Is Wegovy on the PBS?
Not yet. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended a narrow listing in November 2025, the Health Minister said yes in January 2026, and then the price talks stalled. This page explains how PBS listing works, what was recommended, who would and would not be covered, and where Ozempic and Mounjaro sit. It is information, not advice, and it carries no prices for any medicine.
As of 1 October 2026, Wegovy is not on the PBS. The PBAC recommended it in November 2025 for adults with established cardiovascular disease and a BMI of 35 or more (32.5 or more for people of Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background), on condition of a lower price and a risk-share deal. Price negotiations with Novo Nordisk were unresolved as of mid-2026 and no listing date has been announced; until then Wegovy is available only on a private (unsubsidised) prescription. Whether it suits you at all is your prescriber's decision.
- 5 November 2025 — PBAC recommends Wegovy for adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity, BMI ≥35 kg/m² (≥32.5 for Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people), subject to a price reduction and risk-sharing arrangement. PBAC public summary document.
- 19 December 2025 — PBS publishes the PBAC's advice on equitable access to GLP-1 obesity treatments, recommending a "slow and managed roll-out". pbs.gov.au/reviews.
- 12 January 2026 — Health Minister Mark Butler commits to listing Wegovy for the recommended group; price talks with Novo Nordisk to begin, no timeline. ABC News.
- 27 February 2026 — Novo Nordisk lodges listing documentation. On 1 October 2026 the PBS status page records it as "Not Accepted"; listing not commenced. PBS medicine status: semaglutide.
- 28 April 2026 — Eli Lilly declines to list Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes after a March 2026 PBAC recommendation, calling the price conditions "unrealistic and unviable". RACGP newsGP.
- 1 January 2026 — PBS co-payments: $25.00 general, $7.70 concessional; Safety Net $1,748.20 and $277.20. PBS fees and charges.
How a medicine gets onto the PBS.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidises prescription medicines: the patient pays a capped co-payment and the Commonwealth pays the rest. A medicine can be TGA-registered and widely prescribed without being PBS-listed, which is Wegovy's position today. Listing runs in four steps.
1. PBAC assessment
The sponsor submits evidence of clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness. The independent PBAC meets in March, July and November and publishes outcomes about six weeks later: recommend, defer or not recommend.
2. Minister's decision
A positive PBAC recommendation is required before the Health Minister can list a medicine. Very high-cost listings also need Cabinet sign-off.
3. Price negotiation
The Department negotiates the subsidised price and any risk-share arrangement (caps on what taxpayers pay if use exceeds forecasts). The sponsor can accept, keep negotiating or walk away.
4. Listing
Once documents are accepted and a deed signed, the medicine appears in the PBS Schedule, usually on the first of a month. The PBAC says this normally takes around five months after a recommendation, longer for costly listings.
Step 3 is where Wegovy sat on 1 October 2026, and where Mounjaro's type 2 diabetes listing ended.
Wegovy and the PBS, 2022 to 2026.
Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg) is registered for chronic weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to under 30 with a weight-related condition, alongside diet and physical activity.
First submission, for severe obesity (BMI 35 or more with a comorbidity). PBAC: population poorly justified, modelled benefits highly uncertain, not cost-effective at the price asked.
Resubmission narrowed to BMI 40 or more with multiple comorbidities. PBAC found no strong clinical rationale for the comorbidities chosen and flagged that the SELECT cardiovascular trial would help define who benefits most.
Wegovy reaches Australian pharmacies in August 2024. On 19 December 2024 the TGA adds an indication to reduce major cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and BMI of 27 or more, without diabetes.
Third submission, targeting established cardiovascular disease with obesity. Recommended for an Authority Required listing at BMI 35 or more (32.5 for Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people), conditional on a lower price and a risk-sharing arrangement.
Mark Butler commits to the listing and to negotiating "a price that works for them but also works for taxpayers".
Novo Nordisk lodges documents on 27 February 2026. In June 2026 trade press reported the Department had not accepted the pricing documents; the PBS status page still shows "Not Accepted" on 1 October 2026.
