Buying GLP-1 medicines in Italy: AIFA, prescriptions and travel

Check the AIFA record for your product

AIFA, the Italian Medicines Agency, runs the official medicines database. Search by ingredient and brand, and confirm whether the entry covers a tablet or an injection. Read the indication and presentation. A familiar brand may not work exactly as in the UK. If the pack differs, ask the pharmacist to explain the device and give you enough written information to use the medicine safely.

Ask about prescribing and reimbursement

Find out whether the proposed medicine is for diabetes, weight management or another authorised use, and which pathway applies. Ask who can start and continue treatment, and whether payment is public, insured or private. An overseas clinical eligibility threshold is no Italian reimbursement rule. If you pay privately, get the medicine price and the cost of any required follow-up separately.

Buying in Italy gives no import permission elsewhere

If you plan to take medicine out of Italy, check the destination's rules before you buy. A valid Italian pharmacy supply does not set the quantity you may carry into Switzerland, the United States or Japan. The same applies to a seller offering international dispatch. Find out who is responsible for the prescription, export arrangements and transport. A pharmacy receipt answers none of these.

Keep your care clear across languages

Ask for a treatment summary with generic medicine names as well as the Italian brand. Record the exact strength, dosing schedule, last dose and any side effects. If you need a translation, keep the original prescription and leaflet too. For an extended stay, find a local clinician who can review your health and a pharmacy you can contact directly. Repeated one-off purchases give you no continuity.

Before you buy in Italy

Check the current AIFA entry before you buy. Confirm the exact product and indication for Mounjaro, Wegovy injection, Wegovy tablets or Foundayo. In Italy, approval, prescription, reimbursement, stock and personal import permission each need a separate answer.

• Ask an Italian clinician which product suits you and whether your existing treatment history is enough for an assessment.
• Get the whole cost, including consultations, dispensing and delivery, before you commit to ongoing treatment.
• Keep the labelled packaging, the prescription and the dispensing record. Check any damaged parcel or uncertain storage with the pharmacist before use.