New weight loss drugs in 2026: from injection to pill

New weight loss pill: what actually changes?

A pill works through exactly the same route as the injection. Semaglutide mimics the gut hormone GLP-1, so your stomach empties more slowly and your brain gets the signal sooner that you've had enough. The difference lies in how it is given, not in the mechanism.

For many people, though, that difference is decisive. The hurdle of a weekly injection holds back people who otherwise have every reason to get started. A tablet removes that hurdle.

Important to know: a pill is not automatically milder. In studies, the side effects of oral semaglutide match those of the injection, with nausea and bowel complaints at the top. And the dose is higher than that of the semaglutide tablets that have existed for longer for type 2 diabetes. So swapping one form for the other yourself is not an option. That is a decision for your doctor.

Pill or injection: this is what's available in the Netherlands in 2026

In the Netherlands, seven medicines for overweight and obesity are on the market, four of which work through the GLP-1 route. This overview applies as of 30 July 2026 and is updated annually.

Two things stand out. First, Ozempic and Wegovy contain the same active substance, but they are different medicines with their own registration and dose. Second, tirzepatide is the only medicine that acts on two hormone routes at once, which in studies leads on average to more weight loss than semaglutide alone.

Which medicine suits you depends on your medical situation, your previous experiences and your preference. With us you don't choose from a menu yourself. Our doctor decides together with you what is responsible, whether that is medical weight loss with injections or, in future, a tablet.

Who is eligible for the newest medication?

Weight loss medication is registered for adults with obesity (BMI of 30 or higher) and for people with overweight (BMI from 27) who also have a weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, sleep apnoea or type 2 diabetes. The same applies to tirzepatide, the medicine behind the frequently asked question of who is eligible for Mounjaro.

That registration is the starting point, not the final verdict. A doctor looks further: which other medicines do you use, what is your medical history, is there a reason not to start? All weight loss medicines are only available on prescription, and the College ter Beoordeling van Geneesmiddelen (CBG, the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board) explicitly warns against buying online without a prescription: you then don't know what you're taking.

So the safe route is always the same. You speak to a doctor, who assesses whether medication is responsible, and a registered Dutch pharmacy supplies it on prescription. With us that happens online, with delivery to your home, and afterwards you have regular follow-up with the same doctor. If you want to know whether your situation is suitable for medical weight loss with injections or one of the other programmes, our eligibility check gives you clarity in a few minutes.

Tried everything and still not losing weight? Within a few minutes you'll know whether a medical programme with your own doctor suits your situation. See if it's right for you →

Costs and reimbursement in 2026

In 2026, weight loss medication for obesity is in most cases not reimbursed from the basic package (basispakket) of Dutch health insurance. In July 2024, Zorginstituut Nederland (the Dutch National Health Care Institute) advised not to include semaglutide in the basic package and the minister adopted that advice. The reason was not that the drug doesn't work, but that too much was uncertain about the long-term health effects and that the costs could rise to well over one billion euros per year.

There are two exceptions. Liraglutide and the combination of naltrexone with bupropion are reimbursed, but under strict conditions: you must have followed a recognised Combined Lifestyle Intervention (Gecombineerde Leefstijlinterventie, GLI, a supervised Dutch lifestyle programme) with full commitment for at least a year without sufficient results, you must meet a high BMI threshold and there is an interim evaluation after three months. For tirzepatide, an assessment by Zorginstituut Nederland has been under way since March 2026. There is no advice yet.

In practice, this means you pay for a programme yourself. With us you pay a one-off supervision fee of €400. After that, the programme with tirzepatide (Mounjaro) costs €350 per month or €999 per three months, the programme with semaglutide (Ozempic) €250 per month or €699 per three months and the programme with liraglutide (Saxenda) €850 per month, with home delivery and follow-up with your own doctor every four weeks. You can read more about medical weight loss costs and about weight loss medication covered by insurance on those pages.

What's still to come

The next generation of weight loss medication is in the research phase and not yet available anywhere. This is where things stand in 2026.

1. Amycretin (Novo Nordisk): the first drug that combines the GLP-1 route and the hormone amylin in a single molecule. In a phase 1b/2a study in The Lancet, participants on the highest dose lost an average of more than 24% of their body weight in 36 weeks. The drug has moved on to phase 3 research.
2. Orforglipron (Eli Lilly): approved in the United States, not yet assessed in Europe by the European Medicines Agency.
3. Retatrutide, CagriSema and survodutide: drugs that work on three or two hormone routes at once, all still in clinical research.

Be critical of news reports about these drugs. Figures from an early study with a few dozen participants say little about what a drug does in practice years later, and the road from first results to the Dutch pharmacy usually takes several years.

Why supervision makes the difference

Medication takes away the feeling of hunger, but it doesn't build new habits. That is exactly where programmes break down: people start enthusiastically, suffer from nausea during the build-up phase, lower the dose on their own initiative or stop altogether. Without a doctor keeping an eye on things, that goes unnoticed.

That's why we work with your own BIG-registered doctor (the BIG register is the Dutch register of healthcare professionals), whom you speak to yourself every four weeks. No changing faces: with a question about a side effect you can contact the doctor who knows your situation in between appointments. And you can always pause or stop.

That approach works. So far we have helped about 50 people get started and we have a 5.0 rating on Google, from more than twenty reviews. We have deliberately stayed small-scale, with home delivery throughout the Netherlands.

Realistic expectations: results and side effects

Weight loss medication works, but not equally well for everyone and not without complaints. In registration trials, participants on GLP-1 medication lose on average more than ten per cent of their body weight, with considerable differences between individuals. You usually notice the first effect after about four weeks: you have less appetite and you feel full sooner.

The most common side effects are nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting and fatigue. They occur mainly in the build-up phase and in most people decrease within a few days to weeks. Building up gradually under supervision makes a big difference here. You'll find a full overview of possible GLP-1 side effects in our separate article.

What no medicine does is take over your lifestyle. Enough protein, strength training to preserve muscle mass and enough sleep remain the foundation, even if the weight seems to be dropping by itself. And if you stop without a plan, the weight comes back for many people. That is not failure, but a known feature of obesity treatment, and precisely the reason why tapering off is something to plan together with your doctor.

Curious whether medical weight loss suits you? Our doctor looks personally at your situation, from the first question to the check-up every four weeks. See if it's right for you →

Frequently asked questions about new weight loss drugs

What is the newest weight loss drug called? The Wegovy pill, with semaglutide in tablet form, approved in the EU on 15 July 2026. It is the first weight loss pill from the GLP-1 group. The introduction per country is being phased in, so in the Netherlands the tablet is not yet available at every pharmacy.

Which weight loss medication is reimbursed in 2026? Semaglutide (Wegovy) is not reimbursed from the basic package. Liraglutide and the combination of naltrexone with bupropion are reimbursed under strict conditions, including at least a year of participation in a recognised Combined Lifestyle Intervention without sufficient results. The assessment of tirzepatide is still under way.

Who is eligible for Mounjaro? Adults with obesity (BMI from 30) and adults with overweight (BMI from 27) who also have a weight-related condition. A doctor also always assesses your medical history and your other medication. Our eligibility check gives you clarity quickly.

What is the newest way to lose weight? Medical weight loss under a doctor's supervision, with GLP-1 medication as an aid alongside diet and exercise. What's new is that since 2026 this medication is also available in tablet form. The approach itself stays the same: the medicine dampens your hunger, you build the habits.