No date announced. Given the usual timeline, a start before late 2026 looks unlikely and 2027 is possible: Preptide's reading, not an official forecast.
Sources for each step are listed at the end of this page. PBAC dates are meeting dates; public summary documents are published later.
Who would, and would not, be covered.
The recommendation is deliberately narrow. It rests on the SELECT trial, which tested semaglutide 2.4 mg against placebo in 17,604 adults with established cardiovascular disease, a BMI of 27 or more and no diabetes. Over a mean 39.8 months, 6.5% of the semaglutide group had a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death versus 8.0% on placebo (hazard ratio 0.80). The PBAC judged that benefit worth subsidising, but only for people at highest risk.
| Criterion | What the PBAC recommended (November 2025) |
|---|---|
| Cardiovascular disease | A confirmed prior heart attack, prior stroke, or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (claudication with an ankle-brachial index below 0.85, a revascularisation procedure, or amputation due to atherosclerotic disease). |
| Body mass index | 35 kg/m² or more at the start of treatment; 32.5 kg/m² or more for people of Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander ethnicity. |
| Prescribing pathway | Authority Required (telephone or online approval) for initial, continuing and "grandfathered" patients already on treatment. |
| Other conditions | Used with standard cardiovascular care, diet and exercise. Not with another PBS-subsidised GLP-1 medicine or a DPP-4 inhibitor. Diabetes status is not a criterion either way. |
Not covered under this recommendation: people with obesity but no cardiovascular event history; people with cardiovascular disease and a BMI below 35 (or 32.5); anyone seeking Wegovy for weight management alone; and adolescents. The PBAC's separate advice to the Minister names future groups for consideration, such as people who need to lose weight to qualify for surgery, but none is covered yet.
Co-payments, and what "private prescription" means.
PBS co-payments are set by government and are the same for every listed medicine. From 1 January 2026 a general patient pays up to $25.00 per PBS prescription and a concession card holder $7.70. Once a person or family spends $1,748.20 (general) or $277.20 (concessional) on PBS medicines in a calendar year, the Safety Net makes prescriptions cheaper or free for the rest of that year. Some products carry a brand premium. If Wegovy is listed, these are the amounts that would apply to eligible patients.
Until then, Wegovy is dispensed on a private prescription: a prescriber writes it within the TGA-approved indication, the pharmacy sets the retail price, and no subsidy or Safety Net contribution applies. This is lawful and common for registered but unlisted medicines. Preptide does not publish private prices for any medicine; clinical suitability is a matter for you and your prescriber.
Two related facts: pharmacy-compounded copies of semaglutide and tirzepatide have been unlawful since 1 October 2024, and Saxenda (liraglutide), the older daily injection, was discontinued in Australia with market deletion recorded on 19 December 2025.
Where Ozempic and Mounjaro stand.
Ozempic (semaglutide, up to 1 mg)
PBS-listed for type 2 diabetes only, under an Authority Required restriction with clinical criteria tightened from 1 June 2024. Not PBS-subsidised or TGA-indicated for weight management. Removed from the TGA shortage list on 18 July 2025.
Mounjaro (tirzepatide)
TGA-registered for type 2 diabetes and, since 10 September 2024, chronic weight management. Not PBS-listed for anything. PBAC did not recommend it in July 2023 or November 2024, deferred in July 2025, then recommended a type 2 diabetes listing on 11 March 2026. Eli Lilly declined on 28 April 2026.
The Mounjaro outcome shows the final step is not automatic: a recommendation still needs a price both sides will sign. Two oral products are in the pipeline but unapproved as of 1 October 2026: the TGA accepted Eli Lilly's orforglipron application in January 2026, and Novo Nordisk was reported in May 2026 to have applied for Wegovy tablets (not confirmed on TGA public lists). For the pharmacology, see Mounjaro vs Wegovy vs Ozempic.
How to check the current PBS Schedule.
Search "semaglutide" at pbs.gov.au. Listed items show a brand, a restriction type and clinical criteria. On 1 October 2026 the only semaglutide items are Ozempic pens for type 2 diabetes. If a Wegovy item appears with "established cardiovascular disease" criteria, the listing has happened. The medicine-status page tracks each stage, and the PBAC advice page holds the full minutes.
