FDA-Approved MedicationUpdated August 2026

Wegovy Guide

Wegovy is the brand-name formulation of semaglutide, FDA-approved for chronic weight management, cardiovascular risk reduction, and (new in 2026) noncirrhotic MASH with liver fibrosis. Developed by Novo Nordisk, it is available as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection (0.25–2.4 mg, or up to 7.2 mg Wegovy HD for weight reduction) and — new to the 2026 FDA label — a once-daily oral tablet (1.5–25 mg) for cardiovascular risk reduction or weight reduction in adults.

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By Eli Marsden · Founding Editor
Editorially reviewed & fact-checked against primary sources · How we verify contentLast reviewed

At a Glance

Generic NameSemaglutide
Brand NamesWegovy
FDA StatusFDA-approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with comorbidity (June 2021); cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with established CVD (March 2024); weight reduction in pediatric patients aged 12+ (Dec 2024); noncirrhotic MASH with moderate-to-advanced liver fibrosis in adults (2026); and — new in 2026 — an oral tablet form for cardiovascular risk reduction or weight reduction in adults, alongside the original injection[1]
Approval DateJune 4, 2021[1]

How Wegovy Works

Wegovy mimics the GLP-1 hormone to signal fullness to the brain, slow stomach emptying, and reduce overall caloric intake. The injection reaches a maintenance dose of 1.7–2.4 mg weekly (up to 7.2 mg for weight reduction if more loss is needed); the 2026-added oral tablet reaches a 25 mg once-daily maintenance dose through its own 90-day titration — both deliver the same active ingredient, semaglutide, just via a different route and schedule.[2]

Dosing Schedule — Injection

Wegovy uses a gradual dose escalation to minimize side effects. Always follow your prescriber's guidance and the current FDA label[1].

Weeks 1–40.25mg/week
Weeks 5–80.5mg/week
Weeks 9–121.0mg/week
Weeks 13–161.7mg/week
Week 17+1.7–2.4mg/week (maintenance; varies by indication, up to 7.2mg for weight reduction)

Dosing Schedule — Tablet (new 2026)

Days 1–301.5mg/day
Days 31–604mg/day
Days 61–909mg/day
Day 91+25mg/day (maintenance)

Side Effects

Common: nausea (44%), diarrhea (30%), vomiting (24%), constipation (24%), abdominal pain (20%), headache, fatigue. Side effects typically peak during dose escalation and diminish within 4–8 weeks. Serious (rare): pancreatitis, gallstones, kidney injury, heart rate increase, suicidal ideation (under review by FDA).[1][2]

This is not a complete list. Consult your healthcare provider or prescriber for full safety information. The complete adverse reaction profile is published in the current FDA prescribing information[1].

Clinical Trial Results

The STEP-1 trial showed Wegovy users lost an average of 14.9% of body weight (about 34 lbs) over 68 weeks compared to 2.4% in placebo. The SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial (N=17,604) demonstrated a 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events in obese patients with established CVD.[2][3][4]

Source: Published clinical trial data (STEP / SURMOUNT trial series) — see the Sources panel below for full citations.

Where to Get Wegovy

These telehealth providers offer access to semaglutide or compounded equivalents with online consultations and home delivery.

8.1/ 10
Verified partner

RxSpan MD

Best for: physician-led, pharmacy-transparent compounded GLP-1 with brand-name options

★★★★☆4.1/5

Editorial score · methodology

$194/mosemaglutide
$269/motirzepatide
CompoundedSemaglutideTirzepatideGlutathioneNAD+LegitScript Verified
Get StartedRead full RxSpan MD review →
7.1/ 10
Verified partner

MEDVi

Best for: switching between compounded and brand-name GLP-1 through one provider

★★★★☆3.6/5

Editorial score · methodology

$249/mosemaglutide
CompoundedSemaglutideTirzepatideFDA Warning
Get StartedRead full MEDVi review →
7.9/ 10

Calibrate Health

Best for: year-long coaching wrap around insured branded GLP-1s

★★★★☆4/5

Editorial score · methodology

BrandSemaglutide
Get StartedRead full Calibrate Health review →
7.8/ 10

FitRx

Best for: insured patients seeking brand-name GLP-1 access with compounded fallback

