Wegovy (semaglutide)
Wegovy is a weekly injection product containing semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk. Its approved use in the U.S. is weight management.
Educational information. This page does not give dosing instructions or tell you what to take. The current label and a prescriber decide that.
What Wegovy is
- Generic name
- Semaglutide
- Maker
- Novo Nordisk
- Form
- Weekly injection
- U.S. approved use
- Weight management
- First U.S. approval
- 2021
How it differs from related products
Wegovy and Ozempic both contain semaglutide as a weekly injection, but they are separate products with different approved uses. Wegovy is approved for weight management. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes. The Wegovy pill is a different product again: a daily tablet.
| Product | Form | U.S. approved use | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy (this page) | Weekly injection | Weight management | FDA-approved for weight management |
| Wegovy HD | Weekly injection (higher strength) | Weight management | FDA-approved for weight management |
| Wegovy pill | Daily tablet | Weight management | FDA-approved for weight management |
| Ozempic | Weekly injection | Type 2 diabetes | FDA-approved, but not for obesity |
| Rybelsus | Daily tablet | Type 2 diabetes | FDA-approved, but not for obesity |
What it is approved for
- Reducing excess body weight and keeping it off, in adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related condition, and in children 12 and older with obesity
- Reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established heart disease and obesity or overweight
- Noncirrhotic MASH with moderate to advanced liver scarring in adults (accelerated approval)
How it is taken
Weekly injection. Follow the label and your prescriber for how to use it.
What the trials found
These are group averages from published trials of this product's weight-management use, in adults without diabetes.
STEP 1
Average change in body weight. Every bar uses one scale, 0 to 25 percent.
- People studied
- 1,961 adults with obesity, or overweight plus at least one weight-related condition, without diabetes
- Length
- 68 weeks
- Compared with
- Placebo, with lifestyle support in both groups
- What was measured
- Average change in body weight at week 68
- Analysis approach
- Regardless of treatment discontinuation or rescue treatment
- Other results
- Weight loss of at least 5%: 86.4% with semaglutide vs 31.5% with placebo. At least 10%: 69.1% vs 12.0%. At least 15%: 50.5% vs 4.9%.
- Safety
- Nausea and diarrhea were the most common side effects. Stopping treatment because of gastrointestinal events: 4.5% vs 0.8%.
- Limits
- Funded by the manufacturer. Participants did not have diabetes. Group averages do not predict one person's result.
Sources: Wilding JPH 2021
STEP 5
Average change in body weight. Every bar uses one scale, 0 to 25 percent.
- People studied
- 304 adults with obesity, or overweight plus at least one weight-related condition, without diabetes
- Length
- 104 weeks
- Compared with
- Placebo, with a behavioral program in both groups
- What was measured
- Average change in body weight at week 104
- Analysis approach
- Regardless of treatment discontinuation or rescue treatment
- Other results
- Weight loss of at least 5%: 77.1% vs 34.4%.
- Safety
- Gastrointestinal events, mostly mild to moderate, were reported by 82.2% with semaglutide and 53.9% with placebo.
- Limits
- A smaller trial than STEP 1. Funded by the manufacturer, and some authors work for the company.
Sources: Garvey WT 2022
STEP 8
Average change in body weight. Every bar uses one scale, 0 to 25 percent.
- People studied
- 338 adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, without diabetes, at 19 U.S. sites
- Length
- 68 weeks
- Compared with
- Daily liraglutide 3.0 mg and a pooled placebo group. Semaglutide and liraglutide were compared open label.
- What was measured
- Average percent change in body weight at week 68
- Analysis approach
- Mean change from baseline. The placebo comparison was a supportive secondary result.
- Other results
- Weight loss of at least 10%: 70.9% with semaglutide vs 25.6% with liraglutide. At least 15%: 55.6% vs 12.0%. At least 20%: 38.5% vs 6.0%.
- Safety
- Gastrointestinal events: 84.1% with semaglutide vs 82.7% with liraglutide. Stopping treatment for any reason: 13.5% vs 27.6%.
- Limits
- The two active drugs were compared open label. Several authors work for Novo Nordisk, which makes semaglutide. Group averages do not predict one person's result.
Sources: Rubino DM 2022
STEP UP
Average change in body weight. Every bar uses one scale, 0 to 25 percent.
- People studied
- 1,407 adults with a body mass index of 30 or higher, without diabetes; average weight 113 kg and 73.7% were women
- Length
- 72 weeks
- Compared with
- Semaglutide 2.4 mg and placebo, with a lifestyle program in all groups
- What was measured
- Average percent change in body weight at week 72
- Analysis approach
- Treatment-policy estimand: effects regardless of whether people stayed on treatment.
- Other results
- On average the 7.2 mg group lost 3.1 percentage points more than the 2.4 mg group (95% confidence interval for the difference: 1.6 to 4.7 points).
- Safety
- Gastrointestinal events: 70.8% with 7.2 mg, 61.2% with 2.4 mg and 42.8% with placebo. Altered skin sensation (dysaesthesia): 22.9%, 6.0% and 0.5%. Serious adverse events: 6.8%, 10.9% and 5.5%.
- Limits
- Funded by Novo Nordisk. Participants did not have diabetes. Group averages do not predict one person's result.
Sources: Wharton S 2025, Wegovy HD (semaglutide 7.2 mg) approved in the US, providing 20.7% mean weight loss
Safety
Warnings, side effects and open questions for semaglutide are on the semaglutide page. The official label is the controlling source.
Compiled from public information: FDA-approved labels, manufacturer websites, ClinicalTrials.gov and published journal articles. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
Related
Semaglutide
The generic page: how it works, safety, and what is still unknown.
Wegovy HD
Wegovy HD is a higher-strength version of the Wegovy weekly injection.
Wegovy pill
The Wegovy pill contains the same drug as the Wegovy injection, but as a daily tablet instead of a weekly injection.
Ozempic
Ozempic contains semaglutide, the same drug as Wegovy, and is also a weekly injection.
Rybelsus
Rybelsus is oral semaglutide approved for type 2 diabetes.
Sources
- Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets: prescribing information Novo Nordisk, on DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Label version 6/2026. One label covers both the injection and the tablets. Official FDA label on DailyMed
- DailyMed: current FDA drug labels U.S. National Library of Medicine. Regulator
- Drugs@FDA: approved drug products U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Regulator
- Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1) Wilding JPH, et al. N Engl J Med. 2021;384(11):989-1002. PMID 33567185. Funding: Novo Nordisk. Journal article
- Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 5) Garvey WT, et al. Nat Med. 2022;28(10):2083-2091. PMID 36216945. Funding: Novo Nordisk (authors include company employees). Journal article
- Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes (STEP 8) Rubino DM, et al. JAMA. 2022;327(2):138-150. PMID 35015037. Funding: Novo Nordisk. Journal article
- Once-weekly semaglutide 7.2 mg in adults with obesity (STEP UP) Wharton S, et al. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025;13(11):949-963. PMID 40961952. Funding: Novo Nordisk. Journal article
- Wegovy HD (semaglutide 7.2 mg) approved in the US, providing 20.7% mean weight loss Novo Nordisk company announcement, March 19, 2026. Company announcement; not peer reviewed. Company announcement, not peer reviewed