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D2C Peptides

Brand-name medicine

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic is Novo Nordisk's brand of semaglutide, a prescription GLP-1 receptor agonist.1 Its weekly injection was approved in 2017 for blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, later adding heart and kidney risk uses.12 The Ozempic name has covered a daily pill since January 2026.4 Ozempic is not approved for weight loss.1

This page summarizes published sources for information only. It is not medical advice and does not tell anyone to use a product. Questions about your own health belong with a licensed clinician. For questions about an order or a product, contact us.

Key facts

Active ingredientSemaglutide1
ClassGLP-1 receptor agonist: a modified peptide with 94% sequence similarity to human GLP-1, joined to a fatty acid chain1
Also known asOzempic pen, semaglutide injection, Ozempic tablets (the Ozempic pill, oral semaglutide)14
MakerNovo Nordisk1
FormsPrefilled multi-dose pens for weekly doses of 0.25, 0.5, 1 or 2 mg; single-dose prefilled syringes of 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg; once-daily tablets of 1.5, 4 or 9 mg13
Sold hereNo. Ozempic is a prescription medicine and is not sold on this site.25
Approved usesAdults with type 2 diabetes. Injection: blood sugar control with diet and exercise, lower risk of major cardiovascular events with established cardiovascular disease, and lower risk of kidney decline, kidney failure and cardiovascular death with chronic kidney disease. Tablets: blood sugar control, and lower cardiovascular risk in high-risk adults13
Regulatory statusFDA approved and prescription only: the injection under NDA 209637 since December 5, 2017, the tablets under NDA 21305125
Boxed warningRisk of thyroid C-cell tumors, seen in mice and rats; unknown whether Ozempic causes them in humans1
WADA statusNot on the WADA Prohibited List; the status of GLP-1 drugs is unchanged for 202712

What sources report

Ozempic is the name Novo Nordisk uses for semaglutide prescribed for type 2 diabetes.1 Semaglutide belongs to the GLP-1 receptor agonists, drugs that copy GLP-1, a hormone the intestine releases that helps lower blood sugar after eating.17 The injection is a clear, colorless solution given under the skin once a week from a prefilled pen or a single-dose syringe.1 For the molecule's chemistry and its research record across every brand, see What is Semaglutide?.

How it works

Semaglutide helps the pancreas release insulin and lowers glucagon, but only when blood sugar is high.1 It also slows how quickly the stomach empties, and MedlinePlus notes it may decrease appetite.16 Its fatty acid chain makes it bind to albumin, a blood protein, which slows its clearance by the kidneys and gives it a half-life of about 1 week.1

The Ozempic pill

Since January 30, 2026, the Ozempic name has also covered a tablet.4 FDA approved a labeling supplement that renamed one formulation of Rybelsus, called R2, as Ozempic (semaglutide) tablets.4 They sit on the Rybelsus application, NDA 213051.45 The Ozempic pill comes in 1.5 mg, 4 mg and 9 mg, while Rybelsus comes in 3 mg, 7 mg and 14 mg, and the label says the two brands are not interchangeable milligram for milligram.3 Their shared label covers blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes and lowering the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults at high risk.3

Tablet doses are much larger than injection doses, and far less is absorbed: about 1% to 2% of an Ozempic tablet dose reaches the bloodstream,3 against 89% of an injected dose.1

What the trials found

In the label's blood sugar trials in adults with type 2 diabetes, HbA1c fell 1.2 to 2.1 points from starting averages of 8.0% to 8.9%, depending on dose, comparison drug and background treatment.1 In SUSTAIN 6, a 104-week trial in 3,297 adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk, 6.6% on semaglutide and 8.9% on placebo had a cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack or nonfatal stroke.8 In FLOW, a trial of 3,533 adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease followed for a median 3.4 years, major kidney disease events were 24% lower on semaglutide 1 mg than on placebo.9 Weight also fell in the diabetes trials, but weight loss is not an approved use.1

Results by trial, with evidence levels, are in Ozempic benefits and uses. The goal pages go deeper: Ozempic and blood sugar and Ozempic and weight loss.

Side effects

Stomach and gut effects lead the label's list. In its placebo-controlled trials, nausea affected 15.8% of people on 0.5 mg and 20.3% on 1 mg, against 6.1% on placebo, mostly while the dose was being raised.1 Ozempic carries a boxed warning because semaglutide caused thyroid C-cell tumors in mice and rats; whether it causes them in people is unknown.1 Other label warnings cover pancreatitis, diabetic eye complications, low blood sugar with insulin or a sulfonylurea, kidney injury from dehydration, gallbladder disease and aspiration during anesthesia.1 Full list with rates: Ozempic side effects.