★★★★☆3.9/5

Editorial score · methodology

$151/mosemaglutide
CompoundedSemaglutideLegitScript VerifiedFDA Warning
Get StartedRead full FitRx review →
7.8/ 10

PreventiveMD

Best for: compounded GLP-1s from $83/mo all-in, with brand upgrade paths

★★★★☆3.9/5

Editorial score · methodology

$83/mosemaglutide
$97/motirzepatide
CompoundedSemaglutideTirzepatideOrforglipronGHK-CuLegitScript Verified
Get StartedRead full PreventiveMD review →
7.6/ 10

NovoCare Pharmacy

Best for: branded Wegovy at the lowest manufacturer-direct self-pay price

★★★★☆3.8/5

Editorial score · methodology

$149/mosemaglutide
BrandSemaglutide
Get StartedRead full NovoCare Pharmacy review →

Cost Comparison

Wegovy cost & pricing →Savings & coupons →Side effects →Dosing & titration →How to get it →Storage & handling →Alternatives →Manufacturer coupon →

Starting prices for compounded GLP-1 medications from top providers, sorted cheapest first. Compounded semaglutide from licensed 503A and 503B pharmacies is legal under federal compounding law[5], with additional tolerances historically allowed while the molecule has appeared on the FDA Drug Shortage List[6]. Both compounded and brand-name prescriptions are generally FSA/HSA eligible under IRS Publication 502[7]. Prices may vary based on dose and promo availability.

ProviderStarting Price
AM Rx$25/moVisit
Calibrate Health$25/moVisit
FitRx$25/moVisit
NovoCare Pharmacy$25/moVisit
Roen Rx$25/moVisit
Evernow$49/moVisit
The Virtual NP$75/moVisit
Hello Alpha$79/moVisit
FORM$95/moVisit
MEDVi$99/moVisit
NowPatient$99/moVisit
MultiMedRx$100/moVisit
9amHealth$149/moVisit
Allara Health$149/moVisit
Hers$149/moVisit
Kin Meds$149/moVisit
Noom$149/moVisit
PreventiveMD$149/moVisit
Eclipse Medical Wellness$166.67/moVisit
AskRx$199/moVisit
Medi-Weightloss$199/moVisit
GOAL.MD$244/moVisit
Aspire Health$274/moVisit
Rex MD$349/moVisit
Vital Edge$990/moVisit
Vaylen$997/moVisit
altRX$1149/moVisit
Levity$1199/moVisit
Healthicare$1200/moVisit
Effecty$1300/moVisit
RxSpan MD$1349/moVisit
Eve$1399/moVisit
HeliMeds$1599/moVisit
Better U Care$1695/moVisit
BiltRx$1849/moVisit
Concierge MD LA$1999/moVisit

Wegovy Head-to-Head Comparisons

Short-form verdict pages comparing Wegovy to other GLP-1 options with trial-anchored data, FDA-label dosing, and current manufacturer pricing.

Wegovy vs Zepbound
Zepbound delivered 20.9% TBWL in SURMOUNT-1 vs Wegovy's 14.9% in STEP-1 — and SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head confirmed Zepbound −20.2% vs Wegovy −13.7% over 72 weeks.
Last verified 2026-08-15
Wegovy vs Mounjaro
Mounjaro is FDA-labeled for type 2 diabetes only; Wegovy is FDA-labeled for obesity + CV risk reduction. SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head: tirzepatide -20.2% vs semaglutide -13.7%.
Last verified 2026-08-15
Wegovy vs Ozempic
Wegovy and Ozempic are the same molecule (semaglutide) from Novo Nordisk — Wegovy is FDA-labeled for obesity (max 2.4 mg); Ozempic for type 2 diabetes (max 2 mg).
Last verified 2026-08-15
Wegovy vs Foundayo
Wegovy delivered −14.9% TBWL in STEP-1 (68 wk weekly injection); Foundayo delivered −11.1% in ATTAIN-1 (72 wk, 17.2 mg oral). Wegovy adds SELECT CV benefit; Foundayo skips needles.
Last verified 2026-08-15
Wegovy vs Saxenda
STEP-8 head-to-head: Wegovy 2.4 mg weekly produced -15.8% body weight vs Saxenda 3.0 mg daily -6.4% at 68 weeks. Same manufacturer, weekly beats daily.
Last verified 2026-08-15
Wegovy vs Trulicity
Wegovy delivered -14.9% body weight in STEP-1 vs Trulicity's ~3 kg in T2D trials. Trulicity wins on T2D CV outcomes (REWIND, MACE -12%) and pediatric coverage from age 10.
Last verified 2026-08-15

