What the Wegovy pill is
Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, in a tablet taken once a day. On 22 May 2026 the European Medicines Agency recommended adding tablets to Wegovy's EU authorisation, in strengths of 1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg, and the EMA's Wegovy page now lists both pens and tablets. The UK's medicines regulator, the MHRA, approved the tablets on 11 June 2026.
How it differs from the injection
The tablet is taken once a day rather than once a week, on an empty stomach, with strict timing around food, drink and other medicines so that it is absorbed. Your prescriber and pharmacist will explain exactly how to take it. In the trial the EMA cited, 307 adults taking the tablets lost 13.61% of their body weight on average over 64 weeks, compared with 2.18% on placebo; that is an average, not a prediction for any one person. The most common side effects were digestive: nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, stomach pain, indigestion and vomiting.
Can you get it in Ireland yet?
When we checked on 23 September 2026, WeightLossInjections.ie and myBMI, both of which use Northern Ireland pharmacies, advertised the Wegovy pill. HealthHero's Irish GP service describes oral options without naming brands. Supply from pharmacies in the Republic depends on the tablets being launched here, so ask your pharmacy whether it can dispense them before you pay for a consultation.
The other weight-loss pills
Eli Lilly's orforglipron, sold as Foundayo, is a different kind of GLP-1 tablet that can be taken at any time of day without food or water restrictions. The US approved it on 1 April 2026 and the UK on 10 August 2026, when the MHRA described the UK as the first country in Europe to approve it, so it was not yet authorised in the EU. Rybelsus is also oral semaglutide, but it is licensed for type 2 diabetes, not weight management.
Before you start
A prescriber should check your BMI, medical history and other medicines, and whether a daily tablet with fasting rules suits your routine. Ask the pharmacy what the tablets will cost each month at your dose, because the pharmacy sets the medicine price. GLP-1 medicines are prescription-only, so use regulated doctors and pharmacies and avoid any seller that skips a clinical review.