Dosage information

The prescriber sets the dose; the label gives the schedule. The injection starts at 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then moves to 0.5 mg.1 If blood sugar needs more control, the prescriber may raise the dose to 1 mg and then 2 mg, each after at least 4 weeks; 2 mg is the maximum.1 The Ozempic pill starts at 1.5 mg a day for 30 days, a dose that does not control blood sugar, then moves to 4 mg and, from day 61, 4 mg or 9 mg.3 Missed doses, pen strengths and switching rules: Ozempic dosage.

How it is used

The injection arrives as a ready-to-use liquid, so nothing is mixed or reconstituted.1 It is given once a week on the same day, at any time and with or without meals, under the skin of the stomach area, thigh or upper arm, with a new spot each week.1 Unopened pens stay in the refrigerator at 36 to 46°F (2 to 8°C); once in use, a pen can be kept up to 56 days at 59 to 86°F (15 to 30°C) or in the refrigerator.1 Pen steps, storage limits and needle disposal: Ozempic injection sites and pen use.

The tablets follow different rules. One is taken each morning on an empty stomach, swallowed whole with up to 4 ounces of plain water, and then nothing to eat or drink and no other oral medicine for at least 30 minutes.3

Regulatory status

FDA lists every Ozempic product still on the market as prescription only.25 Key dates on the record:

  • December 5, 2017. First approval of the injection, as a new molecular entity under NDA 209637.2
  • January 16, 2020. A new use: lowering the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease.21
  • March 28, 2022. A new dosing regimen: the 2 mg once-weekly dose.2
  • January 28, 2025. A new use: lowering the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.21
  • January 30, 2026. Ozempic tablets, the renamed Rybelsus R2 formulation.45

FDA declared the national shortage of semaglutide injections, which began in 2022, resolved on February 21, 2025.13 In the European Union, Ozempic has been authorized since 8 February 2018 for adults whose type 2 diabetes is not satisfactorily controlled.11 Semaglutide is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List, and WADA said in September 2026 that the status of GLP-1 drugs stays unchanged for 2027, pending more data on their effects in athletes.12

Compounded, research-labeled and counterfeit products

FDA says compounded semaglutide is not FDA approved and is not reviewed by FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality before it is marketed.14 It treats salt forms such as semaglutide sodium and semaglutide acetate as different active ingredients from the one in approved products, with no known lawful basis for compounding.14 On April 30, 2026, FDA proposed excluding semaglutide from the 503B bulks list used by outsourcing facilities, finding no clinical need for them to compound it from bulk substance; comments were due by June 29, 2026, before a final decision.17

FDA has also warned companies that sold consumers unapproved semaglutide falsely labeled 'for research purposes' or 'not for human consumption', for example in a February 26, 2025 warning letter over 5 mg and 10 mg products.1415 Separately, FDA has seized counterfeit Ozempic 1 mg pens from the U.S. drug supply chain in December 2023, April 2025 and late 2025.16 None of these is the FDA-approved product, which is available only with a prescription from a licensed practitioner.15

Comparisons: Ozempic vs Semaglutide, Ozempic vs Wegovy, Ozempic vs Rybelsus and Mounjaro vs Ozempic. The other semaglutide brands are covered in What is Wegovy? and What is Rybelsus?, and the drug class as a whole in What is GLP-1?.

More on Ozempic

  • Ozempic side effects

    Side effects of Ozempic as reported in labels, trials and published studies, with links to the full profile. Reviewed by a qualified reviewer.

  • Ozempic dosage

    Published dosing information for Ozempic from labels and studies, with its source, and why it is not advice for you.

  • Ozempic benefits and uses

    What published sources report about Ozempic and its uses, with the evidence level of each finding. No promises.

  • Ozempic injection sites and pen use

    Where Ozempic is injected, how the pen is used, and site rotation, from the FDA label and Instructions for Use. Sourced and reviewed.

Related reading

Related profiles

Comparisons

Ozempic and research goals

Frequently asked questions

Is Ozempic a peptide shot?

