Guide
An earlier version of this page compared the cheapest compounded semaglutide with an approved oral tablet at a flat $149. That is the price at 1.5 and 4 mg only. The 9 and 25 mg maintenance doses are $299, and the $149 rate on 4 mg ends on 31 August 2026.
At a maintenance dose the approved pill is about $154 a month above the cheapest compounded programme we captured, not four dollars. We publish this as COR-013 because it is the starter-price error this site documents in others.
The $149 rate on this page is not open-ended. The $149 rate covers 1.5 mg and 4 mg. The 4 mg price rises to $199 after this date. It stops applying on 2026-08-31, in 28 days.
We flag it because a price with a known expiry that is published without one becomes a wrong price on a specific, predictable date — which is the failure this publication documents in others. Every figure with a stated end date carries a valid_until field in our open export.
Ozempic vs Wegovy: Same Molecule, Different Label, Different Price
Identical active molecule from the same manufacturer. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes and tops out at 2.0 mg; Wegovy is approved for chronic weight management and
Identical active molecule from the same manufacturer. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes and tops out at 2.0 mg; Wegovy is approved for chronic weight management and goes to 2.4 mg. The difference decides which savings card you can use — and diabetes coverage is far more common than obesity coverage.
What is actually different?
| Field | Ozempic | Wegovy |
|---|---|---|
| Active molecule | Semaglutide | Semaglutide — identical |
| Manufacturer | Novo Nordisk | Novo Nordisk |
| Approved for | Type 2 diabetes | Chronic weight management; cardiovascular risk reduction |
| Maximum dose | 2.0 mg weekly | 2.4 mg weekly |
| Trial behind it | SUSTAIN programme | STEP-1: 14.9%; SELECT: ~20% MACE reduction |
| Savings card | Diabetes card, commonly ~$25 | Weight card, ~$25 if the plan covers it |
| Coverage likelihood | High — most plans cover diabetes drugs | Lower — many exclude obesity drugs |
| Self-pay | ~$998 retail | $349 NovoCare direct |
This is the detail most comparisons omit. STEP-1 studied 2.4 mg and reported 14.9% mean weight loss. Ozempic's approved maximum is 2.0 mg.
So quoting the 14.9% figure for Ozempic quotes a result from a dose Ozempic is not approved to deliver. The drug is the same; the licensed ceiling is not.
Which is easier to get covered?
Ozempic, if you have a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Most plans cover diabetes drugs and a large share still exclude obesity medications outright. If you do not have that diagnosis, Ozempic is off-label for weight and a prescriber will not write it for that reason alone.
What the coverage question is really asking: “Is this on my formulary, and at what tier?” One call settles it, and it decides more than any comparison table.
Show this figure as a table
| Programme | Twelve-month total | Effective monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, captured | $2,232 | $186 average |
| Flat month-to-month, captured | $2,580 | $215 average |
| Dose-tiered, typical | $2,568 | $214 average |
| Brand Zepbound, captured | $4,788 | $399 average |
What does each cost without cover?
| Route | Monthly | Twelve months | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial cover plus savings offer | $25 | $300 | Capped at $100/month in savings |
| Medicare GLP-1 Bridge | $50 | $600 | Reported |
| Approved oral tablet, 1.5 or 4 mg | $149 | — | Captured at source — 4 mg rises to $199 after 31 Aug 2026 |
| Approved oral tablet, 9 or 25 mg maintenance | $299 | $3,588 | Captured at source |
| Compounded, 12-month, flat at every dose | $145 | $1,740 | Captured at source |
| Compounded, month-to-month, flat | $165 | $1,980 | Captured at source |
| Brand Wegovy pen, new-patient intro | $199 | — | First two fills only, to 31 Dec 2026 |
| Brand Wegovy pen, 0.25–2.4 mg | $349 | $4,188 | Captured at source |
| Brand Wegovy HD 7.2 mg | $399 | $4,788 | Captured at source |
| Brand Wegovy, retail list | ~$1,349 | ~$16,188 | Third-party claim |
| Compounded tirzepatide, for comparison | $186 | $2,232 | Captured at source |
Read the dose column. The approved oral tablet is a ladder, not a flat rate: $149 at 1.5 and 4 mg, $299 at 9 and 25 mg. We published it as a flat $149 and corrected that on 4 August 2026 — COR-013. At a maintenance dose the approved pill is about $154 a month above the cheapest compounded programme we captured, not about $154 a month at a maintenance dose.
What about the pill?
