Update 28 June 2026: ENFLONSIA (Clesrovimab) now available for babies from birth up to 12 months old for protection against RSV.
Update 28 June 2026: ENFLONSIA (Clesrovimab) now available for babies from birth up to 12 months old for protection against RSV.
A paradigm shift is occurring in the treatment of metabolic diseases such as stroke, heart disease and chronic kidney disease to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place through the basic adage doctors have always preached: exercise, healthy diet, alcohol/ tobacco abstinence, stress management, and quality sleep. (See diagram below)
Yet it’s easier said than done – less than 5 percent of the population can sustain the perfect lifestyle beyond a year, and maintain a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) below 23 kg/m² for Singaporean/ Asians.
Having excess or dysfunctional adipose tissue then leads to chronic diseases “risk factors” such as Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes, Fatty Liver, Metabolic syndrome, Kidney disease, and there is increasing evidence of interplay between the disease, i.e. diabetics are much more likely to develop fatty liver and kidney disease and vice-versa.
GLP-1 RA is a class of drug developed in the past decade to fight obesity, treat chronic metabolic disease, so as to reduce risk of complications of heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney failure, therefore promoting healthy longevity.
Wegovy® is the brand name for the drug molecule semaglutide, which is the most researched and studied medication out of all the GLP-1 RA with robust safety data and proven efficacy. Its predecessor Ozempic® may be more commonly known, but Wegovy® is the only semaglutide that is FDA-approved to treat obesity in the absence of Type 2 Diabetes.
Obesity is a key driver of cardio-kidney-liver-metabolic syndrome (CKLM syndrome) which accounts for most of the world’s morbidity and mortality,
There is much celebrity-hype and popularity around the drug due to its weight-loss effects, but it’s actually the Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE)-reduction benefits and kidney-protective benefits, even in non-diabetic patients, that is much to be celebrated about.
It is interesting to note that MACE-reduction / kidney protective health benefits from GLP-1A comes from losing 10-15% of your body weight, however, ~ 70% of the health benefits occur even in the absence of significant weight loss, and this is why scientists are still figuring out how GLP-1 RA is increasing lifespan.
GLP-1A drugs are never short-cuts or “magic pill (magic injection)”’ to lose weight.
It is a prescription-drug started by our doctor after reviewing your medical history and you must meet at least one of the following:
It cannot be a stand-alone treatment and must accompany substantial lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise, especially resistance training to prevent muscle loss.
Contraindications to GLP-1A includes Pregnancy & Breastfeeding, personal or family history of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2), history of Pancreatitis, severe Kidney Impairment, moderately severe or unstable Diabetic Retinopathy, history of eating disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia.
Wegovy® is administered weekly as a painless injection in the subcutaneous region (fatty layer of the skin), most commonly and easiest in the abdomen, and also the thigh or upper arm. You can easily perform these injections on your own, and more information can be found here.
Wegovy® can be left at room temperature for up to 6 weeks once opened, but we would advise for refrigeration due to Singapore’s climate.
It is important to adhere to the escalation staircase during initiation or restarting the drug, always “start low and go slow”, even if you have been on higher doses before but have stopped for some time.
Remember, you will reap cardiovascular/kidney protection benefits as soon as 2 weeks into your treatment, even in the absence of significant weight loss, and therefore do not be in a rush to lose weight!
Steps | Dose | Objective | Titration Rule |
Step 1 | 0.25 mg | Induction | Mandatory 4-week period. Do not accelerate. Reduces food noise at best. |
Step 2 | 0.5 mg | Escalation | If significant nausea occurs, remain at 0.25mg for 2 extra weeks. |
Step 3 | 1.0 mg | Therapeutic (Low) | Assess weight loss. Some patients respond well here and do not need higher doses. |
Step 4 | 1.7 mg | Therapeutic (Mid) | Standard maintenance dose for many Asian patients. |
Step 5 | 2.4 mg | Target Dose | Maximum dose. Only escalate if weight loss <5% at lower doses. |
Our prices are intentionally kept low so as to improve access and affordability for patients who stand to benefit the most for their cardiovascular-kidney -liver metabolic health. Hence this is strictly prescribed for patients who meet BMI criteria only.
Consultation is a must for first-time prescriptions from our clinic (even if you have been prescribed the medicine from other clinics) and standard consultation fees start from $28/ $30.52(w/GST) on weekday mornings.
We do allow repeat prescriptions for up to 6 months without consultation fees if you are assessed to be stable, and our doctor will still perform check-in consultation calls (complimentary) to make sure you are on the right-track.
Wegovy Dosage | Price (w/o GST) | Price (w/GST) | Monthly cost (w/GST) (using *Click-counting) |
0.25 mg | $330 | $359.70 | $185.3 |
0.5 mg | $340 | $370.6 | $190.75 |
1.0 mg | $350 | $381.50 | ~ $342.57 |
1.7 mg | $550 | $599.50 | N.A. |
2.4 mg | $580 | $632.20 | N.A. |
*Click-counting with a higher-dose pen is a strategy to reduce costs however with draw-backs. If you are comfortable and confident in administering the medication
CHAS and Medisave can be used if you suffer from a chronic disease in addition to obesity, subject to MOH Chronic Disease Management guidelines and CHAS/ Medisave limits.
Rybelsus indicated for persons living with obesity (PLO) with Type 2 Diabetes. It is used off-label for obesity treatment.
It is a peptide molecule having to travel through the stomach acidic environment, therefore it has to taken
It is a good option for patients preferring a tablet, also it improves diabetes profile and derives health benefits from cardiovascular-kidney protection as well.
