Ozempic, the most searched of them, is registered in Hong Kong — but its US label is approved only for type 2 diabetes, with no weight-management indication. "Registered" and "approved for weight loss" are two different things. All five products' US labels carry the FDA's highest level of safety alert, a boxed warning. And a year after stopping, participants in the study had regained on average about two-thirds of the weight they had lost.

Are Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda registered in Hong Kong? All three are

The most-asked question first. The three brands readers search for most are each listed in the Hong Kong Pharmacy and Poisons Board's drug database as products registered in Hong Kong, searched on 2026-10-14.

BrandActive ingredientRegistration number
OzempicSemaglutideHK-66485／66486／66487
WegovySemaglutideHK-67962 to 67966
SaxendaLiraglutideHK-65010／67971

All three are Novo Nordisk injection pen products.

The same database also lists Rybelsus, an oral semaglutide tablet (HK-67430／67431／67432), as a Hong Kong-registered product; its US label is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss.

"Registered" is not "approved for weight loss" — and Ozempic is the example

This is the most important sentence in the article: "registered" does not mean "that brand is approved for weight loss".

The reason is quite specific. The Hong Kong drug register does not publicly set out the approved indications for each product, and under the same active ingredient different brands can have different approved uses — some approved for diabetes.

Three things need keeping apart, not two:

IdeaExample
Active ingredientSemaglutide
Registered brandOzempic, Wegovy
Approved indicationVaries by product; governed by the product's registration and the doctor's prescription

"Slimming injections" are not one interchangeable class of drug.

⚠️ If you have seen a brand name online and want to shop around, this step cannot be skipped: whether the brand you are talking about is approved for weight loss is something only a doctor, reading the product's registration particulars, can answer.

How a diabetes drug became the most sought-after injection in the world

GLP-1 receptor agonists began life as type 2 diabetes drugs.

Take the EU registration record. Liraglutide was approved in the EU under the brand Victoza on 30 June 2009 for type 2 diabetes; semaglutide was approved in the EU under the brand Ozempic on 8 February 2018, also for type 2 diabetes.

The same ingredients were only later approved, under separate brands, for weight management: Saxenda (liraglutide) on 23 March 2015 and Wegovy (semaglutide) on 6 January 2022.

That is EU registration history, given as background; it is not a statement of Hong Kong indications.

"Most sought-after in the world" is not an adjective here but a fact a regulator has put on the record. The European Medicines Agency's Medicine Shortages Steering Group states that these medicines have been in shortage across EU member states since 2022, the shortage being due to increased demand together with other causes such as manufacturing capacity constraints; the same document raises concern that some of these medicines are being used excessively off-label for cosmetic weight loss — that is, in people who are neither obese nor overweight with a weight-related health problem — and that this use, mentioned frequently in the news and on social media, is exacerbating existing shortages with serious consequences for public health [Note 1].

After shortage comes counterfeit. In October 2023 authorities in EU member states found falsified Ozempic in the supply chain, and the European Medicines Agency issued an alert to patients and healthcare professionals. (The Agency's shortages catalogue shows the Ozempic shortage marked resolved on 13 January 2026 and Saxenda's on 2 September 2026; the shortage the 2024 document describes is now historical background.)

⚠️ Anyone thinking "so many people use it, it must be fine" should think again: a market where demand outstrips supply is exactly the market where off-label use and counterfeits are busiest.

How does it take weight off? The official description changed its wording in 2026

Take Wegovy. The 2023 edition of the European Medicines Agency's product overview (EMA/162766/2023) described how it works like this: the medicine acts in the same way as GLP-1, a natural hormone in the body, and among other things appears to regulate appetite by increasing a person's feelings of fullness while reducing their food intake, hunger and cravings. "Among other things" and "appears to" were the source's own words at the time.

The June 2026 revision of the same overview now reads: it acts in the same way as GLP-1 and helps regulate appetite by increasing a person's feeling of fullness, while reducing their food intake, hunger and cravings; this can help people lose weight [Note 2]. "Appears to" is gone.

Both versions are quoted in full in [Note 2]. Official descriptions change, and that is worth knowing when you check a source: the same document can read differently from one year's edition to the next.

The pharmacological detail of an individual product, dose escalation included, is governed by its registered prescribing information and by what the doctor explains.

How much did people lose? 14.9% over 68 weeks — but stopping needs a different set of figures

The main study and the extension study are two sets of figures with different purposes, and they cannot be run together.

The main study (STEP 1): 1,961 adults with obesity or overweight and without diabetes (BMI≥30, or BMI≥27 with one weight-related condition), randomised 2:1 to semaglutide injection (2.4 mg subcutaneously once weekly) or placebo, both groups also receiving a lifestyle intervention.

After 68 weeks the semaglutide group had lost on average 14.9% of body weight against 2.4% in the placebo group, an estimated treatment difference of 12.4 percentage points (95% confidence interval 11.5 to 13.4).

What happens after stopping has to be answered from a much smaller set of figures. The extension study followed only 327 of the participants who completed the 68 weeks of treatment — a representative subgroup, not all 1,961.

Time pointSemaglutide subgroupPlacebo subgroup
Weeks 0 to 68 (treatment period)Lost 17.3% of body weightLost 2.0%
Regain one year after stoppingRegained 11.6 percentage pointsRegained 1.9 percentage points
Net loss at week 1205.6%0.1%

Put another way: a year after stopping, the semaglutide subgroup had regained about two-thirds of the weight lost during treatment. "Stopping" here means stopping the once-weekly injection together with the lifestyle intervention.

