Ozempic Cost, Uses, Dose and Side Effects
Ozempic cost on 3 October 2026: $1,027.51 list price, $149 to $499 a month self-pay, $25 with covering insurance. Label dose, side effects and who should avoid it.
The short version
Ozempic is a brand name for semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk. In the US it is approved only for adults with type 2 diabetes. It controls blood sugar, lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death in those with cardiovascular disease, and (the injection) slows kidney decline. It comes as a weekly injection and a daily tablet. As of 3 October 2026 its list price is $1,027.51 a month, and Novo Nordisk sells it to cash payers for $149 to $499 a month. It is not approved for weight loss. That semaglutide brand is Wegovy.
- Self-pay from Novo Nordisk is $349 a month for the 0.25 to 1 mg pen, $499 for 2 mg and $149 to $299 for the pill (3 October 2026).
- With commercial insurance that covers Ozempic, Novo's savings offer can bring the cost to $25 a month.
- Ozempic is semaglutide, the same molecule as Wegovy and Rybelsus, with different approved uses and doses.
- The injection starts at 0.25 mg once weekly and goes no higher than 2 mg. The tablets go from 1.5 mg to 9 mg daily.
- Its boxed warning covers thyroid C-cell tumours seen in rodents. Nausea is the most common side effect.
As of 3 October 2026, Ozempic’s list price is $1,027.51 a month. Paying cash, Novo Nordisk charges $349 a month for the 0.25 to 1 mg pen, $499 for 2 mg and $149 to $299 for the daily pill. With commercial insurance that covers it, Novo’s savings offer can bring the cost to $25 a month.
Ozempic is Novo Nordisk’s brand name for semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. In the US it is approved for adults with type 2 diabetes, for three purposes:
- To improve blood-sugar control alongside diet and exercise.
- To lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in those with established cardiovascular disease.
- For the injection only, to lower the risk of kidney decline, kidney failure and cardiovascular death in those with chronic kidney disease.
How much does Ozempic cost?
These prices come from the pages of Novo Nordisk, TrumpRx, Costco and Medicare, checked on 3 October 2026. Novo counts one pen, or one bottle of 30 tablets, as a month.
| How you pay | Price | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| List price, before insurance | $1,027.51 a month | Any pen or pill strength; most insured people don’t pay it |
| Self-pay, new patients, pen 0.25 or 0.5 mg | $199 a month | First 2 monthly fills only, through 31 December 2026 |
| Self-pay, pen 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg | $349 a month | After the 2 new-patient fills |
| Self-pay, pen 2 mg | $499 a month | No new-patient offer at this dose |
| Self-pay, pill 1.5, 4 or 9 mg | $149, $199 or $299 a month | 1.5 mg is the 30-day starting dose |
| Savings offer, plan covers Ozempic | As little as $25 a month | Up to $100 off a month, for up to 48 months; prescriptions of up to 3 months |
| Medicare Part D | Depends on the plan | Novo says most plans cover it; the $25 offer is excluded; self-pay prices still apply |
Ozempic cost without insurance
Novo sells at its self-pay prices through NovoCare Pharmacy, which ships to your door. TrumpRx.gov lists the same prices as a coupon, which it says retail pharmacies widely accept. Costco Pharmacy’s member prices also matched: $199 for the 0.25 or 0.5 mg pen, $349 for 1 mg, $499 for 2 mg and $149 to $299 for the pill. Costco’s page shows the $199 without the 2-fill limit in Novo’s terms.
NovoCare marks the offer “Pricing to be updated after December 31, 2026” and gives no new figures.
With insurance or Medicare
The savings offer needs commercial insurance that covers Ozempic, and excludes government beneficiaries. It takes at most $100 a month off, so a copay above $125 leaves you paying the copay minus $100.
Novo says most Medicare Part D plans cover Ozempic, with the cost varying by plan. Medicare’s $50-a-month GLP-1 Bridge does not include Ozempic. It covers Wegovy, the Zepbound KwikPen and Foundayo for weight management, and excludes people with type 2 diabetes.
What changes in 2027
Novo announced on 24 February 2026 that the list price of the 0.5, 1 and 2 mg injection will fall to $675 from 1 January 2027. It says self-pay prices are not affected.
