Is Semaglutide Legal? Global Status Guide
Category: Weight Loss · Tracked in 158 countries
13
Grey Area132
Prescription13
BannedCan You Buy Semaglutide?
Whether you can buy Semaglutide depends on your country. A prescription is required in 132 countries, including United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Canada, France, Grenada, Cuba, Italy, and 124 more. It falls into a legal grey area in 13 countries (Zimbabwe, Sint Eustatius, Andorra, Bahamas, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, and 5 more), where it may be available for research but not for human use. It is banned in 13 countries: Vietnam, Botswana, Senegal, Cameroon, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Uruguay, and 5 more.
Traveling with Semaglutide
Traveling internationally with Semaglutide requires understanding local laws at your destination. Do not carry Semaglutide into countries where it is banned (Vietnam, Botswana, Senegal, Cameroon, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Uruguay, and 5 more) — you could face serious legal consequences. In countries requiring a prescription (United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Canada, France, Grenada, Cuba, Italy, and 124 more), carry a valid prescription or doctor's letter. Always declare pharmaceutical products at customs and check the latest regulations before traveling.
Need to calculate your Semaglutide dosage? Use the Semaglutide reconstitution calculator on peptide.locker
Semaglutide Legal Status by Country (158)
| Country | Status | Rx Required | Schedule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andorra | Grey Area | Yes | Reconeixement Paisos Referents | Andorra is not in the EU, so EMA authorisation does not apply of its own force - but the position tracks its neighbours by statute, not merely in practice. Llei general de sanitat (20 March 1989) art. 40(1) empowers the Government to recognise directly the marketing authorisations issued by the competent authorities of the reference countries. The Reglament de Medicaments of 4 October 1977 goes further: art. 1 provides that in the absence of Andorran tables, FRENCH regulation applies, and that anything on the narcotics list of a neighbouring country is automatically in Table B; art. 10 provides that human medicines follow the MORE LIBERAL of the two neighbouring regimes for toxic and dangerous substances, and the MORE RESTRICTIVE for narcotics. In practice a peptide unauthorised in both France and Spain is unauthorised in Andorra. Custody and dispensing are reserved to authorised pharmacies (art. 46), and importers require prior authorisation (art. 43). Penalties under the health law are administrative: fines to EUR 100,000 for very serious infringements, with criminal referral preserved separately. | Official |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Grey Area | Yes | Reform Pending | Currently governed by the Pharmacy Act 1995 (as amended 2019) and the Antibiotics and Therapeutic Substances Act, Cap. 17, neither of which operates a general product-approval regime reaching peptides. A draft Pharmacy Bill 2026, published November 2025, would change this substantially: it defines unlicensed or unregistered medical products, requires imported products to be registered and approved in the country of origin and by a WHO Listed Authority or recommended by the Caribbean Regulatory System, and introduces marketing authorisation based on quality, safety and efficacy. Clause 33 targets courier and mail-order supply directly, requiring an import licence from the Council plus the original prescription from a locally registered practitioner and proof the drug is unavailable locally, with a stated maximum of three months for personal use. Clause 36 requires any injectable supplement to be prescribed. Proposed penalties are severe: EC$40,000 and 12 months generally, and a minimum EC$500,000 fine and up to 5 years for knowingly supplying substandard or falsified drugs. THIS IS A DRAFT BILL, NOT LAW - re-check enactment before relying on it. | Official |
| Bahamas | Grey Area | Yes | No Product Registration Regime | The Bahamas has NO drug marketing-authorisation system. The Pharmacy Act, Ch. 227 (Act No. 8 of 2009) registers people and premises and licenses manufacturers and wholesalers, but does not require a product to be approved before sale - claims that the Bahamas operates drug registration are incorrect. What binds instead: s.27 requires every drug manufactured, offered for sale, imported or exported to meet a pharmacopoeial standard (BP, USP, Ph. Eur., Int. Ph. or another approved by the Minister), with a fine up to BSD 20,000 - a research-grade peptide with no pharmacopoeial monograph fails that test. Section 28 refers import and export control to the Customs Management Act rather than medicines law. Section 33 requires factory and warehouse registration for manufacture or import for storage and wholesale distribution, fine up to BSD 15,000. Note also s.30(5): a prescription expressly does NOT include one transmitted electronically via the internet, which bears directly on online-prescriber models. No traveller allowance was located in the Pharmacy Act. | Official |
| Barbados | Grey Area | Yes | Not Within Scheduled Substances | No product marketing-authorisation regime was located. The Barbados National Drug Formulary is a public-benefit reimbursement list, not a market authorisation - the two should not be conflated. The operative import control is the Therapeutic Substances Act, Cap. 330 (1949-40, in force 1 December 1950), s.6 of which makes it unlawful to import a drug or therapeutic substance to which the Act applies without a licence from the Licensing Authority (the Chief Medical Officer), manufacture by an approved pharmaceutical firm, and compliance with prescribed standards. BUT the Act's Schedule covers only sulphonamides, penicillin, streptomycin, oleandomycin and other antibiotic substances - a therapeutic peptide is NOT within it, so Cap. 330's import licence does not bite. The remaining constraints are the Pharmacy Act Cap. 372 (poisons and dispensing) and customs. The Cap. 330 penalty is BBD 480 or three months and has not been uprated since 1950. | Official |
| Bonaire | Grey Area | Yes | Wet Geneesmiddelenvoorziening Bes | Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are Dutch public bodies, but the Dutch Geneesmiddelenwet does NOT extend to them - the applicable statute is the separate Wet op de geneesmiddelenvoorziening BES, cited by article in Staatscourant 2025 nr. 28064. Enforcement sits with the Dutch health inspectorate (IGJ) and the Minister of VWS. An adviescommissie geneesmiddelenvoorziening BES was established on 4 August 2025, but its remit is pharmacy establishment licensing, not product approval. No BES medicines-registration provision was located, so registration status, import rules, traveller allowance and penalties remain unverified for these islands. | Official |
