This website will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.

Novo Nordisk continues to see strong interest in our prescription-only medicine Wegovy® and we are proud to have served over one million U.S. patients with Wegovy® since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2021.

For the last year, Novo Nordisk has thoughtfully and responsibly managed shipments of the three lowest dose strengths of Wegovy® in an effort to support continuity of care for existing patients while we worked to increase our production capacity.

Based on the progress we’ve made in building manufacturing capacity, our plan to gradually and continuously increase shipments of the three lowest dose strengths of Wegovy® is working and we are now seeing at least 20,000 new U.S. patient starts on Wegovy® weekly and growing1. This is roughly four times more U.S. patient starts compared to December 2023.

While we will do our best to support those who want to start taking Wegovy®, it is important to recognize that overall demand will continue to exceed supply and some patients may still have difficulty filling Wegovy® prescriptions. We will continue to closely monitor market dynamics and prescribing trends, and are doing everything we can to manufacture more Wegovy®, including running our manufacturing lines 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We recommend that those who experience challenges filling their prescriptions speak with their healthcare professional about the best approach to their treatment, so this does not halt their pursuit of obesity care. We will continue to manage shipments, limiting quantities of the lower dose strengths (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg) to U.S. wholesalers for distribution to retail pharmacies, in an effort to support continuity of care for existing patients.

  • At this time, we do not recommend switching to Saxenda® (liraglutide) injection 3 mg as a viable alternate treatment, as we cannot guarantee supply to match the continuous rising demand for weight management medications.

Obesity is a serious, chronic, and misunderstood disease which affects many people, including friends, colleagues, families, and loved ones and we are confident our actions will help even more people living with obesity in the U.S. – beyond the one million we have already served. 

There are five dose strengths of Wegovy® – the first three increase in a stepwise manner leading to the fourth (1.7 mg) and fifth (2.4 mg), maintenance dose strengths (2.4 mg is recommended per the Prescribing Information). 

Click here for an overview of how Wegovy® is made, manufactured and shipped.

Important Guidance: Filling Your Wegovy® Prescription

  • We recommend that you contact your pharmacy about refills much earlier than normal. This applies to online and walk-in pharmacies.
  • Be specific about the dose strength you need as pharmacies are handling all five Wegovy® dose strengths and may need to order the prescription you are attempting to fill.
  • If you are unable to obtain your specific dose strength, we encourage you to try other local pharmacies for availability.

If that is not successful, speak with your healthcare professional about your treatment plan to determine the best course of action and options available. Healthcare professionals know their patients' past and current medical history and are best equipped to make clinical recommendations.

We remain committed to driving meaningful change for people living with obesity and supporting healthcare professionals partnering on their care. As part of this commitment, we want to ensure that Wegovy® is used properly and responsibly for the treatment of obesity in consultation with a licensed healthcare professional. 

At Novo Nordisk, patient safety is paramount. We want to reinforce that Wegovy® is the only semaglutide-containing Novo Nordisk medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related medical problems and for adults living with obesity and known heart disease. This prescription-only medicine is available in a disposable single-use pen and should be prescribed in direct consultation with, and under the supervision of, a licensed healthcare professional. We support these medicines being prescribed to patients who meet the FDA-approved criteria and promote our medicines for those appropriate patients. Our other semaglutide-based products, Ozempic® (semaglutide) injection 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg and RYBELSUS® (semaglutide) tablets 7 mg or 14 mg, which are indicated for adults with type 2 diabetes, have unique safety and efficacy profiles and are not FDA-approved for chronic weight management.

Please see important information, including the Prescribing Information for our semaglutide products and up to date information on the responsible use of our semaglutide products at semaglutide.com.

We continue to build capacity, investing in new contract manufacturing organizations. This year, alone, we are spending >$6 billion on capital expenditures. Moreover, we have agreed to acquire three Catalent production facilities from Novo Holdings for an up-front payment of $11 billion. The fulfilment of various customary closing conditions is progressing, and Novo Nordisk expects that the acquisition will be completed towards the end of 2024. In late 2023, we announced an approximately $9.5 billion investment in expanding and building new production sites, specifically in Denmark (~$7 billion) and France (~$2.5 billion). Please know that our commitment to the obesity community is a long-term one. The demand for Wegovy® reinforces the unmet need and has strengthened our promise to not only develop innovative medicines but to partner, raise awareness, and advocate to change how obesity is understood, diagnosed, and treated.

If you are interested in Wegovy®, please discuss with your healthcare professional (HCP) if it might be right for you.

To see if Wegovy® is covered by your insurance, visit Wegovy.com or contact your insurance provider.

 

We’ve included some frequently asked questions below and are here to help if you need additional support at 1-833-4-WEGOVY (1-833-493-4689) from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday – and select option 0 for more support and at Wegovy.com.

  • to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight.
  • that may help adults and children aged 12 years and older with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, to help them lose excess body weight and keep the weight off.

