Ozempic vs Wegovy: what’s actually different?

Your friend is on Wegovy. You've been prescribed Ozempic. You compare pens at dinner and notice they're both semaglutide, both Novo Nordisk, both once a week — so why do they have different names, and why does hers go higher?

Are they the same drug?

Same molecule, different products. The difference is in what each label covers and how far the dose goes.

Ozempic is approved to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, alongside diet and exercise. Its label also covers reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and established heart disease.

Wegovy is approved for chronic weight management in people with obesity, or overweight with at least one weight-related condition, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and physical activity. Its label also covers reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established heart disease and obesity or overweight.

So why does Wegovy go higher?

Both injections start at 0.25 mg once weekly and step up roughly every four weeks. They just stop in different places:

• Ozempic: 0.25 → 0.5 mg, then 1 mg and 2 mg if more glucose control is needed.
• Wegovy: 0.25 → 0.5 → 1 → 1.7 mg, up to a 2.4 mg weekly maintenance dose. A 2026 label update also added a higher 7.2 mg weekly dose for some people — whether that applies to you is your prescriber's call.

Because the pens and steps differ, switching between the two is a plan your prescriber makes — not a pharmacy swap.

Where does the Wegovy pill fit?

In December 2025 the FDA approved a once-daily 25 mg Wegovy pill — the first oral GLP-1 approved for weight management. It's the same molecule taken a different way, which changes the rhythm of your week: a daily dose to log instead of a weekly one.

Do they have the same side effects?

Broadly, yes — they're the same medication. Both labels list mostly gastrointestinal side effects (nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain) that tend to appear when starting or stepping up a dose, and both carry a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors.

What we'd track

Whichever one you take:

1. The brand, strength and date of every dose — especially around a step.
2. Side effects with timing — "day two after going up" is the useful bit.
3. Weight or glucose, whichever your plan is about — as a trend.
4. Questions for your next appointment — written down when they occur to you.

Holt handles weekly shots and daily pills alike, so the log stays the same shape if your plan changes.

Track semaglutide — shot or pill — with Holt