| Curacao | Grey Area | Yes | Landsverordening Geneesmiddelenvoorziening | Curacao is an autonomous country with its own Landsverordening op de geneesmiddelenvoorziening, descended from Netherlands Antilles law - Dutch and EU medicines law do not apply. The ordinance is confirmed in force and actively administered, with implementing decrees still being consolidated, including a Landsbesluit under article 28(1) whose consolidated text was established on 7 May 2026 (P.B. 2026 no. 155). However the ordinance's own text is not published on the government law portal, so its provisions on registration, import, prescription status and penalties could not be verified. | Official |
| Montserrat | Grey Area | Yes | Not Within Scheduled Substances | No general medicines-approval law was located. Control rests on an Antibiotics and Therapeutic Substances Act of 1949-1951 vintage (Montserrat Cap. 14.14, Act 9 of 1950; Saint Kitts and Nevis Cap. 9.04) which requires an import licence, approved manufacturer and prescribed standards - but whose Schedule lists only penicillin, streptomycin, aureomycin, chloromycetin, sulphonamides, terramycin, bacitracin and neomycin. PEPTIDES ARE NOT WITHIN THAT SCHEDULE, so the import licence does not apply to them. In Turks and Caicos the position is similar: the Poisons Ordinance Cap. 8.05 requires a practitioner's written prescription for any declared poison, but its Schedule is a 1901-era list and does not include peptides; there is no medicines registration ordinance and no pharmacy ordinance. Penalties where the statutes do apply are negligible - EC$480 or six months in Montserrat, USD 5,000 in Turks and Caicos. The binding constraints for a novel non-scheduled substance in these jurisdictions are prescription-only supply, pharmacy and importer licensing, and customs, not medicines law. | Official |
| Nigeria | Grey Area | Yes | not_NAFDAC Registered | Ozempic is NOT registered by NAFDAC. Wegovy NOT registered as of Jan 2026. NAFDAC issued multiple public alerts about falsified Ozempic pens found in Nigeria (relabelled insulin pens). Available through clinics (Skin101, Pharmgate) but regulatory status unclear. Prescription required but enforcement inconsistent. Massive counterfeit problem. | Official |
| Saba | Grey Area | Yes | Wet Geneesmiddelenvoorziening Bes | Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are Dutch public bodies, but the Dutch Geneesmiddelenwet does NOT extend to them - the applicable statute is the separate Wet op de geneesmiddelenvoorziening BES, cited by article in Staatscourant 2025 nr. 28064. Enforcement sits with the Dutch health inspectorate (IGJ) and the Minister of VWS. An adviescommissie geneesmiddelenvoorziening BES was established on 4 August 2025, but its remit is pharmacy establishment licensing, not product approval. No BES medicines-registration provision was located, so registration status, import rules, traveller allowance and penalties remain unverified for these islands. | Official |
| Sint Eustatius | Grey Area | Yes | Wet Geneesmiddelenvoorziening Bes | Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are Dutch public bodies, but the Dutch Geneesmiddelenwet does NOT extend to them - the applicable statute is the separate Wet op de geneesmiddelenvoorziening BES, cited by article in Staatscourant 2025 nr. 28064. Enforcement sits with the Dutch health inspectorate (IGJ) and the Minister of VWS. An adviescommissie geneesmiddelenvoorziening BES was established on 4 August 2025, but its remit is pharmacy establishment licensing, not product approval. No BES medicines-registration provision was located, so registration status, import rules, traveller allowance and penalties remain unverified for these islands. | Official |
| St Kitts and Nevis | Grey Area | Yes | Not Within Scheduled Substances | No general medicines-approval law was located. Control rests on an Antibiotics and Therapeutic Substances Act of 1949-1951 vintage (Montserrat Cap. 14.14, Act 9 of 1950; Saint Kitts and Nevis Cap. 9.04) which requires an import licence, approved manufacturer and prescribed standards - but whose Schedule lists only penicillin, streptomycin, aureomycin, chloromycetin, sulphonamides, terramycin, bacitracin and neomycin. PEPTIDES ARE NOT WITHIN THAT SCHEDULE, so the import licence does not apply to them. In Turks and Caicos the position is similar: the Poisons Ordinance Cap. 8.05 requires a practitioner's written prescription for any declared poison, but its Schedule is a 1901-era list and does not include peptides; there is no medicines registration ordinance and no pharmacy ordinance. Penalties where the statutes do apply are negligible - EC$480 or six months in Montserrat, USD 5,000 in Turks and Caicos. The binding constraints for a novel non-scheduled substance in these jurisdictions are prescription-only supply, pharmacy and importer licensing, and customs, not medicines law. | Official |
| Turks and Caicos | Grey Area | Yes | Not Within Scheduled Substances | No general medicines-approval law was located. Control rests on an Antibiotics and Therapeutic Substances Act of 1949-1951 vintage (Montserrat Cap. 14.14, Act 9 of 1950; Saint Kitts and Nevis Cap. 9.04) which requires an import licence, approved manufacturer and prescribed standards - but whose Schedule lists only penicillin, streptomycin, aureomycin, chloromycetin, sulphonamides, terramycin, bacitracin and neomycin. PEPTIDES ARE NOT WITHIN THAT SCHEDULE, so the import licence does not apply to them. In Turks and Caicos the position is similar: the Poisons Ordinance Cap. 8.05 requires a practitioner's written prescription for any declared poison, but its Schedule is a 1901-era list and does not include peptides; there is no medicines registration ordinance and no pharmacy ordinance. Penalties where the statutes do apply are negligible - EC$480 or six months in Montserrat, USD 5,000 in Turks and Caicos. The binding constraints for a novel non-scheduled substance in these jurisdictions are prescription-only supply, pharmacy and importer licensing, and customs, not medicines law. | Official |