Ozempic vs Wegovy on price
Wegovy’s list price is higher, at $1,349.02. At the self-pay prices, the pills cost the same at each dose tier. But Wegovy’s top pen doses cost less: $349 at 2.4 mg and $399 at 7.2 mg, against $499 for Ozempic 2 mg. More: Wegovy cost. Compounded semaglutide is priced separately and is not Ozempic: compounded GLP-1 pricing. The legal ways to get it online, with prices: semaglutide online.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic now comes in two forms, each with its own FDA label:
| Form | Strengths | Approved for (adults with type 2 diabetes) |
|---|---|---|
| Once-weekly injection | Multi-dose pens delivering 0.25 or 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 2 mg; single-dose prefilled syringes of 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg | Blood-sugar control; lowering major cardiovascular events with established cardiovascular disease; lowering kidney decline, kidney failure and cardiovascular death with chronic kidney disease |
| Once-daily tablet | 1.5 mg, 4 mg and 9 mg | Blood-sugar control; lowering major cardiovascular events in those at high risk |
The tablets share a label with Rybelsus, and Novo Nordisk says Rybelsus is being replaced by Ozempic pill. Every Ozempic indication is for type 2 diabetes. None is for weight loss. For the molecule across all three brands, see the semaglutide guide. The semaglutide pills compared: oral semaglutide.
Ozempic structure
- Molecular formula
- C187H291N45O59
- Molecular weight
- 4114 g/mol
- Length
- 31 amino acids
- Sequence
- HXEGTFTSDVSSYLEGQAAKEFIAWLVRGRG
- Modifications
- X at position 2 = Aib; Lys20 (Lys26 in GLP-1 numbering) carries a C18 fatty diacid via a gamma-Glu-2xOEG linker; Arg at 28 (Arg34 in GLP-1 numbering).
- PubChem CID
- 56843331
Rybelsus tablets use the sodium salt; the diagram is semaglutide itself.
Identity checked against KEGG DRUG.
Ozempic vs Wegovy and Rybelsus
All three are semaglutide from Novo Nordisk. The differences are the approved use and the dose:
| Brand | Form | Approved for | Top labelled dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic | Weekly injection or daily tablet | Type 2 diabetes (plus cardiovascular and, for the injection, kidney risk) | 2 mg weekly (injection); 9 mg daily (tablet) |
| Wegovy | Weekly injection or daily tablet | Chronic weight management, cardiovascular risk in obesity or overweight, and MASH (injection only) | 2.4 mg weekly as usual maintenance, up to 7.2 mg for weight reduction in adults; 25 mg daily (tablet) |
| Rybelsus | Daily tablet | Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk | 14 mg daily |
The tablets label states Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets are not substitutable milligram for milligram. Rybelsus 7 mg corresponds to Ozempic tablets 4 mg, and Rybelsus 14 mg to Ozempic tablets 9 mg. The Wegovy label says combining it with another semaglutide product or any other GLP-1 receptor agonist is not recommended.
How Ozempic works
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 analogue with 94% sequence homology to the body’s own GLP-1. It stimulates insulin release and lowers glucagon in a glucose-dependent way, with more effect when blood sugar is high. It also slows stomach emptying. Its elimination half-life is about a week, which is why one injection a week is enough. The label says it stays in circulation for about 5 weeks after the last dose. More on the mechanism: how GLP-1 medicines work.
Ozempic dosage
Injection, once weekly on the same day, any time, with or without food, into the abdomen, thigh or upper arm:
| Step | Dose |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1-4 | 0.25 mg once weekly (starting dose, to reduce stomach side effects) |
| From week 5 | 0.5 mg once weekly |
| After at least 4 weeks on 0.5 mg, if needed | 1 mg once weekly |
| After at least 4 weeks on 1 mg, if needed | 2 mg once weekly (maximum) |
For type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease, the label’s maintenance dose is 1 mg once weekly. A missed injection can be taken within 5 days. After that, skip it and carry on with the usual day.
Tablets, one a day on an empty stomach in the morning with up to 4 ounces of water, swallowed whole. Then take nothing by mouth, food or drink, for at least 30 minutes:
| Days | Dose |
|---|---|
| 1-30 | 1.5 mg once daily (to start; not a blood-sugar dose) |
| 31-60 | 4 mg once daily |
| 61 onward | Stay on 4 mg, or 9 mg once daily if more control is needed |
Someone on the 0.5 mg injection can switch to 4 mg or 9 mg tablets one week after the last injection. The dose is the prescriber’s decision. Full schedules, with the Wegovy comparison: semaglutide dosage.
