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Benefits and uses

Ozempic benefits and uses

Ozempic's label benefits are for adults with type 2 diabetes: lower blood sugar, and lower heart and kidney risks in some groups.1 In the label's trials HbA1c fell 1.2 to 2.1 points.1 SUSTAIN 6 found a 26% lower risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death, and FLOW a 24% lower risk of the main kidney outcome.14

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.

What Ozempic is approved to do

The label lists three uses, all in adults with type 2 diabetes:1

  1. Blood sugar control, along with diet and exercise.1
  2. Heart risk: lowering the risk of cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack and non-fatal stroke in those with established cardiovascular disease. FDA added this use on January 16, 2020.12
  3. Kidney risk: lowering the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular death in those with chronic kidney disease, added on January 28, 2025.12

Weight loss is not one of them.1

Ozempic before and after: what the trials measured

In the label, "before and after" is a measurement rather than a photo. Each blood sugar trial recorded HbA1c at the start and again at a fixed week, against a comparison group.1

Trial (evidence level) Who, how long, starting HbA1c Change on Ozempic Change on comparison
Ozempic alone (double-blind, 388 adults)1 Type 2 diabetes; 30 weeks; about 8.1% Down 1.4 points (0.5 mg) and 1.6 (1 mg) Placebo: down 0.1
Against sitagliptin (double-blind, 1,231 adults)1 Already on metformin and/or a thiazolidinedione; 56 weeks; about 8.0% Down 1.3 (0.5 mg) and 1.5 (1 mg) Sitagliptin: down 0.7
2 mg against 1 mg (double-blind, 961 adults)1 On metformin with or without a sulfonylurea; 40 weeks; about 8.9% 2 mg: down 2.1 1 mg: down 1.9

The published report of the 2 mg trial, SUSTAIN FORTE, counted people while they stayed on treatment without rescue medication and found HbA1c drops of 2.2 points on 2 mg and 1.9 on 1 mg over 40 weeks.5 Stomach and gut side effects were the most common in both groups, at 34% and 31%.5

Heart: the SUSTAIN 6 trial

SUSTAIN 6 was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 3,297 adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, who took semaglutide 0.5 mg or 1 mg weekly, or placebo, for a median of 2.1 years.13 The main outcome, cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack or non-fatal stroke, occurred in 108 of 1,648 people on semaglutide (6.6%) and 146 of 1,649 on placebo (8.9%).3 That is a 26% lower risk, a hazard ratio of 0.74.13

Non-fatal stroke occurred in 1.6% against 2.7%, while cardiovascular death rates were similar.3 The same trial showed trade-offs: diabetic retinopathy complications were more common on semaglutide (hazard ratio 1.76), and more people stopped treatment because of side effects, mainly stomach and gut effects.3

Kidneys: the FLOW trial

FLOW was a randomized trial of 3,533 adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, who took semaglutide 1 mg weekly or placebo.4 It was stopped early, as recommended at a planned interim analysis, after a median 3.4 years of follow-up.4

Major kidney events were 24% lower on semaglutide, with 331 first events against 410 (hazard ratio 0.76).4 Cardiovascular death was 29% lower (hazard ratio 0.71), major cardiovascular events 18% lower and death from any cause 20% lower.4 Kidney function, measured as eGFR, declined more slowly, by 1.16 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year.4 The label's maintenance dose for adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease is 1 mg once a week, the dose FLOW tested.14

Weight change, a side result

Weight fell in the label's diabetes trials, by 3.2 to 6.4 kg on average depending on dose and trial, but weight loss is not an approved use of Ozempic.1 Trial-by-trial weight figures, the STEP 2 trial and what is known about stopping are on Ozempic and weight loss.

What the evidence does not show

  • Every result above comes from adults with type 2 diabetes; for people under 18, the label says safety and effectiveness are not established.1
  • The figures are averages for groups on set doses, measured against placebo or another drug. They do not predict one person's result.
  • Neither outcome trial tested the 2 mg dose: SUSTAIN 6 used 0.5 mg and 1 mg, and FLOW used 1 mg.34
  • Whether the thyroid C-cell tumors semaglutide caused in rodents matter for people is still unknown.1

Back to What is Ozempic?. The dose steps behind these trials are in Ozempic dosage, the harms in Ozempic side effects, and pen handling in Ozempic injection sites and pen use. For blood sugar in more depth, read Ozempic and blood sugar; for the class as a whole, GLP-1 benefits and uses.

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 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.

Frequently asked questions

What are the hidden benefits of Ozempic?

They are not hidden: beyond blood sugar, the label carries two more approved uses, each from an outcome trial. In SUSTAIN 6 (3,297 adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk), heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death was 26% less likely on semaglutide.1 In FLOW (3,533 adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease), major kidney events were 24% lower and cardiovascular death 29% lower.4

How long does it take for Ozempic to work?

The label gives no time to effect. The first 4 weeks use 0.25 mg, an initiation dose rather than a maintenance dose, and blood levels of semaglutide become steady after 4 to 5 weeks of weekly dosing.1 The label's trials judged blood sugar results at 30, 40 and 56 weeks, and the outcome trials ran for a median of 2.1 years (SUSTAIN 6) and 3.4 years (FLOW).14

Do Ozempic before and after photos show typical results?

A photo shows one person at two moments; the label reports averages for groups, measured against a comparison group. In the 30-week trial of Ozempic alone, HbA1c fell 1.4 to 1.6 points and weight 3.8 to 4.7 kg, against 0.1 points and 1.2 kg on placebo.1 Weight loss is not an approved use, and no label figure predicts how one person will change.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. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Frias JP et al. Efficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide 2.0 mg versus 1.0 mg in patients with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN FORTE). Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2021;9(9):563-574. PubMed (NCBI, NLM), 2021.