| Zimbabwe | Grey Area | Yes | Unregistered Medicine | Regulated by MCAZ under the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act [Chapter 15:03]. Selling an unregistered "specified medicine" is an offence under s.29(1), penalty under s.29(1a): a fine not exceeding level twelve or imprisonment not exceeding 2 years, or both. The registration duty attaches only once the Minister has declared a medicine or class to be "specified" by statutory instrument under s.28. The Minister may separately prohibit or control manufacture, possession, sale or use of any medicine under s.38(1), same penalty. Notably, personal importation sits OUTSIDE the permit regime: SI 57 of 2008 s.3(d) disapplies the Import and Export of Medicines Regulations entirely to medicines imported by an individual for personal use. Access to unregistered medicines for a named person runs through the s.75 exemption power. | Official |
| Algeria | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine per Art. 179 of Law 18-11. ANPP registration required. Pharmacists cannot dispense without prescription. Import licensing through DGPES. Algeria has significant local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. | Secondary |
| Angola | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. INABEC registration and separate price approval required. Limited availability through private healthcare in Luanda. All labels must be in Portuguese. | Secondary |
| Anguilla | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only (where available) | Prescription required where available. | Unsourced |
| Argentina | Prescription | Yes | ANMAT Approved | ANMAT approved. Wegovy available. Argentine lab ELEA developing biosimilar semaglutide. | Official |
| Aruba | Prescription | Yes | Landsverordening Geneesmiddelenvoorziening | Regulated by the Inspectie Volksgezondheid Aruba (IVA) under the Landsverordening op de Geneesmiddelenvoorziening. Aruba is an autonomous country - Dutch and EU medicines law do NOT apply. Commercial importers and pharmacies must submit a sample to IVA for evaluation and classification before a product is placed on the market, and a GMP certificate is required where the product originates outside Europe, the USA or Canada. Personal importation is expressly quantified under IVA policy: prescription medicines up to 3 months' supply, supplements up to 3 months, non-prescription medicines up to 6 months, requiring customs documentation, ID, a photo of the package, and for prescription products a signed prescription from an authorised foreign doctor dated no more than 7 days before return. Critically for peptides: INJECTABLE AND INFUSION MEDICINES REQUIRE AN AUTHORISATION LETTER FROM AN ARUBA-BASED DOCTOR plus patient medical history. Courier companies must supply documentation to IVA. | Official |
| Australia | Prescription | Yes | Schedule 4; TGA-approved (ARTG) | 2026-02-28 | Unsourced |
| Austria | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Secondary |
| Bahrain | Prescription | Yes | NHRA Registered | Registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Bangladesh | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | Available as registered prescription medicine. Bangladesh pharma companies manufacturing generic versions. DGDA registration required. Prescription required from registered physician. | Official |
| Belgium | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Secondary |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Prescription | Yes | Registered (Rx) | Non-EU. ALMBIH registration required. Prescription required. Biologics regulation adopted (2022 framework for biological medicines). | Official |
| Brazil | Prescription | Yes | ANVISA Approved | ANVISA approved. Portaria 97/2025 restricts compounding of GLP-1 RAs. Mandatory prescription retention rule. | Official |
| British Virgin Islands | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only (where available) | Prescription required where available. | Official |
| Brunei | Prescription | Yes | POM (Prescription Only Medicine) | If registered by BDMCA would be classified as Prescription Only Medicine (POM). Brunei uses POM/P/GSL classification system similar to UK model. | Secondary |
| Bulgaria | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Availability may lag Western EU. | Official |
| Cambodia | Prescription | Yes | Registered Medicine | Prescription required by law but pharmacies commonly dispense without prescription. Available OTC in practice. | Official |
| Canada | Prescription | Yes | Schedule F; DIN approved | — | Unsourced |
| Cape Verde | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. ARFA marketing authorization required. Simplified Special Import possible with doctor prescription for unregistered medicines not on national drug list. Very limited availability on small island nation. | Secondary |
| Cayman Islands | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered/available. | Secondary |
| Chile | Prescription | Yes | ISP Registered | ISP registered. Generic semaglutide in development. Prescription required. Framework: Decreto Supremo 3/2010 art. 20 requires prior sanitary registration for any pharmaceutical product distributed or used in Chile on any basis. The personal-import exception in art. 21(b) is conditioned by art. 21A and art. 22 on the product holding a marketing authorisation in its country of origin and on a prescription, and is capped at six months of treatment. | Official |
| China | Prescription | Yes | NMPA Approved | NMPA approved. Prescription required. Strict enforcement. | Official |
| Colombia | Prescription | Yes | INVIMA Registered | INVIMA registered. Ozempic/Wegovy available. Prescription required with sanitary registration compliance. | Secondary |
| Croatia | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. | Official |
| Cuba | Prescription | Yes | State System | Available only through state pharmaceutical system if registered. | Unofficial |
| Cyprus | Prescription | Yes | POM (EU harmonized) | EMA centrally authorized (Ozempic/Wegovy). Prescription required. Available through Cyprus healthcare system. Drug Council recognizes EMA authorizations. | Official |
| Czech Republic | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. As an EU member state, Article 6(1) of Directive 2001/83/EC applies: no medicinal product may be placed on the market of a Member State unless a marketing authorisation has been issued by the competent authorities of that Member State or under the centralised procedure. No EU or national marketing authorisation for this substance was identified, so it is an unauthorised medicinal product. National regulator: SUKL (Czechia) / EOF (Greece). Country-specific offence provisions and penalties have NOT been verified for this jurisdiction. | Official |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. ACOREP registration required. Extremely limited availability. Healthcare infrastructure severely constrained outside Kinshasa. SNAM decree 2025 may improve distribution channels. | Official |
| Denmark | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Official |
| Dominica | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered. | Unsourced |
