Weight Loss Medications Available in 2026

The Short Answer

• Several prescription medicines are FDA-approved for weight management. They include weekly shots, daily shots, daily pills and older non-GLP-1 drugs.
• The right one depends on you. Your health, your other medicines, whether you have diabetes, how you feel about shots, and what you can pay all matter.
• Trial numbers are not a ranking. Most drugs were tested in separate trials, in different people, for different lengths of time.
• Talk it through with a prescriber. The questions at the end of this guide can help.

How to Read the Numbers in This Guide

Each figure below comes from a drug's main study or its FDA label. These are the published study estimates. Studies differed in their participants, duration and handling of missing measurements. Drug makers sometimes quote a higher number that counts only people who stayed on treatment; we do not use those here.

These studies enrolled different people and ran for different lengths of time. So a bigger number in one study does not prove that drug works better for you.

GLP-1 Medicines Approved for Weight Loss

GLP-1 medicines copy a natural hormone that helps control hunger and blood sugar. Zepbound also acts on a second hormone, called GIP.

The STEP 1, OASIS 4, SURMOUNT-1 and ATTAIN-1 studies enrolled adults with obesity, or with overweight plus a weight-related health problem, who did not have type 2 diabetes. STEP UP enrolled adults with obesity who did not have type 2 diabetes. The Saxenda figure is from the main 56-week study in its FDA label.

Zepbound versus Wegovy

The SURMOUNT-5 trial compared the two directly. 751 adults with obesity and without diabetes took either Zepbound or the Wegovy shot for 72 weeks, each at the highest dose they could tolerate: 10 or 15 mg of Zepbound, or 1.7 or 2.4 mg of Wegovy. Average weight loss was 20.2% with Zepbound and 13.7% with Wegovy. The trial did not include Wegovy HD. See Zepbound vs. Wegovy for more.

A few things to know about each

• Wegovy comes as a weekly shot and a daily pill. The FDA approved the higher 7.2 mg dose, Wegovy HD, in March 2026. The pill is not the same as Rybelsus, an older semaglutide tablet approved for type 2 diabetes. See Wegovy pill vs. the shot.
• Zepbound is also approved to treat moderate to severe sleep apnea in adults with obesity.
• Foundayo is a daily pill approved in April 2026. You can take it with or without food.
• Saxenda is an older daily shot. Generic versions have been FDA-approved since August 2025.
• Ozempic, Mounjaro and Rybelsus are approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss. They contain the same medicines as Wegovy and Zepbound. Using them only for weight loss is off-label. See Zepbound vs. Mounjaro.

Other Prescription Options

These medicines work in different ways from GLP-1s. They may suit some people, for example someone who cannot take a GLP-1. Their studies were run separately, so do not compare their numbers directly with the GLP-1 table above.

• Qsymia (phentermine and topiramate). A daily capsule approved for adults and for teens 12 and older. In the two main 56-week studies in its label, people on the highest dose lost 10.9% and 9.8% of their weight, vs 1.6% and 1.2% on placebo. It can cause birth defects, so it must not be taken in pregnancy, and the label calls for a pregnancy test before starting and every month. Only certified pharmacies can fill it. FDA-approved generics exist.
• Contrave (naltrexone and bupropion). A daily tablet for adults. In its label's main 56-week study, people lost 5.4% vs 1.3% on placebo. It carries a boxed warning about suicidal thoughts, because bupropion is an antidepressant. The label says to stop if you have not lost at least 5% after 12 weeks on the full dose. There is no generic version you can buy yet.
• Phentermine. An older appetite suppressant approved only for short-term use, "a few weeks." It is a controlled drug. Its label does not give an average weight-loss figure; it says the extra loss over placebo was "only a fraction of a pound a week."
• Orlistat. Sold by prescription as Xenical, and over the counter as Alli for adults.

What About Compounded Versions?

Compounded drugs are mixed by a pharmacy. They are not FDA-approved, and the FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed. The shortages that let pharmacies widely copy semaglutide and tirzepatide ended in December 2024 for tirzepatide and February 2025 for semaglutide. After transition periods that ran into 2025, pharmacies generally may not make copies of the approved drugs. The exception is narrow: a prescriber must document that the compounded version contains a change that makes a significant difference for an identified patient. Read more in compounded vs. brand-name GLP-1s.

What Does It Cost?