See all drug-vs-drug verdicts.

Pivotal Wegovy Trial Walkthroughs

Endpoint-by-endpoint breakdowns of the trials that shaped the Wegovy label, with primary-source numbers and FAQs.

STEP-1
STEP-1 is the pivotal NEJM trial that established once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg as a category-defining obesity drug. This deep-dive walks through every reported endpoint — body weight, waist, blood pressure, hs-CRP, HbA1c, IWQOL-Lite-CT, SF-36 — with the actual numbers from the Wilding 2021 publication and the ClinicalTrials.gov results posting, plus adverse-event incidence and FAQs about run-in, dose tolerance, and durability after treatment ends.
Phase 3 · N=1,961 · Last verified 2026-08-15
SELECT
SELECT (Lincoff 2023, NEJM, PMID 37952131) was the first cardiovascular-outcomes trial of a GLP-1 receptor agonist run in adults with obesity but no diabetes. Across 17,604 participants followed a mean 39.8 months, weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg reduced the primary three-point MACE composite by 20% versus placebo. The result moved semaglutide from a weight-loss drug into the cardioprotection conversation and underpinned Wegovy's March 2024 FDA label expansion to reduce MACE risk in adults with obesity and established cardiovascular disease.
3 · N=17,604 · Last verified 2026-08-15
STEP-4
STEP-4 is the canonical "if I stop, will the weight come back" trial. After a 20-week open-label run-in on semaglutide 2.4 mg during which participants lost a mean 10.6% of body weight, 803 responders were randomized 2:1 to either continue weekly semaglutide for 48 more weeks or switch to placebo. Those who continued lost another 7.9% on top of run-in losses. Those switched to placebo regained 6.9% over the same 48 weeks — a 14.8 percentage-point swing. Waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and SF-36 physical-functioning scores all moved in the same direction: maintained on drug, partially reversed off it. STEP-4 is the trial that turned obesity drugs into chronic-disease therapy in the regulatory and clinical conversation.
Phase 3a · N=803 · Last verified 2026-08-15
STEP-2
STEP-2 is the companion to STEP-1 — the pivotal trial that established once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg for adults with overweight or obesity who also have type 2 diabetes. Novo Nordisk randomized 1,210 adults with BMI ≥27 and HbA1c 7-10% to semaglutide 2.4 mg, semaglutide 1.0 mg (the Ozempic dose), or matching placebo for 68 weeks, with monthly lifestyle counseling in every arm. Mean weight loss at week 68 was −9.6% on the 2.4 mg dose versus −7.0% on 1.0 mg and −3.4% on placebo, with HbA1c falling by 1.6 percentage points on both active doses. The trial provided the regulatory case that Wegovy works in patients with T2D and informed why the obesity-dose effect on weight is blunted, but not erased, by diabetes.
Phase 3 · N=1,210 · Last verified 2026-08-15

Wegovy Patient Questions, Answered

Real patient questions about Wegovy pulled from named subreddits and answered with peer-reviewed trial data.

Top 10 Semaglutide Side-Effect Questions from Reddit, Answered
10 questions · 15 PubMed citations
Last verified 2026-08-15
Top 10 GLP-1 Insurance Coverage Questions from Reddit, Answered
10 questions · 12 PubMed citations
Last verified 2026-08-15
Top 10 GLP-1 Injection Technique Questions from Reddit, Answered with FDA Labels
10 questions · 11 PubMed citations
Last verified 2026-08-15
Top 10 GLP-1 Plateau Questions from Reddit, Answered
10 questions · 10 PubMed citations
Last verified 2026-08-15

Wegovy Reference Cards

Scannable cheat sheets for dose schedules, missed-dose rules, and red-flag side effects — every number verified against the DailyMed FDA label.

