GLP-1 medicines in Australia: the full picture.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone released by the gut within minutes of eating. It prompts insulin release when blood glucose rises, suppresses glucagon, slows stomach emptying and signals fullness to the brain. Natural GLP-1 is broken down within minutes; GLP-1 receptor agonists are engineered to activate the same receptor for a day (liraglutide) or a week (semaglutide, dulaglutide, tirzepatide).

The class began in diabetes and expanded into weight management as trials showed sustained appetite reduction. Tirzepatide adds a second target, GIP, making it a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist. Newer candidates add amylin (CagriSema) or glucagon (retatrutide), or use a swallowable small molecule (orforglipron).

All registered members of the class are Schedule 4 prescription-only medicines.

The PBS subsidises GLP-1 medicines for type 2 diabetes only, through Ozempic and Trulicity, under authority criteria a prescriber must confirm; eligible patients pay the standard PBS co-payment. Everything else in the table is supplied on private prescription at a price set by the pharmacy; this page does not report prices.

In March 2025 the Health Minister asked the PBAC how GLP-1 obesity treatments could be made available equitably. Its November 2025 advice, published 19 December 2025, recommended a “slow and managed roll-out” of subsidised access, starting with people with established cardiovascular disease, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with obesity-related conditions, people with syndromic or medication-induced obesity, and people needing weight loss to qualify for surgery. It cited uncertain long-term outcomes and the risk of subsidised supply leaking outside approved criteria.

At the same meeting the PBAC recommended Wegovy for adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity, conditional on a price reduction and risk-sharing arrangement. The Minister endorsed the listing in January 2026, but terms had not been agreed with Novo Nordisk as of 1 October 2026. For Mounjaro, the PBAC recommended a type 2 diabetes listing in March 2026 and Eli Lilly declined in April 2026; no obesity submission has been lodged. Details are in Wegovy and the PBS and tirzepatide in Australia.

Two 2026 analyses measure different things.

Both describe a market largely outside the PBS, the context for the PBAC’s equity concerns. Neither says whether treatment suits any particular person.

During the 2022 to 2025 semaglutide shortage, some pharmacies compounded GLP-1 products at scale under an exemption meant for individual preparations. The TGA judged the ingredients of unknown origin, the practice outside the exemption’s purpose, and the products unevaluated. From 1 October 2024, pharmacists must not compound any medicine containing a GLP-1 receptor agonist analogue, in any dosage form.

Since then the TGA has issued alerts about counterfeit products falsely claiming to contain semaglutide or tirzepatide, warned in April 2026 about unapproved injectable peptides sold online, and in June 2026 named them a compliance priority. Such products have no verified contents, sterility or dose, and no safety reporting.

The most common side effects across the class are gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and reduced appetite, mostly during dose increases. Many settle; some people stop because of them. Less common serious risks in Australian Product Information include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, dehydration leading to kidney injury, and hypoglycaemia with insulin or sulfonylureas. They are not used in pregnancy.

Weight regain after stopping is well documented in trial extensions, one reason these are framed as long-term treatments rather than short courses. See Ozempic side effects and Mounjaro side effects.