The direction of the conclusion is clear enough: the weight lost during treatment is real, and so is most of the rebound after stopping. Weight management is a long-term matter, not a matter of one injection.

⚠️ If money is tight and the plan is "a few months until it works, then stop", these two sets of figures belong in the conversation with the doctor before starting.

Four more sets of figures: tirzepatide's weight loss, two withdrawal trials, one cardiovascular trial

STEP 1 is about semaglutide only. For tirzepatide, the other ingredient registered in Hong Kong, and for a direct comparison of continuing against stopping, other trials have to be read. Every figure below is taken from the trial's own abstract; this article has calculated nothing itself.

SURMOUNT-1 (tirzepatide, 72 weeks): 2,539 adults with obesity or overweight and without diabetes; the three dose groups lost on average 15.0% to 20.9% of body weight, the placebo group 3.1% [Note 8].

SURMOUNT-4 (tirzepatide, withdrawal trial): 783 participants first took the drug open-label for 36 weeks, and those who completed that period had lost on average 20.9%; 670 were then randomised to continue the drug or switch to placebo for 52 weeks. From week 36 to week 88 the continuing group lost a further 5.5% while the placebo group regained 14.0%, a difference of 19.4 percentage points (95% confidence interval 17.7 to 21.2) [Note 9].

STEP 4 (semaglutide, withdrawal trial): 803 participants completed a 20-week run-in, losing on average 10.6%, and were then randomised to continue the injection or switch to placebo for 48 weeks. From week 20 to week 68 the continuing group lost a further 7.9% while the placebo group regained 6.9%, a difference of 14.8 percentage points (95% confidence interval 13.5 to 16.0) [Note 10].

SELECT (semaglutide, cardiovascular trial): 17,604 patients aged 45 or over with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, a BMI≥27 and no diabetes, followed for 39.8 months on average. A primary cardiovascular end-point event occurred in 6.5% of the semaglutide group and 8.0% of the placebo group (hazard ratio 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 0.90); adverse events led to permanent discontinuation of the trial product in 16.6% against 8.2% [Note 11]. Wegovy's cardiovascular indication on its US label (see the table below) is aimed at exactly this population: adults with obesity or overweight who already have cardiovascular disease.

The two withdrawal trials point the same way: keep taking the drug and the loss holds; switch to placebo and the weight comes back. That is why "how long do I plan to take this" belongs in the conversation with the doctor before starting, and why this article does not call any one brand "better" — the trials differ in population, duration and design, and their figures cannot be compared across each other.

What class of drug is this in Hong Kong

Injectable medicines registered in Hong Kong for the treatment of obesity include liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide — the official list says "include", and is not exhaustive.

These ingredients are all Part 1 poisons and prescription drugs under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) — that is, Schedule 3 Poisons — and require a registered doctor's prescription [Note 6].

The Drug Office's "Anti-obesity Drugs" page, updated in May 2026, draws the circle wider: "In Hong Kong, medicines currently registered for the treatment of obesity include liraglutide, naltrexone/bupropion, orlistat, phentermine, semaglutide and tirzepatide." That is six, of which three are the injectable ingredients this article is about and three are not; and the same page states that "In Hong Kong, almost all of the anti-obesity drugs are prescription-only medicines, and should only be used under the close supervision by a doctor." [Note 12]

According to a search of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board's drug database on 2026-10-14 (the database's own last-updated stamp reads 2026-10-09), the preparations registered in Hong Kong containing GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual agonists include:

IngredientRegistered products
Semaglutide11
Tirzepatide6
Liraglutide5
Dulaglutide2

Of the 11 semaglutide products, 3 are the oral tablet Rybelsus and the other 8 are injection pens. The Drug Office bulletin of December 2025 listed 11, 6, 5 and 4 at the time; dulaglutide has gone from 4 to 2, and because the database does not show products whose registration has ended, this article cannot state why. All are prescription-only. Dispensing involves the statutory roles of pharmacists, authorised sellers of poisons and the supply chain. Unlicensed online purchase, buying agents, and beauty salons selling injections themselves are none of them lawful routes.

Five US labels, five identical boxed warnings

A "boxed warning" is the highest level of safety alert on a US Food and Drug Administration prescription drug label.

The five products sold in the US that this article covers — Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda, Zepbound, Mounjaro — were each found in their 2026 versions in the official label database, and all five labels carry the same boxed warning: the risk of thyroid C-cell tumours [Note 3].

⚠️ The contraindications are consistent across all five: people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, people with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2), and people with a serious hypersensitivity reaction to the ingredients or excipients must not use them.

The differences between the five labels are mainly the drug name and a small amount of wording in the animal-study description [Note 4].

But a boxed warning read on its own is incomplete — the five products' US labels are approved for different uses.