| Dominican Republic | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered/available. | Official |
| Ecuador | Prescription | Yes | ARCSA Registered | Prescription required where available. | Secondary |
| Egypt | Prescription | Yes | EDA Registered | EDA registered. Prescription required. Egyptian generics possible. | Official |
| El Salvador | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered/available. | Secondary |
| Estonia | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. | Official |
| Ethiopia | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | EFDA requires registration for all medicines per Art. 20(1) Proclamation 1112/2019. Semaglutide available in limited quantities through hospital/specialist channels. On WHO Essential Medicines List. Not widely accessible. | Official |
| Fiji | Prescription | Yes | Registered Medicine | Available as registered prescription medicine if imported through authorized channels. Fiji MRA requires import permits for all registered medicines. Limited local availability. | Official |
| Finland | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Official |
| France | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Unofficial |
| French Guiana | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA/ANSM authorized. Prescription required. | Official |
| Georgia | Prescription | Yes | Registered (Rx) | Registered. Prescription technically required. However Georgia known for weak Rx enforcement — pharmacies may dispense without prescription. Three-tier medicine classification system. | Official |
| Germany | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. Unauthorised medicinal product under the Arzneimittelgesetz (AMG); placing on the market or unlicensed trade is punishable under AMG s.95. Criminal doping liability under the AntiDopG arises only for substances named in its annex, which is a closed list. | Official |
| Ghana | Prescription | Yes | Likely Registered | Likely classified as Class A prescription-only medicine. FDA Ghana processes marketing authorizations. Availability may be limited. | Official |
| Greece | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. As an EU member state, Article 6(1) of Directive 2001/83/EC applies: no medicinal product may be placed on the market of a Member State unless a marketing authorisation has been issued by the competent authorities of that Member State or under the centralised procedure. No EU or national marketing authorisation for this substance was identified, so it is an unauthorised medicinal product. National regulator: SUKL (Czechia) / EOF (Greece). Country-specific offence provisions and penalties have NOT been verified for this jurisdiction. | Official |
| Grenada | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered. | Unsourced |
| Guatemala | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered/available. | Secondary |
| Honduras | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered/available. | Official |
| Hong Kong | Prescription | Yes | DH Registered | Registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Hungary | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Hungary relatively fast on EU reimbursement decisions. | Official |
| Iceland | Prescription | Yes | EMA authorized; prescription medicine | EMA authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy available by prescription. IMA must approve maximum wholesale/retail prices. IMA triggered 2023 EMA safety review after reporting suicidal ideation cases. Small market may limit supply. | Official |
| India | Prescription | Yes | CDSCO Approved | Available at pharmacies. Prescription technically required but loosely enforced. Indian generics available. | Official |
| Indonesia | Prescription | Yes | BPOM Registered | BPOM registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Iran | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | IFDA-regulated prescription medicine. Availability limited due to sanctions. Iran has strong domestic pharmaceutical production but complex GLP-1 peptides may require import. Prices heavily regulated by IFDA. | Secondary |
| Iraq | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | Technically requires marketing authorization and prescription. KIMADIA (State Company for Marketing Drugs) handles procurement. Private sector may import through informal channels. Enforcement inconsistent. | Official |
| Ireland | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | 11,350+ illegal units seized H1 2025. Major enforcement crackdown on compounded/counterfeit GLP-1s. | Secondary |
| Israel | Prescription | Yes | MOH Registered | MOH registered. Prescription required. Kupat Holim (health funds) may cover. | Official |
| Italy | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Secondary |
| Ivory Coast | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. AIRP registration required. Very limited availability through private healthcare in Abidjan. | Official |
| Jamaica | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered/available. | Official |
| Japan | Prescription | Yes | PMDA Approved | PMDA approved. Ozempic/Wegovy available. Strict prescription requirement. | Official |
| Jordan | Prescription | Yes | JFDA Registered | Registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Kenya | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription-only medicine per PPB. Semaglutide available but Ozempic brand pens specifically NOT registered by PPB — any marketed Ozempic pens are illegal. Generic semaglutide available from multiple clinics (Nords, Halcyon, Dr Stasch). PPB issued stark warning against off-label weight loss use. Cost ~Ksh50,000 per injection. WHO added to Essential Medicines List. | Secondary |
| Kuwait | Prescription | Yes | MOH Registered | Registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Laos | Prescription | Yes | Registered Medicine | Prescription required by law but pharmacies commonly dispense without prescription. Available OTC in practice at pharmacies. | Official |
| Latvia | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. All drugs in Latvia must be ZVA-certified. | Official |
| Lebanon | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | MOPH-registered prescription medicine. Prescription required from physician per MOPH OTC list policy. Availability severely affected by economic crisis and currency devaluation. Drug prices regulated by MOPH across 15-country comparison. | Official |
| Libya | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. NCDCR approval required before marketing. Limited availability. Pharmacy Dept controls circulation of controlled medicines. Import requires prior supply permission from Ministry for controlled medicines. | Official |
