The cheapest weight loss drug available to purchase in the UK has been revealed from a comparison of prescription prices.
The Standard compared the prices of four weight loss drugs which can be purchased with a prescription from a Boots pharmacy in the UK – Mounjaro, Wegovy, Nevolat and Xenical.
Xenical, a drug which can be taken up to three times daily as a pill with meals, was the cheapest form of prescription weight loss available to purchase in the UK.
One pill cost £1.68, so taking the maximum dosage of three pills a day over seven days equates to £35.28.
The medicine works by reducing how much fat your body absorbs from food and can be purchased as a pack of 84 capsules for £54.
By comparison, the most expensive weight loss drug was the weekly injectable Mounjaro. The largest dosage, a 15mg pen, cost £249 which is £213.72, or 600 per cent, more expensive than a week’s worth of Xenical.
The smallest Mounjaro dosage, a 2.5mg pen, cost £219 which is 520 per cent more expensive than a weekly dosage of Xenical pills.
The self-injectable Mounjaro, like Wegovy and Nevolat, works by making you feel fuller to reduce cravings and the amount of food you eat.
Although Mounjaro is the most expensive medicine, it can help people lose up to 20 per cent of their body fat after 17 months of use, the largest loss, compared to a possible loss of up to five per cent of body fat which can be achieved by using the cheaper Xenical for a year.
The manufacturers of Mounjaro, Eli Lilly, announced they will discount the price of the drug for UK pharmacies after an earlier announcement that the price would increase by up to 170 per cent on September 1.
Eli Lilly said they would implement the price hike in order for their UK prices to be more in line with those in Europe and the US.
However, after instances of consumers attempting to batch buy the drug ahead of the major price hike, resulting in Eli Lilly temporarily suspending deliveries of the drug to UK pharmacies, the manufacturer confirmed it would limit the planned price increase.
Wegovy, a weekly injectable pen, costs £139 for a 0.25mg pen and £228.89 for the largest dosage of 2.4mg.
Nevolat, a once daily injection, is sold for the cheapest at £41.80 per pen in a pack of five for £209, which equates to £292.60 for a week’s worth of medicine.
As a result, the cheapest weekly dosage of Nevolat is £153.60 more than a week’s worth of the smallest dose of Wegovy.
Our comparison did not include Ozempic or Rybelsus, other weight loss treatments which are not offered at Boots online doctors because these medicines are used to treat Type 2 diabetes.
Boots said the limited supplies of these drugs in the UK means they should be prioritised for patients with diabetes. Ozempic can be obtained through a private prescription, but is not prescribed through the NHS for weight loss treatment.
Ozempic has gone viral this week after tennis champion Serena Williams, who has 23 grand slam titles throughout her career, posed in an advert for Ozempic and admitted to using the weight loss drug herself.
In the UK, more than two thirds of adults are either overweight or obese.
The number of people using medication to help with weight loss in the UK reached an estimated 1.5 million in March according to data shared by the IQVIA, a life sciences analytics company.
In March 2025 alone, an estimated 1,527,000 packs of weight loss drugs were supplied in the UK.
The UK weight management market has seen an average monthly volume growth of 24.6 per cent since October 2024, driven largely by online providers which account for around 80 per cent of purchases, said the Pharmacist.
You should only use weight loss drugs which have been prescribed from your doctor and purchased at a reputable pharmacy.
Medical professionals advise that lifestyle changes are required alongside using weight loss drugs to reach a healthier weight.