ProductIngredientRegistered in Hong KongUS label approved use
WegovySemaglutideYes (HK-67962 to 67966)Weight loss, cardiovascular risk, a category of liver disease
OzempicSemaglutideYes (HK-66485／66486／66487)Type 2 diabetes only
SaxendaLiraglutideYes (HK-65010／67971)Weight loss
ZepboundTirzepatideNot found on a 2026-10-14 searchWeight loss, obstructive sleep apnoea
MounjaroTirzepatideYes (HK-68408 to 68413)Type 2 diabetes (glycaemic control; since 2026-08-27 also approved to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in high-risk patients)

Each approved use in that table carries qualifying conditions, and those conditions are decisive: Wegovy's weight-loss indication applies to people aged 12 or over with obesity, or adults who are overweight with one weight-related condition; it is separately approved to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with obesity or overweight who already have cardiovascular disease. Saxenda's weight-loss indication applies to people aged 12 or over weighing more than 60 kg with obesity, or adults who are overweight with one weight-related condition. Zepbound is for adults with obesity or adults who are overweight with one weight-related condition, and is separately approved for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea in adults with obesity. Ozempic's type 2 diabetes indication covers glycaemic control, cardiovascular risk and progression of chronic kidney disease; Mounjaro's type 2 diabetes indication covers glycaemic control and, since 27 August 2026, reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes [Note 13].

Putting the two together: the tirzepatide product registered in Hong Kong (Mounjaro) is approved on its US label only for uses in people with type 2 diabetes, with no weight-loss indication, and the tirzepatide product the US approved for weight loss (Zepbound) was not found on the Hong Kong register when this article searched.

And Ozempic, the one readers search for most, is in the same position: registered, but approved on its US label only for diabetes, not for weight loss.

⚠️ This table is not a complete list of risks. Each of the five labels also has around ten "warnings and precautions" sections, including but not limited to acute pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease, acute kidney injury from fluid loss, severe gastrointestinal reactions, diabetic retinopathy complications, increased heart rate and hypersensitivity reactions, none of which this article lists individually. Whether you or your family have any of those histories, and whether this class of drug suits you, is for a doctor to assess — not something a reader can settle by ticking off this table.

There is also one eye warning that none of the five US labels carries but that the EU, the UK and Australia have issued. In June 2025 the European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee concluded that non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a "very rare" side effect of semaglutide medicines, meaning it may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people taking them; it is now in the EU product information for Wegovy and Ozempic, which states that a sudden loss of vision should lead to an eye examination and that treatment should be stopped if NAION is confirmed. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency followed in February 2026 and Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration in July 2026, reposted by the Drug Office on 6 February and 23 July 2026 [Note 14]. As at 2026-10-14, none of the five US labels carries this item.

That December 2025 bulletin was actually about suicidal ideation warnings

The product counts given above as a historical comparison come from the Drug Office bulletin of December 2025, but that bulletin is not itself about product counts.

Its actual subject is Australia aligning the warning wording on the class of GLP-1 receptor agonists over a potential risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviours [Note 5].

The bulletin cites the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration: its advisory committee on medicines considered the available evidence insufficient to establish a link between GLP-1 receptor agonists and suicidal or self-harming behaviour, while noting that the product information and prescribing guidance for drugs in the same class were inconsistently worded and should be aligned.

The bulletin closes by stating: in the light of the Australian announcement, the Registration Committee of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong will discuss the matter.

The position in the US is different again. As at the search date, the Wegovy, Saxenda and Zepbound labels had marked this warning as "(Removed, February 2026)", and the current Ozempic and Mounjaro labels do not carry it at all.

That "removed" has a formal source. On 13 January 2026 the US Food and Drug Administration issued a drug safety communication requesting that the Saxenda, Wegovy and Zepbound labels drop the suicidal ideation and behaviour warning, because its comprehensive review had found no increased risk associated with the use of GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines [Note 15]; the Drug Office reposted it on 14 January 2026. The European Medicines Agency's committee had reached its conclusion earlier still, in April 2024: the available evidence does not support a causal association, and no update to the product information is warranted.

So the direction of this signal is: the US and the EU have both concluded that the evidence does not support a link, and Australia chose to align the wording rather than establish a link — while Hong Kong's own regulator said it would discuss the matter. As at 2026-10-14, no public outcome of that discussion by the Registration Committee of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong has been found.

Common side effects, and medical supervision

The Wegovy product information approved by the European Medicines Agency lists the most common side effects (which may affect more than one in ten users) as headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal pain.

The Department of Health's announcement of 2026-03-04 separately lists the side effects of tirzepatide as hair loss, nausea and diarrhoea.

The Drug Office's "Anti-obesity Drugs" page of May 2026 carries an official side-effect table: "For liraglutide and semaglutide: Headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, delayed gastric emptying"; "For tirzepatide: Hair loss, nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, constipation, vomiting, hypersensitivity reactions, delayed gastric emptying". Its precautions state: "Cases of pulmonary aspiration have been reported in patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists undergoing general anaesthesia or deep sedation. Therefore, the increased risk of residual gastric content due to delayed gastric emptying should be considered prior to performing procedures with general anaesthesia or deep sedation." [Note 16] Anyone on these medicines who is going to have a procedure under general anaesthesia or deep sedation should let the doctor know beforehand.

As for why medical supervision is required, the official wording is direct: these medicines "should only be used under close supervision of doctors", and members of the public should "strictly adhere to the treatment plans prescribed by doctors" [Note 6]. A doctor assesses whether the medicine is suitable and follows up the response.

Online and buying agents: 41 convictions, two sentencing figures and the seizures of 2026

On 4 March 2026 the Department of Health acted against the illegal online sale of a controlled anti-obesity medicine (tirzepatide), warning that "the safety, quality and efficacy of unregistered pharmaceutical products are not guaranteed" [Note 7].

Medicines from illegal sources may not have been properly stored in transit, which affects their safety.