A subsidy decision is not a clinical decision.
PBS listing changes who pays, not who should take a medicine. Wegovy carries the same benefits and risks on a private script as on the PBS; gastrointestinal effects are very common and rarer serious events are described in the Product Information. If you are already prescribed a GLP-1 medicine, Preptide's food guides can help: the Wegovy diet plan, the semaglutide food guide and foods for GLP-1 nausea.
Is Wegovy on the PBS in Australia?
No. As of 1 October 2026 Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg) is not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The PBAC recommended a restricted listing in November 2025 and the Health Minister endorsed it in January 2026, but the price and risk-share agreement with Novo Nordisk has not been finalised.
When will Wegovy be on the PBS?
No date has been announced. The PBS medicine-status page shows the sponsor's documentation, lodged in February 2026, had not been accepted as of 1 October 2026. Listing normally follows several months after acceptance, so a start before late 2026 looks unlikely and it may be 2027. Check pbs.gov.au.
Who would qualify for PBS-subsidised Wegovy?
Under the November 2025 recommendation: adults with established cardiovascular disease (prior heart attack, prior stroke or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease) and a BMI of 35 kg/m² or more, or 32.5 kg/m² or more for people of Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, via an Authority Required prescription. Final criteria are set at listing.
How much would Wegovy cost on the PBS?
If listed, the standard PBS co-payment would apply: up to $25.00 for general patients and $7.70 for concession card holders from 1 January 2026, plus any brand premium. Preptide does not publish private prescription prices.
Is Ozempic on the PBS for weight loss?
No. Ozempic (semaglutide up to 1 mg) is PBS-listed only for type 2 diabetes under Authority Required criteria. It is not PBS-subsidised, or TGA-indicated, for weight management in Australia.
Is Mounjaro on the PBS?
No. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is not PBS-listed for any indication as of 1 October 2026. The PBAC recommended a type 2 diabetes listing in March 2026; Eli Lilly declined the price terms in April 2026.
Why did the PBAC reject Wegovy before?
In March 2022 and November 2023 the PBAC found the proposed severe-obesity population poorly justified, the modelled long-term benefits uncertain and the listing not cost-effective at the requested price. The 2025 resubmission narrowed the group to people with established cardiovascular disease, supported by the SELECT trial.
Primary sources checked for this page.
- PBAC public summary document, semaglutide (Wegovy), November 2025 meeting, including the March 2022 and November 2023 history.
- PBS medicine status: semaglutide for established cardiovascular disease with obesity.
- PBAC advice on equitable access to GLP-1 obesity treatments, letter to the Minister dated 15 December 2025.
- PBS: current patient fees and charges from 1 January 2026.
- ABC News, 12 January 2026: Minister commits to listing Wegovy.
- RACGP newsGP, 19 December 2025: Wegovy recommended for PBS listing.
- RACGP newsGP, 28 April 2026: Mounjaro manufacturer rejects PBS recommendation and PBS medicine status: tirzepatide.
- PBS Schedule item 12075M: semaglutide (Ozempic), type 2 diabetes, Authority Required.
- Lincoff et al., SELECT trial, New England Journal of Medicine 2023.
- TGA: GLP-1 compounding changes from 1 October 2024 and TGA shortage database: Saxenda discontinuation.
Editorial method: regulatory and policy sources (PBS, PBAC, TGA) were checked first and quoted where possible; peer-reviewed trial publications second; ABC and RACGP news reports were used only to date events. Where Preptide could not confirm a reported fact on an official source, the text says so. Named clinical review is pending; this page has not yet been reviewed by an independent clinician. See the Preptide editorial policy for corrections and review standards.
Important: General information only, not medical advice. Wegovy and Ozempic are registered trademarks of Novo Nordisk; Mounjaro is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly. Preptide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by either company. Preptide is food, not medication, and does not prescribe, sell, recommend or promote prescription medicines. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about any medicine. In an emergency call 000. Read our editorial policy and Health Acknowledgement.