GLP-1 Patches, Drops and Oral Solutions: Are They Real and Do They Work?

Products sold online as "GLP-1 patches", "GLP-1 drops" or "GLP-1 oral solutions" are not GLP-1 medicines. Every GLP-1 medicine licensed in the UK is an injection or a tablet, and needs a prescription. This guide explains what these products are, what UK regulators have found and how to tell a licensed medicine from a supplement.

The Short Answer

None of the licensed GLP-1 medicines on the emc is a patch, drop or oral liquid; they are injections or tablets.

None of the GLP-1 medicines listed on the UK electronic medicines compendium (emc) comes as a patch, drops or an oral liquid. When we checked in November 2026, the licensed GLP-1 medicines listed there included:

• Injections: Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro pens (Mounjaro acts on GIP as well as GLP-1), and liraglutide pens such as Saxenda.

• Tablets: Rybelsus and Wegovy tablets (semaglutide) and Foundayo (orforglipron).

All of them are prescription-only medicines. A product sold as a GLP-1 patch, drop or liquid without a prescription is either a supplement making a claim it cannot support, or an illegal product.

What Is Actually in a "GLP-1 Patch"?

In a 2026 ASA case, the maker said its GLP-1 Patch contained no active medicinal substance; the ad was banned.

In a 2026 ruling, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) looked at an ad for a "GLP-1 Patch" that promised to "reduce hunger naturally" and help people "stay fuller for longer". The company told the ASA the patches did not contain semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, exenatide or any other active medicinal substance.

The ASA ruled that the ad implied the patch had effects similar to GLP-1 injections, which made it a medicinal product by presentation, and the company did not have the authorisation needed to market a medicine. The ad was banned. The ASA also found it irresponsible, because it targeted breastfeeding mothers.

The advertising regulators' guidance on weight-control products goes further. It says that "neither CAP nor the ASA has seen convincing evidence" that unlicensed slimming pills, herbal remedies and patches "can result in weight loss", and that patches should make no efficacy claims.

GLP-1 Drops, Liquids and Oral Solutions

Not licensed GLP-1 medicines: either supplements or illegal products of unknown content.

Products sold as GLP-1 drops, ampoules or oral solutions are not licensed GLP-1 medicines either: none appears among the licensed products on the emc. That leaves two possibilities:

• A supplement with ordinary ingredients, marketed with GLP-1 language it is not allowed to use.

• An illegal product that may claim to contain a GLP-1 medicine. The MHRA warns that weight-loss products sold illegally "may be fake, contaminated, incorrectly dosed, or contain powerful ingredients not listed on the packaging".

Either way, you cannot know what you are taking or how much.

"Natural Ozempic" and GLP-1 Supplements

The ASA has ruled that claims of boosting GLP-1 naturally were unauthorised health claims.

Supplements are often sold as a "natural Ozempic" or as boosting your own GLP-1. The ASA has repeatedly ruled against these claims. In one 2025 ruling, it found that claims a fibre supplement was "engineered for optimum weight loss by naturally increasing GLP-1 levels" and that the brand name implied an effect on GLP-1 were health claims that had not been authorised in Great Britain.

Food supplements can only make health claims that are on the GB register of authorised claims. For example, glucomannan has an authorised claim that it "in the context of an energy restricted diet contributes to weight loss", but that is a claim about a fibre in a calorie-controlled diet, not about GLP-1.

How to Stay Safe

Take only prescribed GLP-1s from a registered pharmacy, and report suspicious products to Yellow Card.

The MHRA's advice when buying anything for weight loss:

• Only take GLP-1 medicines that have been prescribed to you by a healthcare professional.

• Buy medicines from a registered pharmacy. In Great Britain you can check a pharmacy on the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register; in Northern Ireland, on the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) register.

• Avoid weight-loss products promoted on social media, especially those promising "quick fixes", "miracle results" or unusually low prices, which the MHRA calls common signs of illegal sellers.

• Report suspicious websites or products, and any side effects, to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.

If you have already used a product like this and feel unwell, speak to a pharmacist or your GP, or call NHS 111.

What Licensed GLP-1 Medicines Are

Prescription-only injections or tablets that copy an appetite hormone, licensed for specific uses.

Licensed GLP-1 medicines copy a gut hormone that helps control appetite and blood sugar. They are licensed for specific uses, such as type 2 diabetes or weight management in people who meet set criteria, and a prescriber checks whether they are suitable. The MHRA notes that it has not assessed their safety and effectiveness for uses outside their licence, such as weight loss in people who are not overweight or obese.

To learn how they work, see what is Wegovy and how Mounjaro works.

Frequently Asked Questions