| Liechtenstein | Prescription | Yes | POM (EEA harmonized) | EMA centrally authorized. Liechtenstein automatically accepts EMA approvals via EEA. Prescription required. Available through healthcare system. | Official |
| Lithuania | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. | Official |
| Luxembourg | Prescription | Yes | POM (EU harmonized) | EMA centrally authorized. Prescription required. Available in Luxembourg. Ministry of Health requires EMA decision file before sale. | Official |
| Madagascar | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. AMM registration required. Very limited availability. Healthcare infrastructure limited outside major cities. Decree 22336/2014 sets import conditions. | Official |
| Malawi | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. PMRA registration required. Very limited availability. Healthcare infrastructure severely constrained. | Official |
| Malaysia | Prescription | Yes | NPRA Registered | NPRA registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Maldives | Prescription | Yes | Registered Medicine | Registered prescription medicine. MFDA import authorization required. Available through healthcare facilities. | Official |
| Malta | Prescription | Yes | EMA authorized; POM (Prescription Only Medicine) | EMA authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy available by prescription. Dispensed only from licensed pharmacies. Classification as POM part of marketing authorization process. | Official |
| Mauritius | Prescription | Yes | Likely Registered | Likely on Pharmacy Board approved list. Prescription required. Imported by licensed wholesalers only. Invoices endorsed by Registrar. | Official |
| Mexico | Prescription | Yes | COFEPRIS Approved | COFEPRIS approved. Technically Rx required but widely sold OTC at Farmacia del Ahorro, San Pablo, Guadalajara. COFEPRIS issuing sanctions for OTC sales. Framework: Ley General de Salud art. 376 requires sanitary registration for medicines; unregistered products may be imported only under a COFEPRIS permit for one of the four purposes in Reglamento de Insumos para la Salud art. 132, with a personal-use permit tied to a prescription quantity. Manufacturing without the required registrations carries 3 to 15 years under LGS art. 464 Ter. | Official |
| Monaco | Prescription | Yes | POM (follows French/EU classification) | EMA centrally authorized (valid in France and by extension Monaco via bilateral agreement). Prescription required. Available through Monaco healthcare system and pharmacies. | Official |
| Montenegro | Prescription | Yes | Registered (Rx) | Non-EU. CALIMS registration required. Prescription required. Import authorization available for unregistered medicines. | Official |
| Morocco | Prescription | Yes | AMMPS Registered | AMMPS approved Ozempic for type 2 diabetes. Manufactured locally through Novo Nordisk/Laprophan partnership. Prescription required. 5-year data exclusivity blocks generics. Falsified/counterfeit tirzepatide sold on social media warned against. Very expensive — reported as inaccessible to most Moroccans. | Secondary |
| Mozambique | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. ANARME registration required for commercial sale. Very limited availability. ANARME responsible for proposing pricing under Law 12/2017. | Secondary |
| Myanmar | Prescription | Yes | Registered Medicine | Prescription required by law but pharmacies sell all drugs including prescription medicines OTC. No enforcement of prescription requirements. | Official |
| Namibia | Prescription | Yes | Likely Registered | Likely registered as prescription medicine. NMRC follows similar scheduling to SA. Import through licensed wholesalers only. | Official |
| Nepal | Prescription | Yes | Category KHA | Hormones classified under Category KHA requiring prescription. In practice enforcement weak and prescription medicines frequently dispensed without prescription. | Official |
| Netherlands | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Secondary |
| New Zealand | Prescription | Yes | Medsafe Approved | Medsafe approved. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Pharmac may fund. | Official |
| Nicaragua | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered/available. | Unofficial |
| North Macedonia | Prescription | Yes | Registered (Rx) | Non-EU. MALMED registration required. Prescription required. | Secondary |
| Norway | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Official |
| Oman | Prescription | Yes | MOH Registered | Registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Pakistan | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | DRAP-registered prescription medicine. Ozempic available by import. Local generic versions (Sematide by BF Biosciences Seglutide). Searle launched oral semaglutide tablet. Prescription required. | Official |
| Panama | Prescription | Yes | Registered | Sold at Arrocha, Farmacias Julios, El Rey. $160-400/pen. OTC in practice. Prescription loosely enforced. | Secondary |
| Papua New Guinea | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | If available would require prescription as a registered medicine. Limited availability in PNG healthcare system. Not widely accessible. | Official |
| Peru | Prescription | Yes | DIGEMID Registered | DIGEMID registered. Prescription required. | Secondary |
| Philippines | Prescription | Yes | FDA (Philippines) Registered | Registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Poland | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. Poland has no simple-possession offence, but the Ustawa o zwalczaniu dopingu w sporcie (Dz.U. 2017 poz. 1051) art. 49(1) criminalises making WADA group S1/S2/S4 substances available to third parties whether or not for payment, or holding them for that purpose, and art. 49(3) makes importing them contrary to Prawo farmaceutyczne art. 68 a standalone offence. Penalties: fine, restriction of liberty, or up to 3 years. Regulator: POLADA. | Official |
| Portugal | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Secondary |
| Qatar | Prescription | Yes | MOPH Registered | Registered. Prescription + import declaration required. | Official |
| Romania | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Available through Romanian pharmacies. Counterfeit/compounded market exists online. | Official |
| Russia | Prescription | Yes | MOH Registered | Registered. Prescription required. | Official |
| Rwanda | Prescription | Yes | Likely Registered | Likely registered through Rwanda FDA. EAC abbreviated procedures may accelerate registration from reference regulatory authorities. Prescription required. | Official |