Yes. Its active ingredient, semaglutide, is a modified version of the human hormone GLP-1 that keeps 94% of the same amino acid sequence.1 In the approved product the peptide chain is made by yeast fermentation and joined to a fatty acid chain, which lets one injection under the skin last about a week.1 The same molecule is in Wegovy, a weekly injection at higher doses for weight reduction and heart risk, and in Rybelsus, a daily tablet.103

Are peptides the same as Ozempic?

No. Ozempic is one FDA-approved medicine, and its active ingredient, semaglutide, is one specific modified peptide made under FDA oversight.1 A product is not Ozempic because it contains a peptide, or even semaglutide. FDA says compounded semaglutide is not FDA approved, and that semaglutide sold to consumers as 'for research purposes' or 'not for human consumption' is an unapproved drug of unknown quality.1415 Ozempic itself is dispensed only on prescription.2

Do they have Ozempic over the counter?

No. FDA's application records list every Ozempic product still on the market, pens and tablets alike, as prescription only.25 FDA has also found counterfeit Ozempic 1 mg pens in the U.S. drug supply chain: thousands of units seized in December 2023, several hundred in April 2025 and dozens more in late 2025.16 It advises getting Ozempic only with a valid prescription through a state-licensed pharmacy and checking the product before use.16

Is there an Ozempic pill?

Yes. On January 30, 2026, FDA approved a supplement that gave one formulation of oral semaglutide the name Ozempic tablets, in 1.5 mg, 4 mg and 9 mg strengths.45 It is taken once a day, has its own dose schedule, and is not interchangeable milligram for milligram with Rybelsus tablets.3 A prescriber can move someone from the 0.5 mg weekly injection to the tablets under rules set out in the label.3

Is Ozempic the same as semaglutide?

Ozempic contains semaglutide, but the words are not interchangeable. Semaglutide is the active ingredient; Ozempic is one FDA-approved Novo Nordisk product made with it, for adults with type 2 diabetes.1 Wegovy uses the same ingredient for weight reduction and heart risk at higher weekly doses, 2.4 mg maintenance and up to 7.2 mg, against Ozempic's 2 mg maximum.101 A side-by-side table is in Ozempic vs Semaglutide.

How long does Ozempic stay in your body?

Semaglutide has a half-life of about 1 week, so it stays in the blood for about 5 weeks after the last dose.1 With weekly injections, blood levels become steady after 4 to 5 weeks.1 Because it washes out so slowly, the label says to stop Ozempic at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy.1

Written by D2C Peptides Editorial Team.

Pending qualified review.

Updated .

Sources

  1. OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection, solution: prescribing information, Medication Guide and Instructions for Use (Revised 5/2026, SPL version 20). U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed (label from Novo Nordisk), 2026.
  2. Drugs@FDA: NDA 209637 OZEMPIC product and approval history. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
  3. OZEMPIC (oral semaglutide) tablet; RYBELSUS (oral semaglutide) tablet: prescribing information (Revised 1/2026). U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed (label from Novo Nordisk), 2026.
  4. Supplement approval letter, NDA 213051/S-030 (Ozempic tablets and Rybelsus tablets). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
  5. Drugs@FDA: NDA 213051 RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets product and approval history. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
  6. Semaglutide Injection: MedlinePlus Drug Information (last revised 05/15/2026). U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus, 2026.
  7. FDA Requests Removal of Suicidal Behavior and Ideation Warning from GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Medications (Drug Safety Communication, 01-13-2026). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
  8. Marso SP et al. Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (SUSTAIN-6). N Engl J Med 2016;375(19):1834-1844. PubMed (NCBI, NLM), 2016.
  9. Perkovic V et al. Effects of Semaglutide on Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (FLOW). N Engl J Med 2024;391(2):109-121. PubMed (NCBI, NLM), 2024.
  10. WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and tablets: prescribing information (Revised 6/2026). U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed (label from Novo Nordisk), 2026.
  11. Ozempic: EPAR medicine overview. European Medicines Agency, 2026.
  12. WADA publishes 2027 Prohibited List (21 September 2026). World Anti-Doping Agency, 2026.
  13. FDA clarifies policies for compounders as national GLP-1 supply begins to stabilize. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025.
  14. FDA's Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss (content current as of 10/01/2026). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
  15. Warning letter: USApeptide.com, MARCS-CMS 696885 (February 26, 2025). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025.
  16. FDA warns consumers not to use counterfeit Ozempic (semaglutide) found in U.S. drug supply chain (updated 12/5/2025). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025.
  17. FDA Proposes to Exclude Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, and Liraglutide on 503B Bulks List (April 30, 2026). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.