Side effects and who should not take it
The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and constipation. Rates from the injection’s placebo-controlled trials:
| Reaction | Placebo | 0.5 mg | 1 mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 6.1% | 15.8% | 20.3% |
| Vomiting | 2.3% | 5% | 9.2% |
| Diarrhoea | 1.9% | 8.5% | 8.8% |
| Abdominal pain | 4.6% | 7.3% | 5.7% |
| Constipation | 1.5% | 5% | 3.1% |
Most nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea happened while the dose was being raised. For the tablets, the label lists nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, vomiting and constipation as most common.
Who should not take it: anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2. Also anyone with a previous serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or an ingredient in the product. The label also:
- does not recommend it in severe gastroparesis;
- warns of acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, and acute kidney injury, mostly after dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea;
- asks for monitoring in people with diabetic retinopathy: in the cardiovascular trial, retinopathy complications occurred in 3% on semaglutide against 1.8% on placebo;
- warns that low blood sugar is more likely alongside insulin or a sulfonylurea;
- says to stop at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy, and that safety in children is not established.
Ozempic vs compounded semaglutide
A compounded or “research use only” semaglutide is not Ozempic. It has not been through the FDA review behind Ozempic’s label, and FDA has documented dosing errors, counterfeit Ozempic and unapproved salt forms in that supply. What legally differs: compounded vs branded semaglutide.
Is Ozempic the same as semaglutide?
Ozempic contains semaglutide and nothing else as its active ingredient, so the molecule is the same. But “Ozempic” means one approved product, with fixed strengths, a labelled schedule and diabetes-only approvals. Wegovy and Rybelsus use the same molecule under different approvals. A product that is simply labelled “semaglutide” is not Ozempic. Other approved peptide medicines: FDA-approved peptides.
Common questions
How much does Ozempic cost without insurance?
As of 3 October 2026, Novo Nordisk's self-pay price for the Ozempic pen is $349 a month at 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg and $499 at 2 mg. New patients pay $199 a month for their first 2 months of the 0.25 or 0.5 mg pen, an offer that runs to 31 December 2026. The Ozempic pill costs $149 (1.5 mg), $199 (4 mg) or $299 (9 mg) a month. The list price is $1,027.51 a month.
How much is a 3 month supply of Ozempic?
At list price, three pens cost $3,082.53. At Novo Nordisk's self-pay prices on 3 October 2026, three months of the 0.25 to 1 mg pen cost $1,047 and three months of 2 mg cost $1,497. A new patient starting on 0.25 mg pays $199, $199 and then $349, which is $747. With commercial insurance that covers Ozempic, Novo says you may pay as little as $25 for a prescription of up to 3 months. Savings are capped at $100 a month.
How do I get Ozempic for $25 a month?
You need a prescription and commercial insurance that covers Ozempic. Novo Nordisk's savings offer then cuts the cost to as little as $25 a month, for the pen or the pill, for up to 48 months. It takes at most $100 a month off, so a copay above $125 leaves you paying the copay minus $100. Government beneficiaries, including people on Medicare Part D, cannot use it.
What is the cheapest alternative to Ozempic?
Within Novo Nordisk's own prices, the Ozempic pill costs less than the pen, as of 3 October 2026. The pill is $199 a month at 4 mg and $299 at 9 mg, against $349 or $499 for the pen. The 1.5 mg pill costs $149 but is a 30-day starting dose. TrumpRx.gov lists Lilly's Mounjaro, another type 2 diabetes injection, at $499 a month out of pocket, so it is no cheaper than the Ozempic pen. Compounded semaglutide is not an FDA-approved alternative. Whether a different medicine suits you is a prescriber's decision.
What happens if you stop Ozempic?
The label says semaglutide stays in the blood for about 5 weeks after the last dose, so its effects fade over weeks. In the STEP 1 trial extension of Wegovy 2.4 mg, in adults without diabetes, people regained 11.6 percentage points of a 17.3% weight loss in the year after stopping. Stopping or changing a diabetes medicine is a decision to make with the prescriber.