Wegovy Dose Ladder: Injection & New Oral Tablet (2026 Cheat Sheet)
FDA-label Wegovy titration on one page — the injection ladder, the new once-daily oral tablet added to the label in 2026, indication-specific maintenance doses, missed-dose rules for both forms, and the side-effect red flags that mean call your doctor. DailyMed-sourced, current August 2026.
6 min read · Last verified 2026-08-15
GLP-1 Injection Site Rotation: 8-Week Cheat Sheet (2026)
Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, and Mounjaro all share the same three FDA-approved injection sites: abdomen, front of thigh, and back of upper arm. Reusing the same spot week after week causes lipohypertrophy — thickened fatty tissue that absorbs the drug erratically, leaving appetite suppression and weight-loss results inconsistent. This cheat sheet maps the approved sites, gives an 8-week rotation example, and lists the technique mistakes that send users back to the prescriber.
4 min read · Last verified 2026-08-15
Saxenda Dose Ladder (2026 Cheat Sheet)
FDA-label Saxenda titration on one page — the 5-step daily ladder, the 3-day re-titration rule, the red-flag side effects that mean call the prescriber, and the practical case for moving to a weekly GLP-1. DailyMed-sourced, current 2026.
5 min read · Last verified 2026-08-15
GLP-1 to GLP-1 Switching (2026 Cheat Sheet)
Wegovy → Zepbound, Ozempic → Mounjaro, Saxenda → Wegovy — FDA labels do not address head-to-head switching directly. Starting-dose matrix, wait times between drugs, and red flags during the transition on one scannable page.
5 min read · Last verified 2026-08-15

Ranked PubMed Studies on Wegovy

Curated lists of the highest-impact peer-reviewed studies on Wegovy and related GLP-1 drugs. Every PMID live-verified via PubMed esummary.

Top 10 PubMed Studies on Semaglutide for Weight Loss (2026)
Ten peer-reviewed semaglutide weight-loss studies anchored to the STEP program (STEP-1 to STEP-8, STEP-TEENS, STEP-HFpEF), the SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial, and OASIS-1 high-dose oral. Each entry includes the PMID, trial design, primary endpoint, and editorial summary.
10 ranked papers · Last verified 2026-08-15
Top 10 PubMed Studies on GLP-1 Cardiovascular Outcomes (2026)
Ten landmark cardiovascular outcomes trials that established GLP-1 receptor agonists as cardioprotective drugs beyond glycemic control. Covers MACE reduction in type 2 diabetes (LEADER, SUSTAIN-6, REWIND, HARMONY OUTCOMES, AMPLITUDE-O, PIONEER 6), the SELECT paradigm-shift in obesity without diabetes, kidney outcomes in FLOW, heart failure in STEP-HFpEF, and the foundational neutral ELIXA post-ACS trial. Each entry includes the PMID, NCT, primary endpoint, and editorial summary.
10 ranked papers · Last verified 2026-08-15
Top 10 PubMed Studies on Compounded GLP-1 Safety and Quality (2026)
Ten peer-reviewed papers that document the safety, quality, and regulatory landscape of compounded GLP-1 receptor agonists. No published head-to-head bioequivalence randomized trial has compared compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide against brand-name Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, or Zepbound. The literature instead consists of FAERS and EudraVigilance pharmacovigilance studies, poison-control case series, mass-spectrometry impurity analyses, an FDA-shortage 503A-vs-503B regulatory review, the 2025 American Diabetes Association statement, the 2024 Obesity Medicine Association position, a direct-to-consumer market analysis, and clinical-guidance reviews. Each entry includes PMID, source journal, study design, and editorial summary explaining what the paper documents and what it does not establish.
10 ranked papers · Last verified 2026-08-15
Top PubMed Studies on GLP-1 Drugs and Bone Health / Fracture Risk (2026)
Ten peer-reviewed studies that frame the emerging GLP-1 bone-health question. The evidence base is younger and thinner than for cardiovascular or kidney outcomes — most randomized data is from DEXA substudies of obesity weight-loss trials, not dedicated fracture endpoints. Rapid weight loss is known to reduce bone mineral density by roughly 1-3% at the hip and lumbar spine over 12-18 months regardless of how it is achieved, and DEXA substudies of liraglutide and semaglutide have generally found GLP-1-mediated weight loss produces comparable BMD reductions to diet-induced loss. Whether the GLP-1 receptor itself confers an independent bone-protective effect — as proposed by Iepsen's foundational 2015 JCEM trial — remains contested. RCT-level meta-analyses (Mabilleau 2014, Cheng 2019, Zhang 2025) have shown no overall fracture-risk signal in type 2 diabetes populations. Observational and pharmacovigilance work (Ko 2023 JAMA Netw Open, Xiao 2025 FAERS) point toward neutral or favorable fracture profiles versus comparators. Each entry includes PMID, journal, study type, and editorial summary.
10 ranked papers · Last verified 2026-08-15