We are producing and shipping all dose strengths of Wegovy®, running our manufacturing lines 24 hours a day, seven days a week, manufacturing more Wegovy® than ever before.

Based on the progress we’ve made in building manufacturing capacity, our plan to gradually and continuously increase shipments of the three lowest dose strengths of Wegovy® is working. We are now seeing at least 20,000 new U.S. patient starts on Wegovy® weekly and growing1. This is roughly four times more U.S. patient starts compared to December 2023.

We will continue to manage shipments, limiting quantities of the lower dose strengths (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg) to U.S. wholesalers for distribution to retail pharmacies, in an effort to support continuity of care for existing patients.

For the last year, Novo Nordisk has thoughtfully and responsibly managed shipments of the three lowest dose strengths of Wegovy® in an effort to support continuity of care for existing patients while we worked to increase our production capacity.

Based on the progress we’ve made in building manufacturing capacity, our plan to gradually and continuously increase shipments of the three lowest dose strengths of Wegovy® is working. We are now seeing at least 20,000 new U.S. patient starts on Wegovy® weekly and growing. This is roughly four times more U.S. patient starts compared to December 2023.

We will do our best to support those who want to start taking Wegovy® but it is important to recognize that overall demand will continue to exceed supply. This means that some patients may still have difficulty filling Wegovy® prescriptions. As such, we will continue to closely monitor market dynamics and prescribing trends. 

We are confident that our actions will help even more people living with obesity in the U.S. – beyond the one million we have already served – and remain committed long-term to partner, raise awareness, and advocate to change how obesity is understood, diagnosed, and treated.

We recommend that you contact your pharmacy much earlier than normal in anticipation of your next refill. This applies to online and walk-in pharmacies. If you are unable to obtain your specific dose strength, we encourage you to try other local pharmacies for availability. If that is not successful, speak with your healthcare professional about your treatment plan to determine the best course of action and options available. Healthcare professionals know their patients’ past and current medical history and are best equipped to make clinical recommendations.

We also recommend that healthcare professionals take into consideration the limited supply of Wegovy® as part of their decision-making when initiating new patients on therapy, recognizing the possibility of disruption in care.

We recommend that you contact your pharmacy much earlier than normal in anticipation of your next refill. This applies to online and walk-in pharmacies. If you are unable to obtain your specific dose strength, we encourage you to try other local pharmacies for availability. Be specific about the dose strength you have been prescribed as pharmacies are handling all five Wegovy® dose strengths and may need to order the specific dose you need. If that is not successful, speak with your healthcare professional about your treatment plan to determine the best course of action and options available. Healthcare professionals know their patients' past and current medical history and are best equipped to make clinical recommendations.

If you are interested in discussing Wegovy®, a prescription-only medicine, with your healthcare professional, we recommend you take into consideration the limited supply of Wegovy® as part of shared decision- making about initiating therapy, recognizing the possibility of disruption in care.

We will do our best to support those who want to start taking Wegovy® but it is important to recognize that overall demand will continue to exceed supply. This means that some patients may still have difficulty filling Wegovy® prescriptions.

In discussing with your healthcare provider whether to initiate therapy, keep in mind that Wegovy® is indicated for chronic weight management and for reduction of cardiovascular risk in adults with known heart disease and obesity or overweight and that, as discussed in the product label, patients who discontinued therapy in a weight management clinical trial regained some weight after stopping treatment.

There are five dose strengths of Wegovy® – the first three increase in a stepwise manner (starting with 0.25 mg, then 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg) until the fourth (1.7 mg) and fifth (2.4 mg), maintenance dose strengths (2.4 mg is recommended per the Prescribing Information).

We recommend that Wegovy® is used in accordance with the FDA-approved Prescribing Information, including the dose escalation schedule. If you are having difficulty finding the dose strength you need, please discuss the best course of action with your healthcare professional.

For more information about the Wegovy® dosing schedule, see the Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.

Please know that our commitment to the obesity community is a long-term one and we are investing significantly to build capacity to meet this increasing demand, investing in new contract manufacturing organizations. This year, alone, we are spending >$6 billion on capital expenditures. Moreover, we have agreed to acquire three Catalent production facilities from Novo Holdings for an upfront payment of $11 billion. The fulfilment of various customary closing conditions is progressing, and Novo Nordisk expects that the acquisition will be completed towards the end of 2024. In late 2023, we announced an approximately $9.5 billion investment in expanding and building new production sites, specifically in Denmark (~$7 billion) and France (~$2.5 billion).

We primarily distribute our products to wholesalers, which then supply retail pharmacies nationwide. Which specific pharmacies or retailers get Wegovy® is determined by several factors outside of Novo Nordisk control, including wholesaler distribution and order fulfilment practice.

If you are unable to fill your Wegovy® prescription, you should speak with your healthcare professional about your treatment plan to determine the best course of action and options available. Healthcare professionals know your past and current medical history and are best equipped to make clinical recommendations.