What is the generic name for Ozempic?
Semaglutide. Ozempic is Novo Nordisk's brand name for semaglutide as a once-weekly injection for adults with type 2 diabetes, and also for once-daily Ozempic tablets. Wegovy and Rybelsus are other brands of the same molecule.
What does Ozempic do for a person?
In adults with type 2 diabetes it lowers blood sugar alongside diet and exercise. In its cardiovascular outcomes trial (SUSTAIN 6) it reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death against placebo (hazard ratio 0.74). In the FLOW trial in type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease, it reduced a combined measure of serious kidney decline, kidney failure and cardiovascular death (hazard ratio 0.76). It works by acting on the GLP-1 receptor, which also slows stomach emptying and reduces appetite.
Who should not take Ozempic?
The label lists two contraindications. One is a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2. The other is a previous serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or any ingredient in the product. It is not recommended in severe gastroparesis and has not been established as safe in children. It should be stopped at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy.
Is Ozempic being used for weight loss?
Ozempic is not approved for weight loss. Every indication on its label is for adults with type 2 diabetes. People lost some weight in its diabetes trials: in one 30-week trial, 3.5 kg on 0.5 mg and 6 kg on 1 mg against 1.2 kg on placebo. But the semaglutide brand approved for weight management is Wegovy, at different doses. Prescribing Ozempic for weight loss is off-label use.
What is the downside of taking Ozempic?
Gastrointestinal side effects are the most common. On the 1 mg injection, nausea occurred in 20.3% against 6.1% on placebo. Vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and constipation were also more frequent, mostly while the dose was being raised. Ozempic carries a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumours in rodents. Rarer serious risks include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney injury from dehydration and worsening diabetic retinopathy.
What organ is Ozempic hard on?
The label does not single out one organ. Its serious warnings span the pancreas (acute pancreatitis) and the gallbladder (gallstones and inflammation). They also cover the kidneys (acute kidney injury, mostly after dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea) and the eyes (diabetic retinopathy complications in people who already have retinopathy). There is also the boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumours seen in rodents.
What well-known people have said about Ozempic
Public statements, shown because people search for them. Each is one person's account, in their words or a faithful summary, with where and when they said it. None of it is evidence that Ozempic works or is safe; that is what the rest of this page is for.
Sharon OsbourneTV personalitySaid they use it
Osbourne said on Piers Morgan Uncensored in September 2023 that she had lost 42 pounds on Ozempic, more than she intended, that it made her nauseous at first, and that she was stopping because you cannot stay on it forever.
“You can't stay on it forever. I lost 42 pounds now and it's just enough.”
Piers Morgan Uncensored (TalkTV), 20 September 2023. Source: E! News · TODAY
Photo: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tracy Morgancomedian and actorSaid they use it
Morgan said on TODAY in August 2023 that his weight loss came from an Ozempic prescription. In March 2024 he joked on The Tonight Show that he had learned to "out-eat" it, then told E! News that was a joke and that Ozempic had done well by him.
“That's how this weight got lost. I went and got a prescription, and I got Ozempic.”
TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (NBC); follow-up to E! News, March 2024, August 2023. Source: E! News · TODAY
Photo: PhilipRomano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chelsea Handlercomedian and TV hostSaid they use it
Handler said on the Call Her Daddy podcast in January 2023 that her anti-aging doctor had given her semaglutide without her realising it was Ozempic, and that she had since stopped taking it.
“My anti-aging doctor just hands it out to anybody. I didn't even know I was on it.”
Call Her Daddy podcast, 25 January 2023. Source: NBC Chicago · TODAY
Photo: US Dept. of Education, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Rebel WilsonactorSaid they tried it
Wilson told The Sunday Times in March 2024 that she had briefly used Ozempic and no longer uses it, and said such drugs can help someone with a strong appetite for sweets.
“Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good.”
Interview with The Sunday Times, March 2024. Source: ABC News (Good Morning America) · E! News
Photo: Sarran Hamilton, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Amy Schumercomedian and actorSaid they tried it
Schumer said on Watch What Happens Live in June 2023 that she had tried Ozempic about a year earlier but stopped because it made her too sick to play with her son. She later told The Howard Stern Show it left her bedridden and vomiting.