Related Research on Wegovy

Deep-dive articles from our research desk with primary-source trial data, FDA label verification, and editorial analysis.

Compounded Semaglutide Dosage in Units: The Conversion, and Why It Goes Wrong
Compounded semaglutide is prescribed in milligrams and drawn with a syringe marked in units — two scales that are not interchangeable. Here is the arithmetic in both directions, the documented harm when it is done wrong, and the small errors that hide inside a correct calculation.
7 min read4 citations
Oral Tirzepatide: Does a Pill Version Exist, and Does It Work?
“Oral tirzepatide” is heavily advertised in the compounded market. No oral tirzepatide product is approved, and we could not identify published human trials showing any oral formulation delivers meaningful exposure — while the oral GLP-1 drugs that do work solved the problem in ways that do not transfer.
8 min read5 citations
What Is the Starting Dose of Compounded Semaglutide?
Semaglutide is started well below the dose that produces the published results and stepped up over months. Here is why the schedule is shaped that way, and what a compounded vial changes about following it.
7 min read4 citations
Can You Stay on a Low Dose of Wegovy? What the FDA Label Allows
The Wegovy label names 1.7 mg as a maintenance dosage for weight reduction in adults, not just a titration step — 2.4 mg is recommended but not mandatory. Here is the verbatim dosing language, why sub-1.7 mg doses are different, and what STEP 4 showed about reducing exposure.
8 min read3 citations
Does Blurred Vision From Ozempic Go Away? The Refractive-Shift Evidence
Blurry vision on semaglutide or tirzepatide is usually a temporary refractive shift as blood sugar falls — the lens changes water content and your prescription drifts. It typically settles. Here is the mechanism, why not to buy glasses yet, and the one pattern that is an emergency.
9 min read9 citations
Zepbound and Birth Control: Does Tirzepatide Make the Pill Less Effective?
Zepbound's FDA label warns that the pill may be less effective on tirzepatide — the exact §7.2/§8.3 language, why Wegovy carries no equivalent warning, and the 4-week backup-contraception window.
9 min read4 citations

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & methodology — as of August 2026
  1. 1.FDA — Wegovy (semaglutide) Approval History via Drugs@FDA— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
  2. 2.STEP 1 Trial — Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (Wilding JPH et al.)— New England Journal of Medicine.PMID: 33567185.
  3. 3.SURMOUNT-5 Trial — Tirzepatide vs. Semaglutide Head-to-Head in Obesity (Garvey WT et al.)— New England Journal of Medicine.PMID: 40334173.
  4. 4.SELECT Trial — Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes (Lincoff AM et al.)— New England Journal of Medicine.PMID: 37952131.
  5. 5.FDA — Compounding and the 503A Pharmacy Framework— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
  6. 6.FDA — Drug Shortages Database (current shortage listings)— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
  7. 7.IRS Publication 502 — Medical and Dental Expenses (HSA/FSA eligibility)— Internal Revenue Service.

Key terms, explained

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