Enforcement is not abstract. In the year from 2025-04-01 to 2026-03-31 there were 41 convictions involving the illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons, weight-loss injections among them, two of them involving Internet sellers.

The statutory maximum penalty for this kind of conviction is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment. Among those 41 cases, the heaviest sentences imposed were two months' imprisonment (suspended for three years), or a fine of $87,000 — two figures that mark what has actually happened, not what every case attracts.

Penalties have to be read against the actual charge and the statutory provisions, and should not be generalised into "possessing GLP-1 medicines is illegal": a patient lawfully holding a registered medicine on prescription is not the same thing at all.

The enforcement figures for 2026 are still rising. The minutes of the Legislative Council Panel on Health Services meeting of 12 June 2026 record that the Department of Health, the Police and Customs conducted 7 joint operations between January and May 2026 and seized 48 boxes of anti-obesity drugs (the minutes' phrase "第一類毒品" is the transcript's wording; the statutory term is Part 1 poisons) [Note 18]. The Legislative Council reply cited above also records that in the same period, January to April 2026, Customs detected 15 major smuggling cases and seized approximately 130 000 anti-obesity injection vials with an estimated market value of approximately $220 million [Note 17].

Nor does the word "pharmacy" mean a lawful source. On 20 April 2026 the Department of Health and the Police searched two registered pharmacies, in Sha Tin and Jordan, seizing six boxes and 13 boxes respectively of unregistered anti-obesity medicine labelled in Japanese as containing tirzepatide [Note 19]. Lawfulness turns on three things: whether the product carries a Hong Kong registration number in the format "HK-XXXXX", whether there is a doctor's prescription, and whether it is dispensed under the supervision of a registered pharmacist.

"Purchasing agents or consolidated consignments" have been named by Customs. On 13 May 2026 Customs reminded the public that bringing a controlled item into or out of Hong Kong without a valid licence, whether in person, by post, or through purchasing agents or consolidated consignments, means confiscation of the item and, on conviction, a maximum penalty of a $500,000 fine and two years' imprisonment [Note 21]. In September and October 2026 Customs seized 400 and then 134 anti-obesity injection vials suspected to contain Part 1 poisons from postal packets air-mailed from Japan [Note 22].

One more figure, on a different basis. The Department of Health announced on 30 September 2026 that from 2021 to June 2026 its Drug Office handled 138 cases resulting in convictions for the sale and/or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products, with a maximum penalty of 10 months' imprisonment or a fine of $242,000 [Note 20]. That figure covers every kind of unregistered pharmaceutical product and a period running from 2021, so it differs from the 41 convictions above in both period and scope: the two cannot be added together or compared.

⚠️ If you have seen a buying agent advertising a big discount: behind that price gap is an unregulated source, and the convictions and seizures above are official figures. Beauty salons have a section of their own.

Injections at beauty salons: an injection is a medical procedure, for registered doctors and dentists only

The principle first: injecting a medicine is a medical procedure. The Secretary for Health's Legislative Council reply of 13 May 2026 states: "Any person who is not a registered medical practitioner or registered dentist could not perform medicine injection procedures; otherwise, the person may be charged for violating the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 161) or the Dentists Registration Ordinance (Cap. 156)." [Note 23] The Department of Health's press release of 30 September 2026 repeated the reminder: "injection procedures are medical procedures which should only be performed by locally registered medical practitioners or registered dentists." [Note 20]

This is not a new rule aimed at GLP-1 drugs; it is the framework in place since 2013. The Department of Health's Advisory Note on the provision of cosmetic procedures opens with "Do not perform the procedures set out below if you are NOT a registered medical practitioner." One category is "Cosmetic procedures that involve injections" — procedures that involve injecting substances into the body, which may cause complications such as infection, bleeding and haematoma. The Chinese edition's examples include "減肥針注射"; the corresponding English wording is "injection lipolysis", and neither refers to GLP-1 medicines. What this article relies on is the principle that procedures involving injections are for registered doctors only, not any suggestion that the 2013 document was about this class of drug [Note 24].

On licensing, the Office for Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities' FAQ states: "Any premises (including premises claiming to be providing "beauty services") that provide medical services (e.g. carrying out medical procedures) require a licence or a letter of exemption depending on the nature of medical services or procedures they provide." [Note 25] The Ordinance is the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633).

Penalties: the Department of Health's press release of 18 September 2025 cites section 28 of the Medical Registration Ordinance — a person who is not registered and practises medicine, or performs medical treatment resulting in personal injury to another person, is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for 3 years, or on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for 7 years [Note 26].

⚠️ If the word "injection" appears on a beauty-salon treatment plan, two questions: is the person giving the injection a registered doctor or registered dentist? Does the product's packaging carry a Hong Kong registration number in the format "HK-XXXXX"? Only if both answers are "yes" does it fit the framework above.

How many people in Hong Kong are overweight?

Department of Health Population Health Survey 2020-22: among people aged 15–84, 32.6% were obese (BMI≥25) and a further 22.0% were overweight, about 54.6% in total.

That is the background to demand for weight-loss medicines. But whether a medicine suits an individual can only be decided by a doctor after assessment.

What to do next

  1. First find out what the brand you want is actually approved for in Hong Kong. Registered is not approved for weight loss, and the register does not publicly set out indications, so this step means asking a doctor.
  2. Give your full history, particularly any family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma and MEN 2. Those are the contraindications all five labels share.
  3. If you are on the medicine and due for a procedure under general anaesthesia or deep sedation, tell the doctor beforehand. The official precautions state that delayed gastric emptying increases the risk of residual gastric content.
  4. Talk about stopping before you start. In the study, a year after stopping about two-thirds of the weight lost had been regained, and the two withdrawal trials point the same way, so plan on a long-term basis.
  5. Do not buy injections online, through a buying agent or from a beauty salon. Source, storage and authenticity are all unguaranteed, and enforcement is real; the person giving the injection must be a registered doctor or registered dentist.
  6. The basics outside medicine do not change: diet and physical activity. The World Health Organization recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week for adults.
  7. If you have doubts about a product of unknown provenance, you can ask or report it to the Department of Health's Drug Office.
  8. This site holds no prescription drug price data and recommends no brand or source of supply. For the level of consultation fees, see Private doctors' fees explained.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ozempic a weight-loss injection in Hong Kong?

Ozempic is registered in Hong Kong (HK-66485／66486／66487), but its US label is approved only for type 2 diabetes, with no weight-loss indication. The Hong Kong drug register does not publicly set out the approved indications for each product, so what a particular Hong Kong-registered brand is actually approved for is a question for a doctor.

What are the "slimming injections" in Hong Kong?

The official reply states that injectable medicines registered for the treatment of obesity include liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide — "include", not an exhaustive list. All are Part 1 poisons and prescription drugs, and require a registered doctor's prescription.

Does the same ingredient mean it is approved for weight loss?

No. Three things need keeping apart: the active ingredient, the registered brand, and the approved indication. Under the same ingredient not every registered brand is approved for weight management; some are approved for diabetes. It is governed by the product's registration and the doctor's prescription.

How much weight comes off, and does it come back after stopping?

In the main study of 1,961 adults with obesity or overweight and without diabetes, the semaglutide group had lost on average 14.9% of body weight after 68 weeks against 2.4% on placebo. The extension study followed only 327 of those who completed treatment: a year after stopping both the injection and the lifestyle intervention, the semaglutide subgroup had regained about two-thirds of the weight lost, with a net loss of 5.6% at week 120. The study's authors state themselves that this extension analysis is exploratory. The two other withdrawal trials (SURMOUNT-4 and STEP 4) point the same way: keep taking the drug and the loss holds, switch to placebo and the weight comes back.

Do these medicines carry a highest-level safety alert?

Yes. The US labels of all five products sold in the US — Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda, Zepbound and Mounjaro — carry an FDA boxed warning on the risk of thyroid C-cell tumours. People with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, people with MEN 2, and people with a serious hypersensitivity reaction to the ingredients or excipients must not use them. Each of the five labels also has around ten "warnings and precautions" sections, which this article does not list individually.

I have heard these drugs are linked to suicidal thoughts — is that true?

The direction now is that the evidence does not support a link. On 13 January 2026 the US Food and Drug Administration requested that the Saxenda, Wegovy and Zepbound labels drop this warning, because its comprehensive review had found no increased risk, and those three labels now mark it "(Removed, February 2026)"; in April 2024 the European Medicines Agency's committee likewise concluded that the evidence does not support a causal association. The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration's advisory committee considered the evidence insufficient to establish a link but took the view that wording across the class should be aligned; the Registration Committee of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong said it would discuss the matter, and as at 2026-10-14 no public outcome has been found. The current US labels for Ozempic and Mounjaro have never carried this item.

Can I buy slimming injections online or from a beauty salon?

No. Unlicensed online purchase, buying agents and beauty salons selling injections themselves are none of them lawful routes, and injecting a medicine is itself a medical procedure that only a registered doctor or registered dentist may perform. The Department of Health warns that the safety, quality and efficacy of unregistered pharmaceutical products are not guaranteed, and medicines from illegal sources may not have been properly stored in transit. In the year from 2025-04-01 to 2026-03-31 there were 41 relevant convictions; between January and May 2026 there were a further 7 joint operations.

Mounjaro is registered in Hong Kong — what has the US approved it for?

Mounjaro is registered in Hong Kong (HK-68408 to 68413). Its US label is approved for uses in people with type 2 diabetes: glycaemic control and, since 27 August 2026, reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes. It has no weight-loss indication. The tirzepatide product the US approved for weight loss is Zepbound, which was not found on the Hong Kong register on a 2026-10-14 search.

I have heard these drugs can affect the eyes — is that true?

In June 2025 the European Medicines Agency concluded that non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a "very rare" side effect of semaglutide medicines, and it is now in the EU product information; the UK and Australia issued notices in 2026. As at 2026-10-14, none of the five US labels carries this item. The EU product information states that a sudden loss of vision should lead to an eye examination and that treatment should be stopped if NAION is confirmed.

What does a slimming injection cost?

This site holds no prescription drug price data and will not recommend any brand or source of supply. For the level of consultation fees, see this platform's article on private doctors' fees.

If I would rather not take a medicine, what are the basics?

The basis of weight management remains diet and physical activity. The World Health Organization recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week for adults. Whether a medicine is suitable is for a doctor to assess.

What this article does not state
  • This article gives no advice on taking medicines and recommends no brand or source of supply.
  • The approved indications of individual products registered in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong drug register does not publicly set them out, so this article cannot state them; every "approved use" in this article is US label content, not a statement of Hong Kong registered indications.
  • Drug prices. This site holds no prescription drug price data.
  • A complete list of risks. Each of the five labels has around ten warnings and precautions sections, which this article does not list one by one.
  • Dose escalation for individual products. Governed by the registered prescribing information and by what the doctor explains.
  • The specific storage requirements of medicines from illegal sources. Governed by each product's registered prescribing information and the pharmacist's instructions; this article does not generalise.
  • Penalties cannot be generalised. They have to be read against the actual charge and the statutory provisions, and should not be read as "possessing GLP-1 medicines is illegal" — a patient lawfully holding a registered medicine on prescription is not the same situation.
  • EU registration history is background only. The EU approval dates and indications in this article do not constitute a statement of Hong Kong indications.
  • The standing of the extension study. The authors state themselves that the extension analysis is exploratory, and its 327-participant subgroup figures cannot be used to represent the 1,961-participant main study.
  • Compounded or imitation semaglutide products from overseas. None is registered in Hong Kong, and this article does not comment on them.
  • Signals still under assessment by regulators. Other signals the European Medicines Agency is still assessing in 2026 have reached no conclusion and this article does not state them; on NAION it states only what the EU, the UK and Australia have issued, and the US labels carry no such item.
  • The English-language sources have no Chinese edition. The European Medicines Agency's Wegovy product overview exists in 23 language versions, none of them Chinese; the Agency's shortage document and that Drug Office bulletin have no Chinese version either (the bulletin's /EN/, /ZH/ and /TC/ language paths were each found to serve the same English PDF). The passages quoted in this English edition are the sources' own English, except where marked as our translation from a Chinese-only source.

Notes: the official wording

The passages below are quoted verbatim from the sources' own English, except one marked as our translation from a source that has no English edition.

[Note 1] European Medicines Agency Medicine Shortages Steering Group recommendation document EMA/143883/2024 (12 June 2024):

"The shortage is due to an increased demand for these medicines in conjunction with other causes, such as manufacturing capacity constraints." … "Excessive off-label use for cosmetic weight loss of some of these medicines has raised concerns." … "This use has been mentioned frequently in the news and social media and is exacerbating existing shortages with serious consequences for public health."

[Note 2] The European Medicines Agency Wegovy product overview (EMA/162766/2023), on how it works, in two editions. That overview exists in 23 language versions, none of them Chinese. The 2023 edition (as quoted when this article was first published on 2026-07-31):

"It acts in the same way as GLP-1 (a natural hormone in the body) and, among other things, appears to regulate appetite by increasing a person's feelings of fullness, while reducing their food intake, hunger and cravings."

The June 2026 revision (the document's foot reads "This overview was last updated in 06-2026."):

"It acts in the same way as GLP-1 (a natural hormone in the body) and helps regulate appetite by increasing a person's feeling of fullness, while reducing their food intake, hunger and cravings. This can help people lose weight."

[Note 3] The full boxed warning from Wegovy's US approved prescribing information (2026-06-18 version). This is the US label, not Hong Kong registration particulars:

"WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether WEGOVY causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of semaglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined. WEGOVY is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of WEGOVY and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (e.g., a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with WEGOVY."

In plain terms: in rodents semaglutide causes thyroid C-cell tumours, the risk rising with dose and with how long the drug is taken; whether that carries over to humans, medullary thyroid carcinoma included, is undetermined; and anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, must not use Wegovy.

[Note 4] The Ozempic, Saxenda, Zepbound and Mounjaro labels all carry a substantively identical boxed warning — the same core alert, the same set of contraindications — differing mainly in the drug name and a little of the animal-study wording: Wegovy and Ozempic write "in rodents", Saxenda writes "in both genders of rats and mice", Zepbound writes "in rats", and Mounjaro writes "in both male and female rats".

[Note 5] The title of the Drug Office bulletin of 1 December 2025:

"Australia: GLP-1 RAs: warnings aligned over potential risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviours"

The class the bulletin concerns is the GLP-1 receptor agonists. That bulletin has no Chinese version; its /EN/, /ZH/ and /TC/ language paths were each found to serve the same English PDF.

[Note 6] The Secretary for Health's written reply in the Legislative Council of 13 May 2026, given after consulting the Department of Health, the Customs and Excise Department and the Police. The reply states that the injectable medicines registered for the treatment of obesity "are all Part 1 poisons and prescription drugs (i.e. Schedule 3 Poisons) under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138)". The Chinese edition of this article quotes only the part of that sentence bearing directly on classification; this English edition quotes it in full. The same reply states that in Hong Kong almost all anti-obesity medicines are prescription drugs and "should only be used under close supervision of doctors", and that members of the public should "strictly adhere to the treatment plans prescribed by doctors".

[Note 7] The Department of Health's warning wording on the illegal sale of controlled anti-obesity medicine:

"The safety, quality and efficacy of unregistered pharmaceutical products are not guaranteed."

[Note 8] SURMOUNT-1: Jastreboff AM, et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med 2022;387(3):205–216; PMID 35658024. From the abstract (the ellipses omit the dose wording):

"we assigned 2539 adults with a body-mass index … of 30 or more, or 27 or more and at least one weight-related complication, excluding diabetes, in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive once-weekly, subcutaneous tirzepatide … or placebo for 72 weeks" … "The mean percentage change in weight at week 72 was -15.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], -15.9 to -14.2) … -19.5% (95% CI, -20.4 to -18.5) … and -20.9% (95% CI, -21.8 to -19.9) … and -3.1% (95% CI, -4.3 to -1.9) with placebo (P<0.001 for all comparisons with placebo)."

[Note 9] SURMOUNT-4: Aronne LJ, et al. Continued Treatment With Tirzepatide for Maintenance of Weight Reduction in Adults With Obesity. JAMA 2024;331(1):38–48; PMID 38078870. From the abstract:

"Participants (n = 783) enrolled in an open-label lead-in period received once-weekly subcutaneous maximum tolerated dose … of tirzepatide for 36 weeks. At week 36, a total of 670 participants were randomized (1:1) to continue receiving tirzepatide (n = 335) or switch to placebo (n = 335) for 52 weeks." … "Participants (n = 670 …) who completed the 36-week lead-in period experienced a mean weight reduction of 20.9%. The mean percent weight change from week 36 to week 88 was -5.5% with tirzepatide vs 14.0% with placebo (difference, -19.4% [95% CI, -21.2% to -17.7%]; P < .001)."

[Note 10] STEP 4: Rubino D, et al. Effect of Continued Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo on Weight Loss Maintenance in Adults With Overweight or Obesity. JAMA 2021;325(14):1414–1425; PMID 33755728. From the abstract:

"After 20 weeks (16 weeks of dose escalation; 4 weeks of maintenance dose), 803 participants (89.0%) who reached the 2.4-mg/wk semaglutide maintenance dose were randomized (2:1) to 48 weeks of continued subcutaneous semaglutide (n = 535) or switched to placebo (n = 268), plus lifestyle intervention in both groups." … "Among 803 study participants who completed the 20-week run-in period (with a mean weight loss of 10.6%) and were randomized … With continued semaglutide, mean body weight change from week 20 to week 68 was -7.9% vs +6.9% with the switch to placebo (difference, -14.8 [95% CI, -16.0 to -13.5] percentage points; P < .001)."

[Note 11] SELECT: Lincoff AM, et al. Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes. N Engl J Med 2023;389(24):2221–2232; PMID 37952131. From the abstract:

"we enrolled patients 45 years of age or older who had preexisting cardiovascular disease and a body-mass index … of 27 or greater but no history of diabetes." … "A total of 17,604 patients were enrolled; 8803 were assigned to receive semaglutide and 8801 to receive placebo. The mean (±SD) duration of exposure to semaglutide or placebo was 34.2±13.7 months, and the mean duration of follow-up was 39.8±9.4 months. A primary cardiovascular end-point event occurred in 569 of the 8803 patients (6.5%) in the semaglutide group and in 701 of the 8801 patients (8.0%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.72 to 0.90; P<0.001). Adverse events leading to permanent discontinuation of the trial product occurred in 1461 patients (16.6%) in the semaglutide group and 718 patients (8.2%) in the placebo group (P<0.001)."

[Note 12] The Department of Health Drug Office's "Anti-obesity Drugs" page (foot dated May 2026), English edition:

"In Hong Kong, medicines currently registered for the treatment of obesity include liraglutide, naltrexone/bupropion, orlistat, phentermine, semaglutide and tirzepatide." "In Hong Kong, almost all of the anti-obesity drugs are prescription-only medicines, and should only be used under the close supervision by a doctor."

[Note 13] Section 1, Indications and Usage, of Mounjaro's US approved prescribing information, the 2026-08-27 version (version 40). This is the US label, not Hong Kong registration particulars. The previous version (2026-04-22, version 38) carried only the first item:

"as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus." "to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), or non-fatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are at high risk for these events."

[Note 14] NAION, four sources. European Medicines Agency news of 6 June 2025:

"PRAC concludes eye condition NAION is a very rare side effect of semaglutide medicines Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy" … "PRAC has concluded that NAION is a very rare side effect of semaglutide (meaning it may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people taking semaglutide)."

Section 4.4 of the Wegovy EU product information:

"A sudden loss of vision should lead to ophthalmological examination and treatment with semaglutide should be discontinued if NAION is confirmed (see section 4.8)."

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's notice, as reposted by the Drug Office on 6 February 2026:

"Patients reporting a sudden loss of vision (including partial loss) while on semaglutide treatment should be urgently referred for ophthalmological examination."

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration's notice, as reposted by the Drug Office on 23 July 2026:

"The eye disorder, non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION), is a rare but serious condition that may result in permanent visual impairment, including blindness, and no treatment has been shown to improve visual acuity outcomes."

None of the five US labels (2026-10-14 versions) has a NAION item in its Warnings and Precautions section.

[Note 15] The US Food and Drug Administration's drug safety communication (13 January 2026, reposted by the Drug Office on 14 January 2026):

"FDA is requesting that drug application holders remove information regarding the risk of suicidal ideation and behavior (SI/B) from the labeling of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medications that currently include such language. The affected products are Saxenda (liraglutide), Wegovy (semaglutide), and Zepbound (tirzepatide). This action follows a comprehensive FDA review that found no increased risk of SI/B associated with the use of GLP-1 RA medications."

The European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee meeting highlights of April 2024:

"The PRAC has concluded that the available evidence does not support a causal association between the Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) – dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, lixisenatide and semaglutide – and suicidal and self-injurious thoughts and actions." … "the PRAC considers that no update to the product information is warranted."

[Note 16] The "Summary of Anti-obesity Drugs" table on the Drug Office's "Anti-obesity Drugs" page, English edition:

"For liraglutide and semaglutide: Headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, delayed gastric emptying" "For tirzepatide: Hair loss, nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, constipation, vomiting, hypersensitivity reactions, delayed gastric emptying" "Cases of pulmonary aspiration have been reported in patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists undergoing general anaesthesia or deep sedation. Therefore, the increased risk of residual gastric content due to delayed gastric emptying should be considered prior to performing procedures with general anaesthesia or deep sedation."