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo); later The Howard Stern Show, 8 June 2023. Source: TODAY · Fox News
Photo: Mario Santor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kelly Clarksonsinger and talk-show hostSaid they have not used it
Clarkson said on her talk show in May 2024, with guest Whoopi Goldberg, that she takes a prescription medication her doctor had urged on her for about two years, but that it is not Ozempic. She said it helps her body break down sugar and did not name it.
The Kelly Clarkson Show (episode with Whoopi Goldberg), May 2024. Source: ABC News (Good Morning America)
Photo: Stephen Schester/Carlin Leslie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Khloé Kardashianreality TV personality and entrepreneurDiscussed it
Kardashian told Bustle in December 2024 that she does not judge people who use Ozempic and wished it had existed when she began losing weight. She credited her own weight loss to a decade of training and did not say she had used it.
“I'm just mad [Ozempic] wasn't around 10 years ago.”
Interview with Bustle, 3 December 2024. Source: Newsweek · E! News
Photo: Eric Longden, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
References (16 sources)
Bibliographic detail is fetched from PubMed, not written by me - so a citation here cannot drift from the paper it names. Study design comes from PubMed's own tags rather than my judgement.
- 1.Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Davies M et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022;24(8):1553-1564.Randomised trialPMID 35441470full text
- 2.OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection - prescribing information: indications, dose escalation, boxed warning, contraindications and adverse-reaction rates (revised June 2026).- DailyMed, National Library of Medicinelabel
- 3.RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC (semaglutide) tablets - prescribing information: Ozempic tablet doses, switching rules and adverse-reaction rates.- DailyMed, National Library of Medicinelabel
- 4.WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and tablets - prescribing information, used here for the comparison with Wegovy.- DailyMed, National Library of Medicinelabel
- 5.FDA's Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss - dosing errors with compounded semaglutide, counterfeit Ozempic and unapproved semaglutide salt forms in the unapproved supply.- US Food and Drug Administrationregulatory
- 6.NovoCare: Ozempic list price - $1,027.51 for every pen and pill strength, checked 3 October 2026.- Novo Nordiskother
- 7.Novo Nordisk: save on Ozempic - self-pay pen and pill prices by dose, the new-patient offer, the $25 savings offer terms, NovoCare Pharmacy shipping and the Medicare Part D statement, checked 3 October 2026.- Novo Nordiskother
- 8.NovoCare: Ozempic savings offer - self-pay prices, NovoCare Pharmacy, and the note that pricing will be updated after 31 December 2026, checked 3 October 2026.- Novo Nordiskother
- 9.Novo Nordisk news release, 24 February 2026: list price of Ozempic 0.5, 1 and 2 mg injection to fall to $675 from 1 January 2027, with self-pay prices unaffected.- Novo Nordisknews
- 10.TrumpRx: Ozempic pen listing - $199 new-patient offer, then $349 (0.25 to 1 mg) and $499 (2 mg), as a self-pay coupon for retail pharmacies, checked 3 October 2026.- TrumpRx.gov (US government)other
- 11.TrumpRx: Ozempic pill listing - $149, $199 and $299 for the 1.5, 4 and 9 mg tablets, checked 3 October 2026.- TrumpRx.gov (US government)other
- 12.Costco Pharmacy: Ozempic pen member prices - $199 (0.25 or 0.5 mg), $349 (1 mg) and $499 (2 mg), checked 3 October 2026.- Costco Pharmacyother
- 13.Costco Pharmacy: Ozempic tablet member prices - $149 (1.5 mg), $199 (4 mg) and $299 (9 mg) for 30 tablets, checked 3 October 2026.- Costco Pharmacyother
- 14.Medicare.gov: weight-loss drugs - the GLP-1 Bridge drug list (Foundayo, Wegovy, Zepbound KwikPen), $50 monthly copay, and the exclusion of people with type 2 diabetes.- Medicare.gov (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)regulatory
- 15.NovoCare: Rybelsus - Rybelsus is being replaced by Ozempic pill, with the same coverage; a new prescription is needed to switch. Checked 3 October 2026.- Novo Nordiskother
- 16.TrumpRx: Mounjaro listing - $499 out-of-pocket price for every strength, checked 3 October 2026, used for the cheapest-alternative answer.- TrumpRx.gov (US government)other