| Saint Barthelemy | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA/ANSM authorized. Prescription required. | Official |
| Saint Martin (French) | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA/ANSM authorized. Prescription required. | Official |
| Samoa | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | If available would require prescription. Very limited access in Samoa healthcare system. May follow NZ regulatory guidance informally. | Official |
| Saudi Arabia | Prescription | Yes | SFDA Registered | SFDA registered. Prescription + SFDA e-portal approval for import. | Official |
| Serbia | Prescription | Yes | Registered (Rx) | Registered by ALIMS. Prescription required. Available in Serbian pharmacies. Non-EU so independent marketing authorization from ALIMS required (not EMA). | Official |
| Seychelles | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Medicine | Prescription required under Pharmacy Act. Available through healthcare facilities. Enforcement of prescription requirement weak in practice. | Official |
| Singapore | Prescription | Yes | HSA Approved | HSA approved. Strict prescription. No exceptions. | Official |
| Sint Maarten | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required. | Unsourced |
| Slovakia | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. | Official |
| Slovenia | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. | Official |
| South Africa | Prescription | Yes | Schedule 4 | Schedule 4 - named expressly in the Consolidated Schedules (06 July 2026). Prescription only. Compounding is permitted but narrowly: SAHPRA has stated semaglutide may be compounded because it is contained in a registered medicine, but compounded products may NOT use salt forms (semaglutide acetate, semaglutide sodium or any form other than that in the registered product), and doing so is illegal. SAHPRA and the SAPC seized product and issued a Class I recall in 2026 over commercial-scale compounding conducted under the guise of magistral preparation. | Official |
| South Korea | Prescription | Yes | MFDS Approved | MFDS approved. Prescription required. Active enforcement. | Official |
| Spain | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Secondary |
| Sri Lanka | Prescription | Yes | NMRA Registered | NMRA registered as approved by FDA/EMA. Prescription required. Available through licensed pharmacies. | Official |
| St Lucia | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered. | Unsourced |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered. | Unsourced |
| Suriname | Prescription | Yes | Registered (where available) | Prescription required where registered/available. | Unsourced |
| Sweden | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Official |
| Switzerland | Prescription | Yes | EMA Authorized (Rx) | EMA-authorized. Ozempic/Wegovy. Prescription required. Massive counterfeit/compounded market. EMA warned of 'sharp rise in illegal medicines'. | Official |
| Taiwan | Prescription | Yes | TFDA Approved | TFDA approved. Prescription required. | Official |
| Tanzania | Prescription | Yes | Likely Registered | Likely registered as prescription medicine. Tanzania has structured scheduling system (Prescription Only, Pharmacy Only, General Sale). TMDA import controls require registration. EAC harmonization may facilitate registration. | Official |
| Thailand | Prescription | Yes | Registered | Available at pharmacies. Prescription loosely enforced. Significantly cheaper than US/EU. | Official |
| Tonga | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | If available would require prescription. Very limited access. Tonga follows similar OTC/prescription framework as New Zealand for approved medicines. | Official |
| Tunisia | Prescription | Yes | Likely Registered | Prescription medicine. Tunisia has pharmaceutical pricing/reimbursement policies similar to Morocco/Algeria. Likely registered through DPM for diabetes indication. Prescription required. | Secondary |
| Turkey | Prescription | Yes | TITCK Registered | TITCK registered. Prescription required. Available at pharmacies. | Official |
| Uganda | Prescription | Yes | Prescription Only | Prescription medicine. NDA registration required. Limited availability through specialist hospitals. Not widely accessible outside Kampala. | Official |
| Ukraine | Prescription | Yes | Registered (Rx) | Registered in Ukraine. Prescription required. Wartime simplified registration pathway (Law 4239-IX) allows faster access for EU/UK-approved medicines. 8% max wholesale markup enforced. | Official |
| United Arab Emirates | Prescription | Yes | MOHAP Registered | MOHAP registered. Prescription required. Import requires permit. | Official |
| United Kingdom | Prescription | Yes | POM (Prescription Only Medicine) | MHRA-approved prescription medicine. Brand names: Ozempic, Wegovy. Prescription required. Compounding restricted. | Official |
| United States | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | FDA-approved prescription drug. Brand names: Ozempic (diabetes), Wegovy (obesity). Compounding was temporarily allowed during shortage but FDA cracking down on compounded versions. Novo Nordisk actively suing compounding pharmacies. | Official |
| US Virgin Islands | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | Same as US. FDA-approved. Prescription required. | Official |
| Vanuatu | Prescription | Yes | Not Scheduled | If available would require prescription. Very limited healthcare access. Medicines Act 2013 governs distribution but enforcement is minimal. | Official |
| Belize | Banned | Yes | Unregistered No Product Licence | Not registered. Food and Drugs Act, Cap. 291, and the Food and Drugs (Registration, Licensing and Inspection) Regulations, S.I. 54 of 2017 (in force 29 July 2017; amended by S.I. 41 of 2021 and S.I. 136 of 2025). Regulation 3(1): a person shall not commercialise any drug unless they have obtained registration of, and received a product licence for, that drug from the competent authority - the Director of Health Services. Penalty under reg. 3(3): a fine up to BZD 10,000 on summary conviction. Registration requires a GMP certificate, a WHO-model Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product or Certificate of Free Sale, a certificate of analysis and a full technical dossier. The only non-registered import route is the orphan-drug pathway in reg. 5, which requires import authorisation and applies to drugs for rare diseases - a research peptide would not qualify. No personal or traveller allowance was located. | Official |
