Read the medicine name
What is semaglutide?
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) copies the action of a gut hormone, a body signal involved in fullness and blood sugar, according to the Wegovy label.
The brand changes the approved use
Ozempic injection has approval for blood-sugar control in adults who have type 2 diabetes, as of September 2026. It also has approval to lower heart attack and stroke risk in those who have heart disease, and to slow kidney disease in those who have it.
Weight loss is not an approved use of that product.
Wegovy includes adult weight treatment, with both injections and tablets in U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) records as of September 2026.
- Get the complete medicine name and find out if the product is a pill or an injection.
- Ask what condition the prescription would address.
- Ask the plan to check that use, rather than just the ingredient.
A result from a named trial
In STEP 1, adults without diabetes lost an average 14.9% of body weight on semaglutide versus 2.4% on a dummy treatment over 68 weeks.
People in the trial also had regular visits and advice about eating and physical activity. Novo Nordisk paid for the trial. Your own result may differ from the trial average.
A problem to discuss before starting
In the weight trials reported in the September 2026 Wegovy label, nausea affected 44% on the injection versus 16% on a dummy treatment.
Nausea means feeling sick to your stomach.
- Who answers if I feel unwell?
- How will progress be reviewed?
- What is the plan if the medicine is not a good fit?