in tablet form, increases the ease of use, allowing more patients to benefit from the medication.
If you're weighing up Wegovy against other weight loss medications, our Wegovy vs Mounjaro article breaks down how the two compare.
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Dosing schedule
Wegovy tablets need to be taken every morning, with a few crucial details to allow the medication to help you to its full extent. Take the tablet first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a few sips of water, then wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking any other medication. This is important for the drug to be absorbed properly.
Like with all GLP-1 agonists, the dose of Wegovy tablets must be gradually increased to let your body get used to the medication. That being said, how frequently the dosage is increased, is done on your own terms.
Here’s a typical dosing schedule for the Wegovy tablet:
Month 1: 1.5 mg a day
Month 2: 4 mg a day
Month 3: 9 mg a day
Month 4 onwards: 25 mg a day (the maintenance dose)
Unlike the injectable version, the Wegovy tablet doesn't need to be refrigerated. It can sit in your bathroom cabinet like any other daily medication.
Efficacy
Very effective. And not significantly different from Wegovy injections. In clinical trials, people taking Wegovy tablets lost an average of 13.6% of their body weight over 64 weeks. For someone weighing 90kg (~200lbs), that’s nearly a 12kg (~27lbs) weight loss.
Wegovy injections have shown an average weight loss of around 15% across several clinical trials.
Even though averages don’t tell the whole story and individual responses vary, it's clear that the effects of Wegovy in tablet form do not vary significantly from the effects of Wegovy in injection form.
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Side Effects
Just as any other medication, Wegovy tablets come with some side effects. Most commonly, patients experience stomach troubles, especially as they adjust to the medication in the first few weeks. These usually ease off over time. You may notice:
Nausea (especially mornings)
Bowel troubles (diarrhoea or constipation)
Feeling bloated
Heartburn
Headaches or dizziness
Feeling tired
The tablet’s side effects are most commonly centred in the gastrointestinal system, unlike the injection’s side effects, which can target many bodily systems.
These side effects are oftentimes mild, and do not require medical intervention. You can read more about how to deal with GLP1 side effects, as well as when to contact a doctor on this blog.
Conclusion
The approval of Wegovy tablets drastically changes the accessibility of the drug. If you’ve been avoiding weight loss medication because of the injection, you may be looking at a much less invasive solution to support your weight loss journey.
Oral Wegovy delivers results that are closely comparable to the injection, with the same active ingredient and a similar efficacy profile.
However, it’s unavailable via the NHS just yet. If you’re looking for help, complete your eligibility check and one of our doctors will take it from there.
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