Wegovy Tablets: What Oral Semaglutide Means for Weight Loss

Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, in a form you swallow. The medicines regulator approved this oral form for weight management in adults in 2026. For anyone who has ruled out treatment because of needles, it is a genuine change.

What semaglutide does

Semaglutide copies a gut hormone called GLP-1. Your body releases GLP-1 after you eat. It signals to the brain that you have had enough and slows how quickly your stomach empties. The result is that you feel full sooner and stay full for longer, which makes a reduced-calorie diet easier to follow.

The tablet and the injection act on the same hormone in the same way. The difference is how the medicine gets into your body, not what it does once it is there.

How it is taken

One tablet a day. Oral semaglutide is absorbed in the stomach, and absorption is affected by food and drink, so the patient information leaflet gives clear instructions about when to take it and how long to wait before eating. Following those instructions matters more than with most medicines, because the timing affects how much of the dose reaches your bloodstream.

Like the injection, the dose starts low and is increased in steps by your prescriber. That gives your body time to adjust and keeps side effects manageable.

Who it is licensed for

It is licensed for adults with a body mass index of 30 or more. It is also licensed for adults with a body mass index of 27 or more who have at least one weight-related health condition, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or sleep apnoea. It is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.

Side effects

The common side effects match the injection. Feeling sick, being sick, constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion and stomach pain are the ones most people notice, and they usually settle within a few weeks.

Less commonly, semaglutide can cause serious problems including inflammation of the pancreas and gallbladder problems. It is not suitable in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or if you have a history of pancreatitis or certain thyroid cancers. Read the patient information leaflet before you start, and tell your prescriber about every other medicine you take.

Tablet or weekly injection?

There is no universal answer. A weekly injection is one action a week and needs fridge storage before first use. A daily tablet needs no fridge but does need a daily routine and attention to timing.

If you travel often, or you know an injection would stop you starting at all, say so in your assessment. If you have struggled to keep up daily medicines before, say that too. Your prescriber would rather choose the treatment you will actually take.

Availability

Newly licensed medicines reach pharmacies gradually, and supply can be limited at first. Our weight loss pages show what our pharmacy can supply today, and we update them as that changes.

How to start

Complete our free online assessment. We independently verify your height and weight, which our regulator requires before any first supply of a weight loss medicine. A registered prescriber then decides whether treatment is appropriate and which option fits you. A prescription is not guaranteed.