Novo Nordisk

Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label)

5.1

halfrx score

Same molecule as Wegovy, approved for type 2 diabetes. $199 for two fills, then $349 to $499 a month.

All-in, per month

$199–$499

$349 once titrated — the figure this site scores on

✓ verified 2026-09-22Visit Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) ↗

List price: $1,028
Medication: brand
Avg weight loss (from kg): 6.4%
Form: injection
Price checked: 2026-09-22

RxNorm 1991307 for the product, 1991302 for the ingredient. The codes the US National Library of Medicine assigns, so this page names one specific thing rather than a brand that could mean several.

It carries a boxed warning — the strongest the FDA issues

In rodents this molecule caused thyroid C-cell tumors at human-relevant doses. Whether it does so in people is unknown, and the label carries that as a boxed warning. It is contraindicated outright with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.

From FDA prescribing information for OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection. Everything the label lists, including who cannot take it →

NovoCare Pharmacy, Novo's own, read 12 September 2026: patients new to the Ozempic Savings Offer pay $199 for each of the first two monthly fills of 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg, through 31 December 2026, then $349 a month for 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg and $499 for 2 mg. The page reads "Patients new to the Ozempic® Savings Offer and NovoCare® Pharmacy pay $199 for each month of 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg" and "then $349 per month for Ozempic® 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg or 1 mg". One month is one pen. The $199 is an introductory rate for two fills, not a price anyone stays on.

What this page used to say

2026-09-13 — Which Ozempic dose the label sets for kidney and heart risk. Was: Also the dose used for kidney and cardiovascular risk reduction. Now: Also the maintenance dose for people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, reached after at least 4 weeks at 0.5 mg.
2026-09-13 — What Ozempic's label says about stopping over stomach side effects. Was: This is the diabetes label. Prescribed for weight loss it is off-label, which changes nothing about the side effects and everything about whether a plan will pay. Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation are the reason most people stop. They are worst in the first days after each dose increase and usually settle; a schedule held longer at one step is the standard answer, and it is a conversation with the prescriber rather than a reason to quit unannounced. Now: This is the diabetes label. Prescribed for weight loss it is off-label, which changes nothing about the side effects and everything about whether a plan will pay. Gastrointestinal reactions made 3.1% of patients stop at 0.5 mg and 3.8% at 1 mg, against 0.4% on placebo, and most nausea, vomiting and diarrhea came during dose escalation. Side effects that do not settle are a conversation with the prescriber rather than a reason to quit unannounced.
2026-09-12 — Wegovy's highest dose, and what Ozempic costs as the dose rises. Was: Ozempic tops out at 2 mg where Wegovy goes to 2.4 mg — the same molecule, a lower ceiling, and a label that does not mention weight. Prescribed for weight loss it is off-label, which is where the insurance argument starts. Now: The first rise follows the fill count, not the dose: NovoCare, Novo's own pharmacy, charges a patient new to the Ozempic Savings Offer $199 for each of the first two fills at 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg, through 31 December 2026, then $349 a month at every dose up to 1 mg and $499 at 2 mg. Two milligrams is Ozempic's ceiling; Wegovy, the same molecule, goes to 2.4 mg, and to 7.2 mg (Wegovy HD) for weight reduction in adults. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight, so prescribing it for weight loss is off-label, which is where the insurance argument starts.
2026-09-12 — Wegovy's maximum dose. Was: Maximum dose is lower than Wegovy's 2.4 mg, so the achievable weight loss is smaller. Now: Its top dose is 2 mg, against 2.4 mg for standard Wegovy and 7.2 mg for Wegovy HD; the Ozempic label reports no weight-loss percentage to set beside Wegovy's.
2026-09-12 — Whose cash price Ozempic's is. Was: Read from TrumpRx, the federal price site, on the ground that Novo Nordisk publishes no cash price of its own. Now: Read from NovoCare Pharmacy, Novo's own: $349 a month for 0.25 to 1 mg, $499 for 2 mg.
2026-09-11 — Where the Ozempic price comes from. Was: Price read from its own page. Now: Price from TrumpRx, the federal direct-purchase site.
2026-09-11 — A point in its favor that no longer stood. Was: $199/mo cash price for pens under the GoodRx–Novo Nordisk agreement — the cheapest route to injectable semaglutide. Now: New self-pay patients pay $199 for the first two monthly fills on TrumpRx, through 31 December 2026, then $349 a month at 0.25 to 1 mg.
2026-09-11 — The date the label was published. Was: label published 2026-06-09. Now: label published 2026-06-10.
2026-09-11 — Ozempic's current first-fill price was missing from its savings page. Was: Only the GoodRx offer that ended 31 March 2026. Now: Ozempic first-fill price: $199 for two fills through 31 December 2026, then $349.
2026-09-09 — An introductory rate quoted as the price you live on. Was: $199 a month, flat. Now: $199 for two fills, then $349 a month, or $499 at 2 mg.
2026-09-08 — The date the label was published, and the order of the serious reactions. Was: label published 2026-08-19. Now: label published 2026-06-09.
2026-09-06 — Our daily price check now reads a page that publishes the price. Was: The price check read the brand's own homepage, which carries no figure. Now: https://trumprx.gov/p/ozempic.
2026-09-05 — Rebuilt the serious reactions as the label's section 5, in the label's order. Was: Five items: acute pancreatitis, diabetic retinopathy complications, gallbladder disease, acute kidney injury, hypoglycemia. Now: Eight, in label order: acute pancreatitis (5.2), diabetic retinopathy complications (5.3), hypoglycemia (5.5), acute kidney injury (5.6), severe gastrointestinal reactions (5.7), hypersensitivity reactions (5.8), acute gallbladder disease (5.9), pulmonary aspiration under anesthesia (5.10).
2026-09-05 — The expiry, the doses, and the number of fills the $199 covers. Was: $199 a month for Ozempic or Wegovy pens, for cash-paying patients using GoodRx. Described as an introductory price, with no end date. Now: $199 a month for the first two fills at 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg, then $349. First-time GoodRx users only. Ended 31 March 2026.
2026-09-05 — Added the label warning against sharing a pen between patients. Was: The serious reactions list did not mention pen sharing. Now: Never share a pen between patients, even with a new needle (5.4) — sharing risks passing on blood-borne infection.
2026-09-05 — Changed the trial figure to the intention-to-treat result on the FDA label. Was: SUSTAIN trials in type 2 diabetes; weight loss is a secondary endpoint, and the figure is about 12%. Now: 6.4% — No percentage of body weight appears anywhere on the Ozempic label, which has no weight-management section: its three trial sections cover glycemic control, cardiovascular outcomes and kidney outcomes, and all report weight in kilograms. This figure is worked out from the label's own kilograms — 6.4 kg lost from a 100.1 kg mean baseline at week 40 on 2 mg — and is an arithmetic step the label does not take.
2026-09-05 — Pointed the dosage page's citation at the Ozempic injection label. Was: The 'every dose on this page is from' link went to the DailyMed record 27f15fac, which is the Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets label, with a 1.5 mg to 9 mg daily ladder. Now: The link goes to DailyMed record adec4fd2, the Ozempic injection label the 0.25 mg to 2 mg weekly schedule was taken from.

Every correction on this site, dated →

How much does Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) cost a month?

halfrx records Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) at $199–$499 a month all-in, read from its own published page on 2026-09-22. The figure that matters is $349 once titrated, because the starting dose is not the dose anyone stays on, and that is the number this site scores. It carries one flag on this site: boxed warning. A pharmacy acquires the same drug for about $996 a month under the federal NADAC survey, which is the comparison the price above is worth reading beside. It scores 5.1 out of 10 on a published formula that is arithmetic over the facts on this page, not an editor's opinion. The cheapest verified maintenance price on the site is $75, so this sits above the floor rather than at it. Its label prints no weight-loss percentage: the 6.4% on this page is worked out from the kilograms that label reports. Molecule: semaglutide.

What it has cost

Starting price unchanged since 2026-06-10; the maintenance figure has changed

At maintenance up $150.Last corrected on 2026-09-12 — see what this page used to say, above.

No clinician has reviewed this page. Label and trial statements are quoted from the FDA label or the trial cited beside them. General guidance is marked as such, and every price carries the date it was verified. That is sourcing, not medical review. What we do and do not check · Who checked the price

Off-label for weightBoxed warning

What is good about Ozempic?

+New self-pay patients pay $199 for the first two monthly fills on TrumpRx, through 31 December 2026, then $349 a month at 0.25 to 1 mg.[2]
+Identical active molecule to Wegovy.[2]
+If you have type 2 diabetes, this is the on-label product and the one insurance is most likely to cover.[2]

What are the downsides of Ozempic?

−Using it for weight loss without diabetes is off-label. Insurers deny it on that basis and prescribers vary in willingness.[2]
−Its top dose is 2 mg, against 2.4 mg for standard Wegovy and 7.2 mg for Wegovy HD; the Ozempic label reports no weight-loss percentage to set beside Wegovy's.[5]
−Prescribing it off-label for weight competes with diabetes patients for supply — a recurring shortage driver.[2]

How this score is built

1.1/3.5Evidence — 6.4% mean weight loss, worked out from the kilograms on a label that states no percentage
3.0/3Approval — FDA approved for type 2 diabetes: glycemic control, cardiovascular risk reduction, and kidney outcomes. Weight loss is off-label use.
0.9/2.5Cost — $349/mo at maintenance
0.1/1Caveats — −0.9: off-label for weight −0.4, boxed warning −0.5

The full formula →

Clinical evidence

FDA approved for type 2 diabetes: glycemic control, cardiovascular risk reduction, and kidney outcomes. Weight loss is off-label use.

No percentage of body weight appears anywhere on the Ozempic label, which has no weight-management section: its three trial sections cover glycemic control, cardiovascular outcomes and kidney outcomes, and all report weight in kilograms. This figure is worked out from the label's own kilograms — 6.4 kg lost from a 100.1 kg mean baseline at week 40 on 2 mg — and is an arithmetic step the label does not take.

A pharmacy acquires this for about $996 a month under the federal NADAC survey. What that says about the price you are quoted →

What a full year costs at these doses →

How long Ozempic takes to work, and what each week costs →

What happens if you stop semaglutide: no Ozempic trial stopped it on purpose, but Wegovy's label did, at a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg once weekly, or 1.7 mg (Ozempic's is 0.5 mg to 2 mg once weekly). The group that came off gained 6.9% of body weight in 48 weeks →

What you can take instead of Ozempic, with each one's verified price →

What Ozempic costs with insurance

There is no single figure, and any page giving one is describing a plan that is not necessarily yours. What decides it is below, and every part of it is checkable.

Ozempic Savings Card: As little as $25 a month Who it is for: Commercial insurance that covers Ozempic. Government beneficiaries excluded, and Novo's page names Medicare Part D among them. The catch: Capped at $100 of savings a month and good for up to 48 months, so it reaches $25 only where your plan already covers most of the cost — a $300 copay becomes $200. The same terms cover the pen and the Ozempic tablets. No annual ceiling and no end date are published.
It is closed to you if a government program pays for your care. Manufacturer copay cards exclude Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and VA beneficiaries by their own terms — a federal anti-kickback rule rather than a plan decision, so there is nothing to appeal. Which coupons you can actually use.
The indication on the prescription. A plan that excludes weight-loss drugs excludes the use, not the molecule — and Ozempic is separately approved for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes, which that exclusion does not reach. What each drug is approved to treat.
If the answer is no. The cash price is what remains, and it is on this page. Every verified route to the same drug is priced with the date each was read.