We also recommend that healthcare providers take into consideration the limited supply of Wegovy® as part of their decision-making when initiating new patients on therapy, recognizing the possibility of disruption in care.

Although Wegovy® and Ozempic® both contain semaglutide, they are different products with different indications, dosages, prescribing information, and titration schedules, as approved by the FDA. Each medication has a unique safety and efficacy profile which is detailed in its respective product label. The products are not interchangeable. We support our medicines being prescribed to patients who meet the indicated criteria and only promote the FDA-approved indications of our medicines for appropriate patients. Click here to read more about our commitment to the responsible use of our medicines.

We are aware that there are companies claiming to have availability of Wegovy® or semaglutide. We want consumers and healthcare professionals to know and be very clear that Novo Nordisk does not sell Wegovy®, or its active ingredient, semaglutide, for the purposes of compounding with other products. Novo Nordisk has not conducted studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Wegovy® when compounded with other ingredients. Novo Nordisk is the only company that has FDA approval to market Wegovy®, and we supply it in a disposable single-use pen available by prescription only. In addition, the FDA shared safety information on compounded semaglutide on their website. For more information, click here: Medications Containing Semaglutide Marketed for Type 2 Diabetes or Weight Loss | FDA.

 

Novo Nordisk is not supplying any telehealth companies with Wegovy®. Any healthcare professionals prescribing Wegovy® through telehealth companies will face the same supply challenges as all other healthcare professionals and patients across the U.S.

We see the growing trend of weight-management telehealth providers and have heard media reports that some telehealth providers are not providing sufficient clinical evaluations prior to prescribing semaglutide containing medicines, including Wegovy® and Ozempic®. Novo Nordisk medicines should only be prescribed after a close consultation between a licensed healthcare provider and a patient – considering the medication’s benefits and risks for that individual patient – and should only be taken under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional.

At this time, we do not recommend Saxenda® as a viable alternate treatment, as we cannot guarantee supply to match the continuous rising demand for weight-management medications, including Saxenda®

We are aware that several compounding pharmacies, weight-loss clinics, and medical spas are claiming to sell or offer compounded semaglutide products. Novo Nordisk is actively monitoring and taking action against entities that are engaging in the unlawful sale of compounded semaglutide, disseminating false advertising, and infringing its trademarks. Novo Nordisk is the only company in the U.S. with FDA-approved products containing semaglutide, identified under the trade names Wegovy®, Ozempic®, and Rybelsus®. No FDA-approved generic versions of semaglutide currently exist. Compounded products do not have the same safety, quality, and effectiveness assurances as our FDA-approved drugs, and may expose patients to health risks.

Novo Nordisk cannot validate the safety or effectiveness of products claiming to contain semaglutide that are not one of our own branded products. We are actively working to ensure broad public awareness regarding the difference between our FDA-approved products and other medicines being labeled as “semaglutide” and sold by such entities. Further, the practice of selling compounded semaglutide medicines under Novo Nordisk trade names has the potential to create consumer confusion and deception, and we will not tolerate the unauthorized and inappropriate usage of our brand trademarks by third parties.

  • to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight
  • that may help adults and children aged 12 years and older with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, to help them lose excess body weight and keep the weight off.

Wegovy ® contains semaglutide and should not be used with other semaglutide-containing products or other GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines.

It is not known if Wegovy ® is safe and effective for use in children under 12 years of age.

  • Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rodents, Wegovy® and medicines that work like Wegovy® caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Wegovy® will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people 
  • Do not use Wegovy ® if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)

  • you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
  • you have had a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or any of the ingredients in Wegovy ® 

  • have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys
  • have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy
  • have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts, or mental health issues
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Wegovy® may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using Wegovy® 2 months before you plan to become pregnant
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Wegovy® passes into your breast milk

Tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy® may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Wegovy® works. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin. Wegovy® slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.

 

  • inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using Wegovy® and call your healthcare professional right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back
  • gallbladder problems. Wegovy® may cause gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may need surgery. Call your healthcare professional if you have symptoms, such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay colored stools
  • increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), especially those who also take medicines for diabetes such as insulin or sulfonylureas. This can be a serious side effect. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while you take Wegovy®. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, or feeling jittery
  • kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration
  • serious allergic reactions. Stop using Wegovy® and get medical help right away, if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat
  • change in vision in people with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare professional if you have changes in vision during treatment with Wegovy®
  • increased heart rate. Wegovy® can increase your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare professional if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest and it lasts for several minutes
  • depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare professional right away if you have any mental changes that are new, worse, or worry you

The most common side effects of Wegovy® may include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose or sore throat.

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1. This is based on information licensed from IQVIA: XPD (Xponent Prescriber Dynamics) on weekly new to brand starts for week ending 4/12/24, reflecting estimates of real-world activity. All rights reserved.