Rybelsus Dosage | Price (w/o GST) | Price (w/GST) |
3 mg | $168 | $183.12 |
7 mg | $259 | $282.31 |
14 mg | $267 | $291.03 |
Mounjaro® contains Tirzepatide, a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist currently approved only for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, whereas Wegovy contains Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for chronic weight management and also for reduction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in adults with established cardiovascular disease. For obesity treatment, tirzepatide is marketed as Zepbound (not available in Singapore) rather than Mounjaro.
Our prices are intentionally kept low so as to improve access and affordability for patients who stand to benefit the most for their cardiovascular-kidney -liver metabolic health. Hence this is strictly prescribed for patients who meet BMI criteria only.
Consultation is a must for first-time prescriptions from our clinic (even if you have been prescribed the medicine from other clinics) and standard consultation fees start from $28/ $30.52(w/GST) on weekday mornings.
We do allow repeat prescriptions for up to 6 months without consultation fees if you are assessed to be stable, and our doctor will still perform check-in consultation calls (complimentary) to make sure you are on the right-track.
Mounjaro Dosage | Price (w/o GST) | Price (w/GST) | Monthly cost (w/GST) (using *Click-counting) |
2.5 mg | $385 | $419.65 | $283.40 |
5 mg | $520 | $566.80 | $346.08 |
7.5 mg | $630 | $686.70 | $435.46 |
10 mg | $635 | $692.15 | $580.61 |
15 mg | $799 | $870.91 | N.A. |
*Click-counting with a higher-dose pen is a strategy to reduce costs however with draw-backs. If you are comfortable and confident in administering the medication
The ideal patient who will benefit the most from GLP-1 RA is Person Living with Obesity (PLO) with chronic medical conditions related to obesity. He or she has been putting in consistent and considerable effort into exercise and diet. Yet he or she finds it extremely difficult to shed 10% to 15% body weight, as advised by his or her doctors for better control of his or her chronic medical conditions.
To begin, you must first meet the definition of obesity based on our locally adjusted BMI of ≥ 27.5kg/m2. As these are powerful prescription medications with risk of side effects, speak with our doctor to discuss the risk versus benefit of starting treatment.
You have to be mentally ready for lifestyle changes, from setting aside time to exercise daily and performing strength training (to reduce muscle loss along with fat loss), to meal planning and prepping and halving your food portions.
Cost is currently a major consideration for these medications, and the likelihood of weight rebound is almost certain if the medication is started without any lifestyle changes, or if abruptly stopped after less than 6 months to 1 year. It is therefore prudent to set aside a budget for this treatment, discussing strategies such as click-counting with our doctor, and most important, embarking on a sustained lifestyle of regular exercise and healthy eating so that your weight remains stable or even decreases further when the medications are eventually tapered off.
A relative contraindication for starting Wegovy®/ Mounjaro® is elderly age above 70 years old due to sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), as treatment may accelerate muscle loss resulting in increased fall-risk and frailty, causing more harm than benefit.
If you are currently breastfeeding or trying to conceive, this medication cannot be started. In addition, if you have a history of pancreatitis, or a rare cancer called medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), or a rare condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN2), the medication is contraindicated.
Wegovy® and Mounjaro® are currently two highly-effective and beneficial drug arsenal which your family physician, cardiologist, endocrinologist, hepatologist may prescribe to better your health.
Wegovy® is currently the only FDA-approved drug to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) such as heart attack or stroke in adults living with obesity and/or heart disease. Mounjaro® is currently approved for persons living with diabetes, but has been used off-label to treat obesity.
Most clinical trials studying cardiovascular and organ-protection benefits have been based on Semaglutide, which is the molecule behind the brand names such as Wegovy®/ Ozempic®/ Rybelsus®.
There has been much hype on social media about Mounjaro® as it offers greater weight loss than Wegovy® based on clinical studies. ✻However that may yet to be proven true as Mounjaro® currently achieves greater weight loss simply because its maximum dosage is much higher than Wegovy®. Currently, the maximum dose for Wegovy is 2.4mg, which is roughly equivalent to Mounjaro® 5mg dose (second of six steps).
*Wegovy® 7.2mg Single-Dose Device (SDD) has been FDA-approved in the US, and is estimated to launch in Singapore from early 2027 once approved by HSA Singapore.
*Love & Joy Family Clinic currently brings in Wegovy® 7.2 mg SDD through a special HSA Named Patient Program (NPP) only for a select group of our patients who require this dosage
✻ 21 July 2026 – Novo Nordisk sued rival Eli Lilly in a U.S. federal court, accusing Eli Lilly of false advertising in claiming its weight-loss medicines outperform Novo’s drugs.
There have been numerous studies about the rebound effect with GLP-1 RA. Therefore, it is crucial that the treatment is paired with lifestyle changes to increase the permanence of the weight loss. Generally, these GLP-1 RA medications and lifestyle improvements have to be sustained for at least more than one year.
Once a target BMI has been achieved or if a patient has achieved 15% to 20% weight loss, the medications ought to be tapered off slowly or to a minimal dose to be maintained for the cardiovascular and kidney-protection benefits if the patient has chronic cardiovascular and/or kidney diseases.
You must be equipped with knowledge about your own medical conditions and current health status, and be ready to share your weight management journey – achievements, struggles and challenges. You must be determined to make concrete lifestyle modifications and embark on a regular exercise program including some form of resistance training, coupled with deliberate and planned food choices.