Treatment library
Loading treatment roster
Preparing current medications, procedures, devices, and historical context.
Treatment library
Preparing current medications, procedures, devices, and historical context.
Novo Nordisk’s branded semaglutide product for chronic weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction in select adults. It is one of the best-known obesity medications in the U.S. and the benchmark many newer comparisons still reference.
FDA-approved for chronic weight management in eligible adults and adolescents 12 and older, with an added cardiovascular risk-reduction indication for select adults.
GLP-1 receptor agonist
Coverage is highly variable. Some employer and commercial plans cover it for obesity, many do not, and prior authorization is common.
GLP-1 receptor agonist
Novo Nordisk’s branded semaglutide product for chronic weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction in select adults. It is one of the best-known obesity medications in the U.S. and the benchmark many newer comparisons still reference.
medication
current
2021
Wegovy
semaglutide
Novo Nordisk
No U.S. generic equivalent for Wegovy.
semaglutide
High branded list-price medication. Cash-pay cost remains substantial without insurance or manufacturer savings support.
Coverage is highly variable. Some employer and commercial plans cover it for obesity, many do not, and prior authorization is common.
FDA-approved for adults with BMI of 30 or higher (obesity), or BMI of 27 or higher (overweight) with at least one weight-related comorbidity such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, or obstructive sleep apnea, when diet and exercise alone have not been enough. Also approved for adolescents 12 and older with obesity.
Adults with BMI of 30 or higher (obesity), or BMI of 27 or higher (overweight) with at least one weight-related comorbidity. Also approved for adolescents 12 and older with obesity.
The list price runs roughly $1,350 per month. Novo Nordisk offers a manufacturer savings card that can reduce the cost to as low as $0 for eligible patients with commercial insurance. Cash-pay patients without insurance or savings support often face costs above $1,000 per month. Compounded semaglutide was a cheaper alternative for many patients but has faced regulatory restrictions since late 2024.
The titration schedule spans 16 weeks, starting at 0.25 mg and stepping through 0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 1.7 mg before reaching the 2.4 mg maintenance dose. Most patients report that nausea is worst in the first four to eight weeks and eases as the body adjusts. The injection is once weekly using a prefilled pen, administered subcutaneously in the thigh, abdomen, or upper arm. Patients can choose their injection day and change it if needed.
STEP program data and later cardiovascular outcomes data made Wegovy the reference-point obesity medicine that newer dual-agonist drugs are still measured against.
STEP 1 (68 weeks, 2.4 mg): participants lost an average of 14.9% of body weight compared with 2.4% for placebo. Roughly one-third of participants achieved 20% or more weight loss. STEP 2 (participants with type 2 diabetes): average loss of 9.6%. The SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial showed a 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in adults with obesity and established cardiovascular disease but without diabetes, which led to the added cardiovascular risk-reduction indication.
Carries boxed warning language around thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents and warnings covering pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney injury, and severe GI intolerance.
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain
In STEP 1, the most common side effects were nausea (about 44%), diarrhea (about 30%), vomiting (about 24%), and constipation (about 24%). Most gastrointestinal events were mild to moderate in severity and peaked during the dose-escalation phase. About 7% of participants in the semaglutide group discontinued treatment because of gastrointestinal side effects.
GLP-1 receptor agonist
Once-weekly subcutaneous injection with step-up dosing from 0.25 mg to a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg.
Single-use prefilled injection pen.
These are the official or reference sources used to anchor this treatment profile.
Treatment availability, dosing, cash pricing, and insurance coverage change often. Verify current details with your clinician, pharmacist, surgeon, device program, and insurer before starting, switching, or paying for treatment.