| Bolivia | Banned | Yes | Sin Registro Sanitario | No registro sanitario. Ley 1737 del Medicamento (17 December 1996) art. 5 subjects the elaboration, manufacture, distribution, import, export, sale and commercialisation of medicines to mandatory sanitary registration, restricts importation to persons with registered legal representation, and requires a certificate of registration for customs clearance. Art. 59 lists production, importation and commercialisation of medicines without registro sanitario as punishable infractions, and art. 61 provides for administrative sanctions plus criminal and civil liability under the relevant codes. The law contains no personal-use exception; any such exception would sit in the reglamento (D.S. 25235), which was not retrievable. AGEMED has issued NO alert naming research peptides - all 207 of its 2026 alerts were checked. Its 2026 peptide-adjacent activity concerns contraband tirzepatide and cosmetic products only. Tirzepatide IS legally registered in Bolivia, marketed by IMFAR S.R.L. | Official |
| Botswana | Banned | Yes | Unregistered Regulated Product | Regulated by BoMRA. A new Medicines and Related Substances Act 2025 (No. 29 of 2025) was assented on 24 December 2025 but COMMENCES ON NOTICE, and no commencement order was located - until it commences the 2013 Act continues to operate, so verify which regime applies before relying on this. Under the 2025 Act, s.35(1) prohibits possessing or controlling any regulated product for the purposes of importing, manufacturing, distributing, selling, advertising, STORING or dispensing unless registered - a possession-for-purpose offence, broader than a pure sale prohibition. Penalty under s.35(11): a fine up to P10,000,000 or imprisonment up to 10 YEARS, or both. Personal use is addressed: s.35(5)(a) allows exemption for a product prescribed outside Botswana for a patient's personal use, and s.64 permits a traveller to bring in quantities required for their own or accompanying family members' treatment, excluding prohibited products, narcotics, psychotropics and precursors. | Official |
| Cameroon | Banned | Yes | Sans Amm | No AMM. Loi n. 90/035 du 10 aout 1990 art. 64 prohibits supplying any pharmaceutical speciality, free or for payment, without the prior visa of the public health authority; Decret n. 98-405/PM du 22 octobre 1998 art. 3 subjects market placement to an AMM issued after homologation. Regulator is the DPML, a directorate of the Ministry of Public Health rather than an independent agency. The only route for non-homologated medicines is art. 34 of the 1998 decree, which permits import and use for therapeutic trial purposes by approved experts - there is no general named-patient or personal-import provision on the face of the instruments. Penalty exposure turns sharply on classification: breach of the visa requirement attracts only a fine (art. 66 applying art. 20, 50,000-500,000 FCFA), but any breach of the rules on importation, sale or use of substances veneneuses attracts art. 68 - a fine of 1,000,000-5,000,000 FCFA AND imprisonment of 1 to 10 years. Art. 69 extends the same penalties to possession without legitimate reason. | Official |
| Costa Rica | Banned | Yes | Sin Registro Sanitario | No registro sanitario. The Ministerio de Salud states that Ley General de Salud 5395 prohibits the importation, manufacture, commercialisation and use of products without sanitary registration, and that those involved face closure of their establishment and both administrative AND criminal sanctions. Advertencia Sanitaria 11-2026 (22 July 2026) names retatrutide, tesamorelin, BPC-157, TB-500 and GHK-Cu as promoted and sold through unauthorised channels without sanitary authorisation; MK-677 was named separately in Advertencia 14 (22 August 2025). Magistral preparation is not a route: the Ministry states such preparations may only be made by authorised pharmacies for a specific patient against an individual prescription, and may not be manufactured to hold inventory, sold at scale, or promoted publicly as substitutes for industrial medicines. Registered and prescription-only in Costa Rica: Ozempic (semaglutide), Saxenda (liraglutide) and Mounjaro KwikPen (tirzepatide). | Official |
| Guyana | Banned | Yes | New Drug Licence Required | Controlled through a "new drug" licence rather than a registry. Food and Drugs Act, Chapter 34:03 (Act 12 of 1971), Regulation 78(1): no person shall import, sell or advertise for sale a new drug unless they hold a licence in force issued by the Minister and have paid the licence fee. The definition of "new drug" captures every compound here - it includes any drug containing a substance not imported into Guyana for use as a drug before 1 January 1977, so all of these post-1977 compounds require a Ministerial licence to import or sell. At the border, s.22 allows an inspector to examine customs entries and take samples, and goods are not released until the analyst reports; where sale would contravene the Act the article is not admitted into Guyana. No personal-use exemption appears in the Act or Regulations. Penalties under s.33: on summary conviction GYD 6,500-32,500 and 1-3 months imprisonment for a first offence, rising to GYD 65,000-325,000 and 1-3 years on indictment, with forfeiture of the articles involved. | Official |
| Paraguay | Banned | Yes | Sin Registro Sanitario | No registro sanitario. Ley 1119/97 art. 6.1 prohibits commercialising or supplying free of charge any unregistered pharmaceutical speciality; art. 4.4 expressly prohibits sale of unauthorised or illegally introduced products. DINAVISA has issued three 2026 alerts naming these compounds: Alerta 05/2026 (3 March, Categoria A - Riesgo Grave) covering TB-500, BPC-157, CJC-1295 DAC, GHK-Cu, kisspeptin, PEG-MGF, SEMAX, tesamorelin and selank; Alerta 08/2026 (18 May) covering CJC-1295 + ipamorelin, TB-500, PT-141 and retatrutide; and Alerta 09/2026 (20 May) covering tirzepatide. NOTE A REGIONAL EXCEPTION: unlike its neighbours, Paraguay's art. 6.2 exempts medicines for personal use carried into the country by the user or an authorised third party, in strictly necessary and reasonable quantities, from prior authorisation - with no statutory condition of foreign approval and no prescription requirement. That exemption is worded for goods carried in person rather than posted, and DINAVISA enforces against unregistered peptide imports regardless. | Official |