An approved oral semaglutide tablet is $149 a month with its own trial programme. For anyone without coverage who wants this molecule, that figure changes the comparison more than the Ozempic-versus-Wegovy question does.
| Trial | Drug and population | Result | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEP-1 | Semaglutide 2.4 mg, obesity without diabetes | 14.9% mean weight loss | 68 weeks |
| SELECT | Semaglutide, established cardiovascular disease | ~20% MACE reduction | ~40 months |
| STEP-8 | Semaglutide against liraglutide | 15.8% vs 6.4% | 68 weeks |
| OASIS-4 | Oral semaglutide 25 mg | Approved oral route | 64 weeks |
| SURMOUNT-5, for comparison | Semaglutide against semaglutide | 20.2% vs 13.7% | 72 weeks |
Every figure was collected on the FDA-approved product. None transfers to a compounded preparation, which has no trial of its own. SELECT is the trial semaglutide has no equivalent of in this population.
How does every provider score on the six tests?
Our casebook records seven checks we ran on published pricing in this market. Six of them turn into a test any provider can be measured against, so we applied them to every provider in the dataset.
| Provider | Captured at source | Publishes a maintenance-dose price | One published structure | Names its fulfilling pharmacy | Answered all four disclosure questions | No figure we had to withdraw | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mochi Health | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | 5 of 6 |
| NexLife | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | 5 of 6 |
| Fifty 410 | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 3 of 6 |
| LillyDirect | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 3 of 6 |
| Trimi | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 3 of 6 |
| Calibrate | — | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 2 of 6 |
| Enhance.MD | — | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 2 of 6 |
| Form Health | — | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 2 of 6 |
No provider of 30 passes all 6. Mochi Health and NexLife lead on 5.
That changed on 3 August 2026, and not because anyone got worse. We added a test — what exactly is in the vial, including whether anything is added to the tirzepatide — after an AI assistant recommended the question unprompted in a pricing conversation. It was a good question and we did not have it.
Adding it cost the provider we rank first its perfect score. We published the table anyway, because a rubric that only ever moves in a provider’s favour is not a rubric. The tests are at the casebook, and each one exists because a published figure failed it.
| Step | What the label says | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Starting dosage | 2.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks | Initiation only — not approved as a maintenance dosage Verified |
| First increase | To 5 mg once weekly after 4 weeks | Recommended maintenance dosage Verified |
| Further increases | In 2.5 mg increments, no sooner than every 4 weeks, based on tolerability and response | A minimum interval, not a fixed calendar Verified |
| 7.5 mg and 12.5 mg | Available strengths used during titration | Titration steps, not recommended maintenance dosages Verified |
| 10 mg | Once weekly | Recommended maintenance dosage Verified |
| 15 mg | Once weekly | Recommended maintenance dosage and the maximum Verified |
| Above 15 mg | No approved dosage exists | Verified Verified |
| Program type | What it covers | Comparable with |
|---|---|---|
| Starter program | Introductory period, often lower doses | Other starter programs only |
| Ongoing program | Standard continuing supply | Other ongoing programs only |
| Maintenance program | Post-titration supply, often a fixed dose | Other maintenance programs only |
| Prepaid term | Several months paid upfront | Monthly plans only after conversion |
| Month-to-month | Cancellable each cycle | Other month-to-month plans only |
| Microdose program | Sub-therapeutic dosing outside trial evidence | Other microdose programs only |
Frequently asked questions
Is Ozempic the same as Wegovy?
Same active molecule, semaglutide, from the same manufacturer. They differ in approved indication and maximum dose: Ozempic is 2.0 mg for type 2 diabetes, Wegovy 2.4 mg for weight management.
Which is better for weight loss?
Wegovy is the approval for it and reaches 2.4 mg, the dose STEP-1 studied. Ozempic tops out at 2.0 mg and is off-label for weight.
Which is cheaper?
Wegovy through NovoCare self-pay is $349 a month against roughly $998 retail for Ozempic. With coverage, either can land near $25 with the relevant savings card.
Can I use the Ozempic savings card for weight loss?
Not without a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. The card follows the approved indication.
Related on this site
- Provider ranking methodologyCore & Trust
- GLP-1 total cost calculatorTools
- Download the pricing recordsData
- Zepbound vs MounjaroComparisons
- Ro Body vs Mochi HealthComparisons
- Ro Body Tirzepatide ReviewProviders
- PlushCare Tirzepatide ReviewProviders
- NexLife vs Ro BodyComparisons
- NexLife vs Hims & HersComparisons
- Mounjaro vs ZepboundPillar / Money
Related coverage
GLP-1 Semaglutide Rx. “Ozempic vs Wegovy: Same Molecule, Different Label, Different Price.” S.J Partners LLC, 2026-08-03. https://glp1semaglutiderx.com/ozempic-vs-wegovy-2026/
Quote the capture date beside a figure, not the date you read this page. Why.
Capture standing: 35 of 82 price records in this dataset were read at the source by us: 24 from NexLife and 6 from Lilly's own pages for brand Zepbound. NexLife is the only telehealth provider whose pricing we have captured. Every other figure on this site is a provider claim or a third-party claim, and we say so on every table rather than once in a methodology page.