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Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) vs Wegovy (semaglutide injection)

Verdict

Contrave comes out ahead on this table, winning on entry price. Wegovy scores higher on the published halfrx formula, 6.9 against 6.3; the formula takes in more than this table does.

Computed from the stored fields, so it moves when a price does. Nothing here is written by hand or by a model.

Which is cheaper, Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) or Wegovy (semaglutide injection)?

Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is $99 a month all-in, read from its own page on 2026-09-22; Wegovy (semaglutide injection) is $199–$399, read from its own page on 2026-09-22. At the maintenance dose the gap is $250 a month, which is $3,349 across a year, counting 12 fills for Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) and 13 for Wegovy (semaglutide injection). Trial weight loss was 5.4% against 14.9%, from separate trials with different populations, so the gap is not a measured difference between the two. Every axis below is computed from stored fields rather than written by hand, so the comparison moves when a price does. Both were last checked on 2026-09-22. Neither carries an FTC action, a state action, a BBB F grade or an FDA warning letter. The published formula scores them 6.3 and 6.9 out of 10, arithmetic over the same stored fields rather than an editor's preference.

Head to head

Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) against Wegovy (semaglutide injection), one row per axis, with the side that wins each axis marked.
What decides itContrave
$99/mo
Wegovy
$199–$399/mo
Entry priceContrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is $100/mo cheaper to start — $99 against $199.✓ better here—
Regulatory and complaint riskNeither carries a lawsuit, an FDA warning letter or a supply-risk flag.tiedtied
Average weight loss in trialsContrave (naltrexone/bupropion) reports 5.4% and Wegovy (semaglutide injection) 14.9%, each from its own trial. They were not compared against each other, and the populations, durations and endpoints differ, so the higher number is not a better result — it is a different study.not comparablenot comparable

What the trials, the titration and a year actually say

AxisContraveWegovy
Mean weight loss in the cited trial5.4%14.9%
The trial that figure comes fromCOR-I on the label, 56 weeks: 5.4% mean weight loss on 32 mg/360 mg against 1.3% on placebo, intention-to-treat.STEP 1, Study 2 on the label (NCT03548935), 68 weeks: 14.9% mean weight loss at 2.4 mg against 2.4% on placebo, intention-to-treat.
Maintenance dose2 tablets twice a day2.4 mg once weekly, or 1.7 mg
Earliest week you reach itweek 4week 17
Year one at the published price of every step$1,188$4,237

Trial percentages are quoted from the label or the named trial beside them. They are not a head-to-head result: different populations, different durations, different endpoints. That is why the comparison above scores this axis as not comparable rather than awarding it to the higher number. The year-one figures walk each titration step at its published price — Contrave has one price at every dose, so there is no step to walk — and count the fills each manufacturer bills a year: 12 for Contrave, 13 for Wegovy. The full arithmetic is published.

Go to Contrave ↗Go to Wegovy ↗

Read the price gap carefully: these two are not the same purchase

  • These are different molecules — naltrexone and bupropion against semaglutide — so this is a comparison of two treatments, not of two prices for one.
  • Against every medication on this site with a verified maintenance price, Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is the 2nd cheapest of 9 and Wegovy (semaglutide injection) the 5th — the cheapest of them all is $75.
Currax Pharmaceuticals
Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion)
6.3
$99/mo all-in
verified 2026-09-22
Weaker moleculeBoxed warning
6.9
$199–$399/mo all-in
verified 2026-09-22
Boxed warning

Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion)

Pros

  • +$99 a month direct from the manufacturer's CurAccess program — below every branded GLP-1 on this site, and tied with the cheapest compounded route.[1]
  • +Oral, no injections, no refrigeration, no titration involving needles.[2]
  • +Works on appetite and reward pathways rather than gut hormones, so it is an option for people who cannot tolerate GLP-1 side effects.[3]
  • +The bupropion component may help if you also want to stop smoking or have low mood.[3]

Cons

  • −5.4% mean weight loss at 56 weeks in COR-I, the trial on its label — about a third of semaglutide and a quarter of tirzepatide.[4]
  • −Boxed warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors from the bupropion component.[3]
  • −Contraindicated with uncontrolled hypertension, seizure disorders and opioid use — the opioid interaction matters, because naltrexone blocks opioid pain relief in an emergency.[3]
  • −Placebo arm lost 1.3%, so the drug-attributable effect is about four points rather than the headline figure.[4]

Wegovy (semaglutide injection)

Pros

  • +One flat $349 across every standard dose from 0.25 to 2.4 mg — no dose-escalation penalty and no refill deadline attached, unlike Lilly's conditional pricing on Zepbound.[1]
  • +New patients pay $199 for the first two fills through 31 December 2026 — the first two of the four titration months.[2]
  • +Approved for cardiovascular risk reduction, not only weight — the strongest insurance-coverage argument in the category.[1]
  • +The longest real-world safety record of any modern weight-loss GLP-1.[1]
  • +Commercially insured, the savings card can bring it to $25 a month, capped at $100 of savings per month.[2]

Cons

  • −$1,349 monthly list price without insurance or the self-pay program.[1]
  • −Weaker than tirzepatide where the two were tested head to head: in SURMOUNT-5, weight fell 13.7% on semaglutide against 20.2% on tirzepatide over 72 weeks.[6]
  • −A month is one box of four weekly pens, so a year takes 13 boxes, not 12: $4,537 at $349 rather than the $4,188 that 'per month' implies.[1]
  • −The new high dose, Wegovy HD 7.2 mg, sits outside the flat price at $399.[1]
  • −Weekly injection, refrigerated storage, GI side effects during titration, and weight regain after stopping is the documented norm.[3]
Contrave side effects →Wegovy side effects →Contrave dosage →Wegovy dosage →

Comparisons are computed from the fields on each card, not written by hand or by a model, so they change when the data does. Information only, not medical advice. halfrx may earn a commission from some links, which never changes what a comparison says.

Everything on Contrave

Everything on Wegovy

Contrave against Wegovy, answered

What happens if you stop Contrave or Wegovy?
Wegovy's label includes a trial that stopped the drug on purpose; Contrave's does not, which is a difference in what is known rather than in what happens. On Wegovy's label, the people randomly assigned to stop gained 6.9% of body weight over the following 11 months while those who carried on lost 7.9% more. That figure belongs to Wegovy's trial, so this page does not apply it to Contrave.
Is Contrave or Wegovy better for weight loss?
Contrave reports 5.4% average weight loss and Wegovy 14.9%, each from its own trial. The two were not compared against each other, so the higher figure is not a result of a head-to-head and this page does not present it as one. What is comparable is what each costs, below.
Which is cheaper, Contrave or Wegovy?
Contrave, at $99 a month against $349 — a difference of $250 a month, or $3,349 over a year counting 12 fills a year for Contrave and 13 for Wegovy. Both figures are the maintenance price rather than an introductory rate. Above the maintenance dose, the optional higher dose costs more: Wegovy at 7.2 mg, Wegovy HD is $399 a month.
Can you switch between Contrave and Wegovy?
They are different molecules, so this is a change of medication rather than of brand, and the one you move to is started on its own dosing schedule.
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