| Senegal | Banned | Yes | Sans Amm | No marketing authorisation. Loi n. 2023-06 du 13 juin 2023 art. 133: no medicine may be supplied in Senegal, free of charge or for payment, without first obtaining an AMM granted by order of the Minister of Health. Import is closed to the general public - art. 136 restricts it to authorised manufacturing and wholesale establishments, and art. 137 requires an ARP authorisation for every import. Personal importation is available only exceptionally: art. 141 permits import authorisations to be granted to private individuals on conditions set by decree, and the implementing decree was not located. Penalties are severe: art. 209 punishes supplying, storing, distributing or selling medicines OUTSIDE health establishments and the official circuit with 5 to 10 YEARS imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 to 10,000,000 FCFA. Illegal practice of pharmacy (art. 203) carries the same custodial range. | Official |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Banned | Yes | New Drug Approval Required | Food and Drugs Act, Chap. 30:01 and the Food and Drugs Regulations operate a genuine new-drug approval regime. Second Schedule, Division 3, para. 2(1): no person shall import, sell or advertise for sale a new drug unless a new drug submission has been filed, the fee paid, and the Minister has issued a notice of approval that has not been withdrawn. "New drug" captures any substance not imported into Trinidad and Tobago as a drug before the appointed day, which takes in modern peptides. A narrow research carve-out exists at Division 3, para. 10 - import for qualified investigators solely to obtain clinical and scientific data, labelled "To Be Used By Qualified Investigators Only" and requiring written ministerial authority naming them. Section 32(2) additionally bars import unless the article wholly conforms to the law of the country of manufacture and is accompanied by a certificate that its sale there would not violate that law - which defeats import of anything sold abroad as a research chemical not for human consumption. Third Schedule drugs are prescription-only, though a resident of a foreign country visiting Trinidad and Tobago is exempt from the import restriction. Penalties (s.33): summary first offence TTD 1,500 and 3 months; on indictment TTD 15,000 and 3 years. | Official |
| Uruguay | Banned | Yes | No Registrado | Not registered with the MSP. Decreto 521/984 art. 119 requires every medicine to be registered before use or commercialisation, and art. 82 prohibits the export, import and commercialisation of unregistered human medicines. Personal importation confers no right: art. 73 provides that the introduction or removal of human medicines by private individuals without complying with the requirements triggers MSP intervention over the final destination of the products. Only two routes exist for an unregistered medicine and neither is open to research peptides - art. 71 (samples of new medicines solely for clinical experimentation under MSP control or for the registration process) and art. 143 (urgency or emergency, requiring a competent professional's request and DI.QUI.ME. authorisation, with the professional and supplier jointly and severally liable). Penalties under Decreto-Ley 15.443 art. 19: closure of the establishment, seizure of goods and fines, updated annually for cost of living. | Official |
| Venezuela | Banned | Yes | No Registrado | Not registered. Ley de Medicamentos (Gaceta Oficial 37.006, 3 August 2000) art. 18 requires registration before elaboration, distribution, POSSESSION (tenencia), sale or dispensing - note that the article reaches mere possession, which is unusual. Art. 58 prohibits the sale of medicines not registered in the country, and art. 67 flatly prohibits importing medicines that do not meet the requirements of the legislation, the only carve-out being for the National Executive during a declared health emergency. The law contains no personal-use or traveller exception. Penalties: art. 75(1) treats manufacture, import, export and distribution of medicines without authorisation as an administrative offence fined 185-370 tax units; criminal liability arises under art. 77 (6 months to 2 years for dispensing non-compliant medicines endangering health) and art. 78 (6 months to 3 years for altering composition, imitating medicines, or stocking, advertising, offering or selling a product known to be altered). | Official |
| Vietnam | Banned | Yes | Unregistered Unauthorised | Not authorised for circulation. Pharmacy Law 105/2016/QH13 art. 6(5)(e) strictly prohibits trading in drugs or drug substances not yet permitted for circulation; art. 59(1) limits the market to drugs holding a marketing authorisation or imported under art. 60. Unregistered drugs may be import-licensed only in enumerated cases under art. 60(2), of which limb (i) covers non-commercial purposes. Criminal exposure runs through Penal Code art. 194 (counterfeit medicines): 2-7 years base, rising to 12-20 years or life in aggravated cases. IMPORTANT: the death penalty was REMOVED from art. 194 with effect from 1 July 2025 by Law 86/2025/QH15 - older sources stating otherwise are out of date. Note art. 194 targets counterfeit rather than merely unregistered product, though Vietnam's definition of counterfeit captures goods with absent or deficient active ingredient. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are prescription-only by residual rule: anything not on the OTC list in Circular 07/2017/TT-BYT is automatically a prescription drug. | Official |
| Zambia | Banned | Yes | Unregistered Medicine | Not registered with ZAMRA. Medicines and Allied Substances Act 2013 (Act No. 3 of 2013) s.39(1) prohibits placing a medicine on the market without a marketing authorisation. Dealing in unregistered medicines is a distinct and more serious offence under s.58(2)(a): a fine up to 4,000,000 penalty units or imprisonment up to 7 YEARS, or both, plus forfeiture and licence cancellation. Importing without a permit is a further offence under s.35 (up to 3 years). Personal importation is permitted narrowly: s.39(4)(b) exempts a person importing for their own or a relative's use ONLY where the quantity is based on a prescription. A traveller carve-out exists at s.35(2) but the quantity is set by statutory instrument which was not located. | Official |
About the sources on this page
Entries marked Official cite a government regulator, legislation or an official gazette. Entries marked Secondary rest on consultancy, law firm, news or academic reporting rather than the regulator itself. Entries marked Unofficial rest on sources that are not authoritative — which may include commercial sellers, medicine-import services or independent websites. Some entries currently carry no source at all.
We show these entries rather than hiding them, but they should not be relied on. Nothing on this site is legal advice. Verify against the national regulator before acting, and if you can point us at a better source please submit an update.
Data is researcher-verified but not legal advice. Regulations change frequently. Always verify with local authorities before purchasing, importing, or traveling with peptides. Last verified: 2026-02-28.