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Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) vs Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg)

Verdict

Contrave comes out ahead on this table, winning on entry price. Wegovy pill scores higher on the published halfrx formula, 6.5 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 pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg)?

Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is $99 a month all-in, read from its own page on 2026-09-22; Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg) is $149–$299, read from its own page on 2026-09-10. At the maintenance dose the gap is $200 a month, which is $2,400 across a year, counting 12 fills. Trial weight loss was 5.4% against 13.6%, 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. They were last checked on 2026-09-22 and 2026-09-10. 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 6.5 out of 10, arithmetic over the same stored fields rather than an editor's preference.

Head to head

Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) against Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg), one row per axis, with the side that wins each axis marked.
What decides itContrave
$99/mo
Wegovy pill
$149–$299/mo
Entry priceContrave (naltrexone/bupropion) is $50/mo cheaper to start — $99 against $149.✓ 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 pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg) 13.6%, 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 pill
Mean weight loss in the cited trial5.4%13.6%
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.Study 7 on the label (NCT05564117), 64 weeks: 13.6% mean weight loss on 25 mg once daily against 2.4% on placebo, intention-to-treat.
Maintenance dose2 tablets twice a day25 mg once daily
Earliest week you reach itweek 4week 13
Year one at the published price of every step$1,188$3,338

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 twelve 30-day bottles a year holds. The full arithmetic is published.

Go to Contrave ↗Go to Wegovy pill ↗

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 pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg) the 3rd — 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
6.5
$149–$299/mo all-in
verified 2026-09-10
Newly approvedStrict dosing rulesBoxed 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 pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg)

Pros

  • +13.6% mean weight loss on the label's own 64-week trial, intention-to-treat — the strongest result of any oral weight-loss drug approved to date.[5]
  • +No injections, no needle disposal, no refrigeration.[4]
  • +Self-pay from roughly $149/mo direct from Novo Nordisk, against $1,349 list for the injection.[3]
  • +Same molecule as Wegovy injection, which has years of post-marketing safety data behind it.[4]

Cons

  • −The $149 headline is the 1.5 mg starting month only. The 4 mg month is $199, and every month from 9 mg up — including the 25 mg dose you stay on — is $299, twice the advertised figure.[1]
  • −Oral semaglutide has strict dosing conditions — taken on an empty stomach with a small sip of water and nothing else for 30 minutes. Adherence in the real world is worse than in trials, which is why this site uses the label's intention-to-treat 13.6%, counting everyone randomized, and not the 16.6% the paper reports for those who kept taking it.[5]
  • −Telehealth programs add a membership on top of the drug — Ro and Hims both charge $149 a month on a monthly plan — while Novo sells the pill direct at $149 to $299 depending on dose.
  • −Its 13.6% in the label's 64-week trial is below the 20.9% tirzepatide reached in SURMOUNT-1 on Zepbound's label; these were separate trials, not a head-to-head.[8]
Contrave side effects →Wegovy pill side effects →Contrave dosage →Wegovy pill 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 pill

Contrave against Wegovy pill, answered

Is Contrave or Wegovy pill better for weight loss?
Contrave reports 5.4% average weight loss and Wegovy pill 13.6%, 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 pill?
Contrave, at $99 a month against $299 — a difference of $200 a month, or $2,400 over a year counting the twelve 30-day bottles a year holds. Both figures are the maintenance price rather than an introductory rate.
Can you switch between Contrave and Wegovy pill?
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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