What Are Wegovy Tablets? The UK Guide to Oral Semaglutide
The first daily GLP-1 weight management tablet licensed in the UK — how oral semaglutide works, how to take it, what the trials showed, and who it may suit.
Part of the Overweight and Obesity Guide.
When to get urgent help: If you take Wegovy tablets, call 999 or go to A&E for signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing. Get medical help straight away for severe stomach pain that does not go away and may spread to your back (possible pancreatitis), or for sudden loss of vision or sudden blurring in one or both eyes (go to eye casualty or A&E).
Key fact: On 11 June 2026 the MHRA approved Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide), the first GLP-1 tablet licensed for weight management in the UK. (Rybelsus, an oral semaglutide tablet available since 2020, is licensed only for type 2 diabetes.) They launched in UK pharmacies on 6 July 2026 and you can order Wegovy tablets online on private prescription, started at 1.5mg once a day and increased monthly towards 25mg.
Wegovy Tablets at Access Doctor
Prescribed only after an online consultation with our GPhC-registered pharmacist independent prescribers, who confirm your weight and check the treatment is suitable for you.
Start a consultation →Until recently, the GLP-1 weight management medicines were all injections: Mounjaro, Wegovy and Saxenda, and for some people that has been a reason not to start treatment. Wegovy tablets contain the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, semaglutide, in a once-daily tablet.
This guide explains what the tablets are, how they compare with the medicines you may already know, and the practical rules that make the difference between the pill working well and barely working at all. For the wider treatment landscape, see our UK guide to prescription weight loss medication.
What are Wegovy tablets?
Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Novo Nordisk, taken as one tablet each day. They come in four strengths (1.5mg, 4mg, 9mg and 25mg), and 25mg is the maintenance dose. They are licensed for chronic weight management in adults, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity — the same licence framework as the weekly Wegovy injection.
The MHRA approved the tablets on 11 June 2026, making them the first oral GLP-1 medicine licensed for weight management in the UK. They launched in UK pharmacies on 6 July 2026, initially at the 1.5mg and 4mg strengths, on private prescription. They are not routinely available on the NHS, which depends on a NICE recommendation.
25mg
Full daily maintenance dose
1st
Oral GLP-1 licensed for weight loss in the UK
1.5mg
Starting dose, increased no sooner than monthly
Not the same as Rybelsus. Rybelsus is also oral semaglutide, but at lower doses (up to 14mg) and licensed only for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy tablets go up to 25mg and are licensed specifically for weight management. The two are not interchangeable.
How oral semaglutide works
Semaglutide mimics GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), a hormone your gut releases after eating. By activating GLP-1 receptors it acts on areas of the brain involved in appetite and fullness, and slows how quickly the stomach empties. It is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, not instead of them.
The challenge with the tablet is getting a fragile peptide through the stomach intact. Each tablet pairs semaglutide with an absorption enhancer called SNAC (salcaprozate sodium), which locally raises the pH around the tablet and helps semaglutide cross the stomach lining before digestive enzymes break it down. This is also why the fasting rules below matter so much — food or drink in the stomach reduces absorption.
How to take Wegovy tablets
The tablet only works properly if it is taken correctly. The routine is strict but simple once it becomes habit:
1
Take it on an empty stomach
After not eating or drinking for at least 8 hours, so first thing when you wake is easiest — before breakfast, coffee, or any other medicines.
2
Swallow whole with a little water
Do not split, crush or chew the tablet. Use a sip of water (up to half a glass, 120ml) — more than that can reduce absorption.
3
Wait at least 30 minutes
No food, no drink other than that water, and no other oral medicines for at least half an hour after taking it. If you miss a dose, skip it and take the next one the following day.
4
Repeat at the same time each day
A consistent daily routine keeps semaglutide levels steady and makes the fasting window easy to plan around.
The dose schedule
Like the injectable GLP-1 medicines, Wegovy tablets are started low and stepped up gradually to give your digestive system time to adjust. You spend at least a month on each step before moving up: