Frequently asked questions

Yes. Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda are all Schedule 4 medicines here, so a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner is required before any registered pharmacy or licensed telehealth provider can dispense them — no exceptions. See our guide to buying legally in South Africa for what a legitimate prescription process looks like.

The medicine itself is priced under South Africa's regulated Single Exit Price (SEP) — that part is the same everywhere. What varies is the dispensing fee each pharmacy is legally allowed to add on top, plus any consultation or delivery fee a telehealth provider bundles into the total. That combination is why the final price you're quoted can differ meaningfully from one provider to the next, even for the exact same product. See it broken down by provider on our compare page.

Ozempic and Wegovy share the same active ingredient, semaglutide, just registered under different names for different uses and dose ranges. Mounjaro uses tirzepatide, a different molecule that acts on two hormone receptors instead of one. Saxenda uses liraglutide and is a daily injection rather than a weekly one. Each has its own price hub with dose-by-dose detail: Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Saxenda.

It depends entirely on your specific medical scheme, plan option, and the indication you're being treated for — cover for diabetes management, for instance, is often treated very differently to cover for weight management, and rules change over time. We don't hold insurance-specific data on this site, so check directly with your medical scheme before assuming either way.

Some registered pharmacies and licensed telehealth providers do offer delivery, but it isn't universal. Check the individual provider's listing on our providers page, and confirm directly with them before ordering — always favour a provider whose registration you can verify over one offering the fastest delivery.

Retatrutide is an investigational medication still in clinical trials — it isn't approved or registered anywhere in the world yet, including by SAHPRA in South Africa, so it isn't legally available for purchase here. See our retatrutide page for where the trials currently stand.

Watch for warning signs like no prescription being required, no named or contactable pharmacy or practitioner, prices far below every other listed provider, or payment only through informal channels. Our guide to buying legally in South Africa covers this in full, including how to verify SAHPRA and Pharmacy Council registration yourself.