Wegovy in Australia: uses, the new tablet and PBS status.

Wegovy is a prescription medicine containing semaglutide, a copy of the gut hormone GLP-1. It slows how fast the stomach empties and acts on appetite centres in the brain, so most people feel full sooner. The injection is given once a week with a FlexTouch pen; the new tablet is taken once a day.

Semaglutide is also the active ingredient in Ozempic. The two brands are approved for different uses at different doses. Ozempic vs Wegovy explained.

Wegovy is approved for chronic weight management in adults and adolescents, for reducing the risk of major heart events in adults with established heart disease, and, provisionally, for a form of liver disease called MASH. Some uses apply to the injection only.

Source: Wegovy Australian Product Information, revised 3 Nov 2026. For teenagers, the PI says treatment should be stopped if BMI has not fallen by at least 5% after 12 weeks on the full or maximum tolerated dose. Registration criteria are not a recommendation for any individual.

Not yet. Wegovy semaglutide tablets were entered on the ARTG on 3 November 2026, making them the first oral GLP-1 medicine approved in Australia for weight management. As of 9 November 2026 they had not been released and no Australian price had been set; the TGA still had to review packaging and production.

The Product Information describes how the tablet is taken:

• one tablet once a day, on an empty stomach after fasting for at least 8 hours
• with up to half a glass (120 mL) of water, swallowed whole
• then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other tablets
• the dose starts at 1.5 mg and steps up at least monthly to 4 mg, 9 mg and then 25 mg

In the OASIS 4 trial in the PI, 307 adults taking the 25 mg tablet had an average weight change of −13.6% over 64 weeks, compared with −2.2% on placebo. The tablet is not on the PBS. Other GLP-1 pills: GLP-1 tablets in Australia.

No. As of 9 November 2026 Wegovy is not PBS-listed for any use, so people prescribed it pay the full private price, which varies by dose and by pharmacy. A narrow listing for people with heart disease and obesity is being considered, but no outcome has been published.

The PBAC recommended listing Wegovy for adults with established heart disease and obesity in November 2025, but that recommendation did not proceed. Novo Nordisk lodged a revised proposal for adults with a prior heart attack, stroke or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease and a BMI of 35 or more. It was on the agenda for the 4–6 November 2026 meeting, and outcomes are due to be published around 18 December 2026.

Full detail: Is Wegovy on the PBS?.

The injection starts at 0.25 mg once a week and increases every four weeks: 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, then 2.4 mg from week 17. For adults with a BMI of 30 or more, the prescriber may go to 7.2 mg once a week, given as three 2.4 mg injections, after at least four weeks on 2.4 mg.

Week-by-week detail and pens: Wegovy doses.

In STEP 1, adults without diabetes taking Wegovy 2.4 mg for 68 weeks had an average weight change of −14.9%, compared with −2.4% on placebo. About two-thirds (66.1%) lost at least 10%, and nearly a third (30.2%) lost at least 20%.

Treatment-policy estimates (counting everyone, whether or not they stopped). All trials included lifestyle support. Sources: Wilding et al., NEJM 2021; Wharton et al., Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2025; Rubino et al., JAMA 2022; Wegovy PI Tables 7, 15 and 16.

In STEP 1 the lowest weight was reached around week 60. One year after stopping, people had regained about two-thirds of what they lost. Eating well if you stop.

The most common side effects are nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation, usually while the dose is going up. Across Wegovy’s weight trials, 38.3% of people had nausea, 26.8% diarrhoea, 21.8% constipation and 21.8% vomiting, compared with 14.0%, 14.3%, 10.2% and 5.7% on placebo.

In STEP 1–3 the median duration was 8 days for nausea, 2 for vomiting, 3 for diarrhoea and 47 for constipation. Hair loss was reported in 2.5% at 2.4 mg (1.0% on placebo), more often in people who lost 20% or more.

The CMI says to call your doctor straight away or go to the Emergency Department for serious symptoms such as severe, lasting stomach pain that may reach your back, signs of a severe allergic reaction, a severe form of constipation with pain, bloating and vomiting, or sudden loss of vision. Wegovy side effects in full.

The Wegovy CMI lists several situations to discuss with your doctor first. These are not the only ones, and the prescriber decides what applies to you.

• Pregnancy: do not use while pregnant, and stop at least two months before a planned pregnancy.
• Surgery or sedation: tell the health professional, as food or liquid has entered the lungs in some patients on medicines like Wegovy.
• Gastroparesis (slow stomach emptying): serious stomach side effects are possible.
• A history of depression, suicidal thoughts or other major mental illness.
• Do not use Wegovy with other GLP-1 medicines.

With a smaller appetite, protein, fibre and fluids matter more at each meal. The Wegovy CMI says to drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration if you have nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea. A 2025 joint advisory suggests about 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kilogram a day during active weight loss.

Start with the Wegovy diet plan, protein on a GLP-1 and foods for nausea. An Accredited Practising Dietitian can tailor it.