The Wegovy pill in Spain: price, prescription and how to start

The Wegovy pill, oral semaglutide for weight management, is now authorised in the European Union. CIMA, the AEMPS medicines register, lists it as marketed in Spain in four doses: 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg, in boxes of 30 tablets. Pharmacies dispense it only on prescription. It is not funded by the Spanish National Health System (Seguridad Social), so patients pay the full cost. The only published price is for the 25 mg box, €236.20 according to press reports. Your pharmacy can tell you the price of the starter doses.

What is the Wegovy pill?

It is the tablet version of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk's weight-management medicine. It has the same active substance as the pens, semaglutide. The difference is that you take it by mouth once a day instead of injecting it once a week. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist: it mimics a gut hormone involved in satiety and blood glucose control. According to Novo Nordisk, it is the first tablet in this class authorised for weight management anywhere in the EU.

The summary of product characteristics (SmPC) indicates it for adults with obesity, or with overweight and at least one weight-related condition. It is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. The BMI thresholds and how they are checked are covered in a separate guide. There are no data in people under 18.

Don't confuse it with other names doing the rounds. Rybelsus is also oral semaglutide, but it is indicated only for type 2 diabetes and has its own doses and its own Rybelsus price per dose. Ozempic, on the other hand, only comes as an injection: there is no Ozempic pill. Lilly's pill, orforglipron (Foundayo), has a positive recommendation from the EMA. As of 5 November 2026, however, it is not authorised in the EU or available in Spain, as we explain in what orforglipron is and why it is not yet sold here.

Is it authorised in Spain, and when did it go on sale?

The EMA's medicines committee (CHMP) gave a positive opinion in May 2026, and the European Commission then granted marketing authorisation for Wegovy tablets for weight management. Novo Nordisk announced this on 15 July 2026. In Spain, CIMA records the authorisation on 22 July 2026 with four presentations, all of 30 tablets: 1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg.

As of 5 November 2026, CIMA lists all four as marketed. BOT Plus, the database of Spain's General Council of Official Colleges of Pharmacists, lists the 1.5, 4 and 9 mg presentations as marketed and prescription-only. No official source gives the exact date it reached pharmacies; the press puts it at 1 November 2026.

It is a prescription-only medicine, which has a practical consequence: you cannot buy it without a prescription or online. Spanish law prohibits selling prescription medicines online. The AEMPS has also warned about illegal GLP-1 drugs sold on websites and social media, which may not contain what they claim. We explain this in detail in how to get these treatments legally and safely.

How much does each dose of the Wegovy pill cost?

First, who pays. BIFIMED, the Ministry of Health's funding search tool, has listed all four presentations as "No financiado por resolución" (not funded by decision) since 1 September 2026. It also lists both indications, obesity and overweight with comorbidity, as not included. Because it is not funded, the price is not regulated and the Ministry's Nomenclátor does not publish it. This is what is known today:

• 25 mg, the maintenance dose: the press reports €236.20 for the box of 30 tablets, which lasts 30 days at one tablet a day. This figure comes from the press, not from an official price list.
• 1.5, 4 and 9 mg, the dose-escalation strengths: there is no verified public price. Some figures in circulation match the injectable pen prices to the cent and look like a mix-up between the two forms. Your pharmacy can give you the price of each presentation.

Each box contains 30 tablets and the SmPC specifies one a day, so a box lasts one month at any dose. During dose escalation you use a different box at each step. The cost of the first few months therefore depends on the price of the lower doses, which for now is only available at the pharmacy counter. Wegovy pens have their own price per pen, separate from the tablets.

How is it taken, according to the SmPC?

The SmPC describes a stepwise increase. You start with 1.5 mg once a day for four weeks, then move up to 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg, spending at least four weeks at each step. 25 mg is both the maintenance dose and the maximum dose. You always take a single tablet a day and never combine tablets to make up a dose, which is why there are four different boxes.

How you take it is the main difference from the pen. According to the SmPC:

the SmPC also lists the most common side effects as digestive: nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain and vomiting, especially while the dose is being increased. It should not be used during pregnancy, and should be stopped at least two months before a planned pregnancy. This summarises the SmPC and is not a treatment plan: your doctor sets your regimen, and the patient information leaflet gives the details.

How much weight do people lose with the Wegovy pill?

The key evidence comes from OASIS 4, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3b trial. It included 307 adults without diabetes who had obesity, or overweight and a related condition: 205 took oral semaglutide 25 mg and 102 took placebo. At 64 weeks, mean body weight had fallen by 13.6% with the tablet versus 2.2% with placebo, a difference of 11.4 percentage points. This is the figure published by the study and included in the SmPC.

The SmPC also gives the breakdown (placebo results in brackets): 76.3% of those taking semaglutide lost at least 5% of their body weight (30.5%), 59.8% lost 10% or more (14.1%) and 47.0% lost 15% or more (5.4%). Everyone in the trial also followed a diet and physical activity programme, and these are group averages, not a prediction for any individual.

Can you switch from Wegovy pens to the pill?

The SmPC allows for the switch. People using injectable semaglutide 2.4 mg once a week can move to oral 25 mg once a day, starting one week after their last injection. It does warn, however, that the effect of switching is hard to predict, because absorption by mouth varies more from person to person.

Comparing the two forms using their trials has a limitation. In STEP 1, with the 2.4 mg weekly injection, mean weight fell by 14.9% versus 2.4% with placebo at 68 weeks. In OASIS 4, with the tablet, it fell by 13.6% versus 2.2% at 64 weeks. These are separate trials with different populations and durations, and the two forms have never been compared head to head. Your doctor will help you choose between a daily tablet on an empty stomach and a weekly pen after assessing you.

How do you start: medical assessment, prescription and pharmacy?

The legal route has three steps, and you cannot skip any of them:

• A medical assessment. A doctor checks whether the indication fits your weight and any related conditions, reviews your current medicines and medical history, and decides whether this treatment, a different one or none is right for you.
• The prescription. If the doctor prescribes it, it can only be dispensed with that prescription. Because it is not funded, you pay the full price whether the prescription comes from a public or a private doctor.
• The pharmacy. With the prescription, the pharmacy dispenses or orders it, and that is where you find out the price of each presentation. There is no legal way to obtain it outside an authorised pharmacy.

What happens afterwards matters as much as getting started. The dose goes up in steps of at least four weeks, and at each step your digestive side effects and response are reviewed. If your assessment is online, these are the safeguards you should expect from a weight-loss clinic.

Key takeaways

The Wegovy pill is now sold in Spanish pharmacies in four doses. It needs a prescription and is not publicly funded. The only published price is for the 25 mg dose, and in OASIS 4 mean weight loss was 13.6% at 64 weeks. What matters most is not whether you take a pill or an injection, but whether the treatment suits you and who monitors you.

If you live in Spain and want to lose weight with medical support, medical weight-loss treatment is available today. It includes an initial assessment, a prescription from a registered doctor where appropriate, and ongoing follow-up. You can:

Check in a few minutes whether you are eligible