Weight loss medications: a quick guide to GLP-1s
05 August 2025Do you know your Wegovy from your Mounjaro? Learn more about the GLP-1 weight loss drugs filling headlines and impacting the food and drink industry.
Anti-obesity medications, weight loss injections, Ozempic: there are many terms being used to discuss GLP-1s; the latest trend in weight loss treatment - but they don’t all mean the same thing.
To help you better understand the weight loss medication conversation, we’ve borrowed from our IGD Retail Analysis report, ‘Weight loss drugs: can GLP-1s solve the obesity crisis?’, to answer some frequently asked questions.
This report provides insights on how the weight loss drugs market emerged, its potential growth, the challenges and opportunities it presents, and how businesses are responding.
Learn more
Read our new IGD ShopperVista report, ‘Weight loss medications’. This looks at how GLP-1 medications could impact shopper behaviour, and the implications for our industry.
But first let’s look at weight loss medication terminology and other questions that may be on your mind.
What does ‘GLP-1’ mean?
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) are medicines that help people feel fuller and regulate blood sugar by mimicking a natural hormone released after eating. Initially approved to treat Type 2 (T2) diabetes, they are also used in the management of obesity.
What are the different types of medication?
Semaglutide is solely a GLP-1 receptor agonist which increases insulin release, decreases glucagon (a blood sugar raising hormone), and reduces appetite
Tirzepatide is a GLP-1 dual receptor agonist, mimicking both GLP-1 and GIP (gastric inhibitory polypeptide), a second hormone involved in appetite and blood sugar control.
Who are the main pharmaceutical companies?
Novo Nordisk: headquartered in Denmark, it holds patents to semaglutide and manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy
Eli Lilly: headquartered in the US, it holds patents to tirzepatide and manufactures Mounjaro and Zepbound.
What are some of the brand names for GLP-1s?
Ozempic: semaglutide injection treatment for T2 diabetes manufactured by Novo Nordisk
Rybelsus: tablet-based semaglutide treatment for T2 diabetes manufactured by Novo Nordisk
Wegovy: semaglutide injection treatment for weight loss manufactured by Novo Nordisk
Saxenda: liraglutide injection treatment for weight loss manufactured by Novo Nordisk
Mounjaro: tirzepatide injection treatment for diabetes and weight loss (in some markets) manufactured by Eli Lilly
Zepbound: tirzepatide injection treatment for weight loss manufactured by Eli Lilly, mainly in the US market
Orforglipron: an oral GLP-1 being developed for diabetes and weight loss by Eli Lilly.
How effective are weight loss medications?
Success rates vary; however, a 72-week study found Mounjaro users lost on average 20% of their original body weight, while Wegovy users lost 14%.
How much do weight loss drugs cost?
Prices vary between medications and across markets.
The US market is most expensive: Wegovy costs US$1,349 and Zepbound costs US$1,086 per month. Some medical insurers cover GLP-1s for weight loss, but it is not covered by Medicaid.
In the UK, the NHS covers the cost of weight loss treatment for some eligible patients. For those who pay privately for prescriptions, the monthly costs can be as low as a tenth of what users pay in the US.
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