After a Tirzepatide List-Price Increase of Up to 170%, UK Self-Paying Patients Shifted Toward Semaglutide, Telehealth Study of 1 Million Adults Finds
Researchers from the UK telehealth company HeliosX and consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock reported in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism on October 14, 2026 a study of 1,033,522 self-paying adults who started semaglutide or tirzepatide through MedExpress between May 2024 and January 2026. After tirzepatide's UK list price rose by up to 170% in September 2025, semaglutide starts rose 31.15 percentage points above the earlier trend and switching from tirzepatide to semaglutide rose 9.26 points before easing. Estimated 12-month weight loss was 19.93% with tirzepatide and 16.40% with semaglutide, though the semaglutide estimate rested on only 979 people.