Ozempic vs Wegovy: same semaglutide, different labels

Ozempic and Wegovy contain the same semaglutide. Everything else about them was decided separately: the trials, the indications, the top dose, the pen, the missed-dose rule. Here is the whole list, from the two labels.

Show the data10 rows

	Ozempic	Wegovy
Application	NDA 209637, approved December 5, 2017	NDA 215256, approved June 4, 2021
Indications	Type 2 diabetes glycemic control; cardiovascular risk reduction in T2D with CV disease (January 16, 2020); kidney outcomes in T2D with CKD (January 28, 2025)	Weight reduction in adults and adolescents 12 and older (December 23, 2022); CV risk reduction with CV disease and obesity or overweight (March 8, 2024); noncirrhotic MASH F2 to F3 (August 15, 2025, accelerated)
Escalation	0.25 mg x 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg; 1 mg and 2 mg only if more glycemic control is needed, each after at least 4 weeks	0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.7 mg, 4 weeks each, to maintenance at week 17
Maintenance	0.5, 1 or 2 mg	2.4 mg (recommended) or 1.7 mg; adults may go to 7.2 mg after 4 or more weeks tolerating 2.4 mg
Maximum	2 mg (added March 28, 2022)	7.2 mg, Wegovy HD (March 19, 2026)
Missed dose	Take within 5 days of the missed dose; after that, skip	Take if the next dose is more than 48 hours away; otherwise skip. Two or more missed: resume or re-escalate
Pen	Multi-dose, dial the dose; 2, 4 or 8 mg per 3 mL pen, four weekly doses each	Single-dose, press and discard; 0.25, 0.5, 1 mg in 0.5 mL; 1.7, 2.4, 7.2 mg in 0.75 mL
Out of the fridge	56 days after first use, up to 30°C	28 days before cap removal, up to 30°C
Self-payself-payPaying the full price yourself, without insurance. (NovoCare, April 2026 sheet)	$349 per month up to 1 mg; $499 at 2 mg	$349 per month at 0.25 to 2.4 mg; $399 at 7.2 mg
Label revision	1/2025	6/2026

Where the schedules diverge

Both start at 0.25 mg for 4 weeks and step to 0.5 mg. From week 9 they part company. Wegovy keeps climbing on a fixed timetable: 1 mg, 1.7 mg, then maintenance. Ozempic stops at 0.5 mg unless "additional glycemic control is needed", and each further step is conditional on the same phrase. A person on Wegovy is expected to reach 1.7 or 2.4 mg by week 17; a person on Ozempic may stay at 0.5 mg indefinitely. The titration planner reflects this by making Ozempic's maintenance a required choice among 0.5, 1 and 2 mg.

Adverse reactions in each label

Comparing the two tables directly is unfair to Wegovy, because it was tested at higher doses in a different population, but the labels are what prescribers read. Ozempic Table 1 (type 2 diabetes, 0.5 and 1 mg): nausea 15.8% and 20.3% versus 6.1% placebo; vomiting 5% and 9.2% versus 2.3%. Wegovy Table 3 (adults, 2.4 mg): nausea 44% versus 16%; vomiting 24% versus 6%. Discontinuation for adverse reactions: Ozempic 3.1% to 3.8% (gastrointestinal) versus 0.4%; Wegovy 6.8% versus 3.2% (all causes). The side-effect timeline holds both tables.

Two rules that catch people out

Missed dose. Ozempic counts 5 days forward from the missed dose. Wegovy counts 48 hours back from the next dose. At exactly 5 days late, Ozempic says take it and Wegovy says skip. The missed-dose helper applies whichever label you are on.

The 1 mg step. In Wegovy's schedule, 1 mg is weeks 9 to 12 and nothing more. In Ozempic's, 1 mg is a maintenance dosemaintenance doseThe dose you stay on after the step-up period ends. and the dose used in FLOW for the kidney indication. Same number, different roles.

The pens

Ozempic's three pens carry three concentrations (0.68, 1.34 and 2.68 mg/mL) so that a dialled dose is correct on each. Wegovy's six pens carry six. Neither is measured in syringe units. That vocabulary belongs to compoundedcompoundedMade by a pharmacy from raw ingredients for a prescription rather than by the brand manufacturer; not FDA approved and not interchangeable with the brand product. semaglutide in vials, which is not FDA approved, not interchangeable with either product and covered in the Wegovy vs compounded comparison. The pens guide has storage and handling.

Price

On Novo Nordisk's April 2026 self-pay sheet the two are priced identically at $349 a month for every dose except the top of each range, where Ozempic 2 mg is $499 and Wegovy HD 7.2 mg is $399. Per milligram that makes Ozempic 2 mg the most expensive form of semaglutide Novo Nordisk sells ($62 per mg) and Wegovy 7.2 mg the cheapest ($14 per mg). The cost view dates these numbers. For the wider market, including compounded pricing, see the GLP-1GLP-1A gut hormone released after eating that raises insulin, slows the stomach and reduces appetite; the medicines copy it and last much longer. Pricing Index and FormBlends' cost report.