Brand-name GLP-1s have high list prices. What you actually pay depends on your insurance, the drug and the dose. Some ways the price can come down:

• Insurance. Some plans cover weight-loss medicines, usually with prior approval. See our insurance guide.
• Buying direct. Novo Nordisk and Lilly sell Wegovy and Zepbound directly to people paying cash. Our Wegovy and Zepbound pages list the current offers with their sources.
• Generics. Generic liraglutide and generic Qsymia exist.

Prices change often, so we keep them on the medication pages rather than here. Our GLP-1 cost report shows what clinics advertise.

Safety: Who Should Be Careful

• Thyroid cancer history. Wegovy, Zepbound and the other GLP-1s carry a boxed warning about thyroid tumors seen in rodents. They must not be used by people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or a condition called MEN 2.
• Pregnancy. Qsymia must not be used in pregnancy. If you are pregnant or planning to be, ask about every option.
• Mood. Contrave carries a boxed warning about suicidal thoughts. Tell your prescriber about any history of depression.
• Surgery. GLP-1s slow your stomach, so tell your surgery team you take one. See GLP-1s and surgery.
• Side effects. Nausea and other stomach problems are common with GLP-1s, especially early on. See our side effects guide.

What Is Coming Next

Two newer medicines are in late-stage development but are not approved: retatrutide and CagriSema. Our pages on each explain where they stand. Do not buy them online; anything sold now is not an approved product.

Questions to Ask Your Prescriber

• Which of these medicines fit my health and my other medicines?
• Would a weekly shot or a daily pill suit me better?
• What results did the main study show, and were the people in it like me?
• What side effects should I watch for, and when should I call you?
• Will my insurance cover it? If not, what are my other options, including generics?
• How long would I take it, and what happens if I stop?

New to this? Read how to get a GLP-1 prescription or how to talk to your doctor about GLP-1 medications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which weight loss medication works best?

There is no single answer. Most of these results come from separate studies, so they cannot be ranked against each other. In SURMOUNT-5, which compared Zepbound and the Wegovy shot directly, people on Zepbound lost more weight on average. The best choice for you depends on your health, side effects, cost and whether you prefer a shot or a pill.

Is there a weight loss pill?

Yes. The Wegovy pill and Foundayo are daily GLP-1 pills approved for weight management. Qsymia, Contrave, phentermine and orlistat are also taken by mouth.

Can I use Ozempic for weight loss?

Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy contains the same medicine and is the version approved for weight management. Using Ozempic only for weight loss is off-label.

Is there a generic weight loss medication?

Yes. Generic liraglutide (the medicine in Saxenda) and generic Qsymia are FDA-approved. There is no generic Wegovy or Zepbound.

Finding a Prescriber

A prescriber can weigh these options against your health history and follow up as your dose changes. Search GLP-1 clinics or browse clinics by state, and send a clinic a question through its listing. You can also compare telehealth programs if you would rather meet online.

Sources

• FDA labels (DailyMed): Wegovy, Zepbound, Foundayo, Saxenda, Qsymia, Contrave, phentermine
• Single trials: STEP 1, NEJM 2021 (DOI); STEP UP, Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 2025 (DOI); OASIS 4, NEJM 2025 (DOI); SURMOUNT-1, NEJM 2022 (DOI); ATTAIN-1, NEJM (DOI); SURMOUNT-5, NEJM 2025 (DOI)
• Regulator: FDA, policies for compounders as GLP-1 supply stabilizes; FDA approved-drug records for generic liraglutide (Saxenda, August 2025), generic Qsymia, and Contrave's tentative-only generic

This guide explains published studies and FDA labels. It is not medical advice. Your prescriber decides what is right for you.

Updated October 2026: Rewrote this guide against the current FDA labels and the published trials. Removed the claim that these medicines produce "results that rival bariatric surgery," which no label or FDA statement supports. Corrected "generic available" for Contrave: no generic can be sold yet. Replaced unsourced retail and clinic prices, and a line saying a clinic "can cut GLP-1 costs dramatically," with links to maintained price pages. Replaced unsourced weight-loss ranges for Saxenda, Contrave and phentermine with their label figures, and stopped ranking drugs from separate trials. Updated the compounding section to the FDA's current limits. Added Qsymia, orlistat, generic liraglutide, Wegovy HD's approval, the SURMOUNT-5 trial comparing Zepbound and Wegovy, a safety section and questions to ask.