Wegovy

Wegovy is Novo Nordisk’s brand of semaglutide sold specifically for weight management. As of the September 2026 label it exists in two forms: the familiar once-weekly injection pen and a newer once-daily tablet. The injection is approved to reduce excess body weight and keep it off in adults with obesity, in adults who carry extra weight plus at least one weight-related condition, and in children aged 12 and older with obesity. The same label also covers cutting the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death in adults with established heart disease, and treating a form of fatty liver disease called noncirrhotic steatohepatitis with moderate to advanced fibrosis.

The number most people have heard comes from STEP 1, which enrolled 1,961 adults without diabetes. After 68 weeks, average body weight fell 14.9% on semaglutide 2.4 mg versus 2.4% on placebo, and about half the treated group (50.5%) lost at least 15% of their starting weight. For someone starting at 230 pounds, a 14.9% average works out to roughly 34 pounds. Averages hide a wide spread, though — some people lose far more, and some lose very little.

Nobody starts at the full dose. The injection begins at 0.25 mg once weekly for four weeks, then steps up roughly every four weeks until it reaches the usual maintenance dose of 2.4 mg weekly. The tablet starts at 1.5 mg once daily, taken on an empty stomach with no more than four ounces of water and at least 30 minutes before food, drink or other pills, and escalates every 30 days. Our titration planner maps the injection schedule week by week.

The most common mix-up is Wegovy versus Ozempic. Same molecule, different products: Ozempic tops out at 2 mg weekly and is labeled for type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy goes to 2.4 mg and is labeled for weight. They are not interchangeable at the pharmacy counter, and insurance treats them as different drugs.

Worth asking your clinician: which indication your prescription is actually written under, since that determines how your plan reviews it; how long you are expected to stay on it, because the trial data on stopping is not reassuring; and whether the pen or the tablet fits your routine better. The Wegovy drug page tracks doses and pricing, and our three-way brand comparison sets it against the alternatives.