GLP-1 weight-loss programmes (semaglutide, tirzepatide) abroad: a monthly programme from ≈ CAD 311 per month

Some clinics abroad sell GLP-1 medicines (semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide) with a doctor's consultation, as a monthly programme or per pen. Bariatric surgery is a different topic with its own page. This page describes how clinics publish the price and terms.

What does it involve?

Clinics describe their offer by the medicine, the form, the dose strength and the unit sold:

• Injections from a pen: clinics sell pre-filled pens of semaglutide and tirzepatide priced by dose strength; several state four weekly doses per pen. Liraglutide is also sold, often priced on request.
• Tablets: in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirates Drug Establishment has approved semaglutide (Wegovy) as an oral treatment taken once a day.
• A doctor's supervision: an assessment before prescribing, then reviews, dose changes and blood tests. Clinics differ in how much of this they include.
• The unit sold: a monthly programme, or a single pen with a consultation.

How do clinics price it?

Clinics use two price units, compared separately here:

• Per month: a programme that usually includes the medicine and some medical follow-up.
• Per pen: one pen of the medicine, sold with or after a medical consultation.

A monthly programme and a single pen are different offers and are not compared with each other. A monthly price may include the medicine, consultations, blood tests, coaching and delivery, or only some of these. A per-pen price often covers the pen alone, with the consultation and delivery charged separately. Many clinics publish a "from" price for the starting dose, and the price rises with the dose strength. Some offer a lower price per pen when two or more are bought. Prices are only comparable within the same unit, for the same medicine and the same dose strength.

What should I ask the clinic before paying?

• Which medicine is it, under which brand, and is that product registered in the country where you buy it?
• Which dose strength does the published price apply to, and what will the price be at the next dose?
• For a monthly programme: how many pens or doses does one month include?
• Are the first consultation, review visits, blood tests and delivery included in the price?
• Which named doctor assesses you and prescribes the medicine? See how to check a doctor.
• Will you receive a written prescription and the medicine in its pharmacy-labelled package?
• How long is the written price valid, and can unused months or pens be refunded?

Can I bring pens home?

Rules differ by country. Each is given as the authority states it.

• United States. The FDA states that "in most circumstances, it is illegal for individuals to import drugs or devices into the U.S. for personal use". Its Personal Importation page lists when staff may decide more permissively: a serious condition with no effective treatment available in the US, no promotion to US residents, no unreasonable risk, a written personal-use statement, and evidence that treatment began abroad or the name of a responsible US-licensed doctor. For US citizens, the quantity is generally not more than a three-month supply.
• Canada. Health Canada's guidance GUI-0116, updated 13 July 2026, states that residents are generally not allowed to bring prescription drugs into Canada. It may permit a personal quantity in set cases, including continuing a treatment "that was required to be initiated while abroad". The limit is a 90-day supply or a single course of treatment, whichever is less. The product must be in its pharmacy- or hospital-dispensed package or original retail package, or carry its original label.
• United Kingdom. Regulation 17(6) of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 exempts a person who imports a medicinal product for administration to themselves, or to a member of their household, from the licence requirement. The MHRA has stated that seizures it judged to be more than reasonable personal importation quantities were destroyed. It gives no numerical limit.

Check the current rule with the authority in your home country before travelling.

Falsified products

Regulators have reported falsified GLP-1 medicines:

• WHO. Medical Product Alert N°2/2024) reports three falsified batches of Ozempic (semaglutide) detected in Brazil, the United Kingdom and the United States, supplied in the regulated supply chain. It advises buying only from authorised or licensed suppliers.
• European Union. On 3 September 2025, the EMA and the Heads of Medicines Agencies warned about illegal GLP-1 products sold through fraudulent websites and social media, some misusing official logos. They state that such products may not contain the claimed active substance at all.
• Thailand. The Thai FDA notice of 14 September 2026 warns about counterfeit and unregistered injectable products sold online, and asks buyers to check the serial number on the package through the "Track & Trace" menu on its website.

What this page does not tell you

This page reports published prices and terms. It does not say whether any of these medicines suits you; that decision belongs with your own doctor. In many countries these medicines need a prescription. In Thailand, for example, injectable liraglutide and semaglutide may be sold in a pharmacy only on a doctor's prescription, under the Thai FDA notice in force from 15 September 2026.