[Note 17] The enforcement figures in the Secretary for Health's Legislative Council written reply of 13 May 2026 (the reply in [Note 6]), English edition:

"During the same period, it handled 41 conviction cases involving illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons (including but not limited to the so-called "Anti-obesity injectable" medicines) with two cases involving Internet sellers." "In response to the illegal import and export of controlled injections and drugs, the C&ED conducted multiple special operations during the same period, detected 15 major smuggling cases and seized over five million suspected pharmaceutical products and approximately 150 000 controlled injections suspected of containing Part 1 poisons (including approximately 130 000 anti-obesity injection vials and approximately 20 000 cosmetic injection vials), with an estimated market value of approximately $220 million."

The paragraph containing the second sentence covers January to April 2026; the Chinese edition of this article renders that sentence in Arabic numerals rather than quoting it.

[Note 18] Minutes of the Legislative Council Panel on Health Services meeting of 12 June 2026 (LC Paper No. CB(3)755/2026, Chinese only), the Under Secretary for Health speaking:

Recently, against the illegal sale of GLP-1 drugs by pharmacies and online shops, the Department of Health, together with the Police and Customs, conducted 7 joint operations between January and May 2026, arrested a number of persons suspected of illegally selling and possessing 第一類毒品 and unregistered drugs, and seized 48 boxes of anti-obesity drugs. (our translation from the Chinese original)

"第一類毒品" is the transcript's wording; the statutory term in the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance is Part 1 poisons.

[Note 19] The Department of Health's press release of 20 April 2026, English edition:

"the DH carried out an enforcement operation with the Police last Friday … to search a registered pharmacy in Sha Tin District. … 20 items of unregistered pharmaceutical products which included six boxes of an unregistered anti-obesity medicine labelled in Japanese as containing tirzepatide" "Earlier today, the DH carried out another enforcement operation with the Police against a registered pharmacy in Jordan … The operation also resulted in the seizure of 13 boxes of unregistered anti-obesity medicine labelled in Japanese as containing tirzepatide."

[Note 20] The Department of Health's press release of 30 September 2026, English edition (the release does not name the class of drug involved in that operation):

"the DH's Drug Office handled 138 cases resulting in convictions for the sale and/or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products. The maximum penalty was 10 months' imprisonment (total for all counts of offences) or a fine of up to $242,000 (the total fine for all counts of offences)." "The DH also reminded members of the public that injection procedures are medical procedures which should only be performed by locally registered medical practitioners or registered dentists."

[Note 21] The joint Department of Health and Customs press release of 13 May 2026, English edition:

"Any person who brings any controlled item into/out of Hong Kong (whether in person, by post, or through purchasing agents or consolidated consignments) without a valid licence may be prosecuted, in addition to the confiscation of the subject item. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years."

[Note 22] Hong Kong Customs press releases of 28 September and 5 October 2026, English editions. The press release of 28 September 2026:

"Customs officers found and seized 400 anti-obesity injection vials suspected to contain Part 1 poisons from the consignment."

The press release of 5 October 2026:

"Hong Kong Customs on October 2 seized 134 vials of anti-obesity injection vials suspected to contain Part 1 poisons"

[Note 23] The Secretary for Health's Legislative Council written reply of 13 May 2026 (the reply in [Note 6]), English edition:

"Any person who is not a registered medical practitioner or registered dentist could not perform medicine injection procedures; otherwise, the person may be charged for violating the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 161) or the Dentists Registration Ordinance (Cap. 156)."

[Note 24] The Department of Health's Advisory Note on the provision of cosmetic procedures, English edition:

"Do not perform the procedures set out below if you are NOT a registered medical practitioner." "Cosmetic procedures that involve injections — Procedures that involve injection of substances into the body may cause complications such as infection, bleeding, haematoma formation, bruising, and scarring. Examples of these procedures include injection of dermal fillers, botulinum toxin A, skin whitening agents and platelet rich plasma, mesotherapy and injection lipolysis."

The Chinese edition's examples in the same paragraph include "減肥針注射", which corresponds to "injection lipolysis" here. The Advisory Note follows the 2013 report of the Working Group on Differentiation between Medical Procedures and Beauty Services, whose Recommendation (1) reads: "Cosmetic procedures that involve injections should be performed by registered medical practitioners."

[Note 25] The Office for Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities' FAQ on the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance, item A7, English edition:

"Any premises (including premises claiming to be providing "beauty services") that provide medical services (e.g. carrying out medical procedures) require a licence or a letter of exemption depending on the nature of medical services or procedures they provide."

[Note 26] The Department of Health's press release of 18 September 2025, citing section 28 of the Medical Registration Ordinance, English edition:

"if any person who is not being registered or provisionally registered or exempted from registration practises medicine or surgery, or does any medical diagnosis, prescribes any medical treatment or performs any medical treatment (including surgery) in relation to a person which results in personal injury to that person, he commits an offence. The offender will be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $200,000 and to imprisonment for three years, or on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for seven years."

Sources and update dates

This article was written from the sources listed above. It is about regulatory facts, evidence and safety risk; whether this class of medicine suits you, and which product, it does not answer — that is for a registered doctor to decide on your history and your situation.

Further reading