Semaglutide, Wegovy & Ozempic – what’s the difference?

This has caused a bit of confusion for some people, so let us explain. From a medicine’s point of view, they are all the same thing. Semaglutide is the name of the active drug in both Wegovy and Ozempic.

When a drug is developed, it goes through rigorous testing to ensure that it is safe. At the end of this testing, it is given a license to be prescribed in certain patient groups or for certain conditions. Semaglutide was originally used to treat people with diabetes and was used under the brand name ‘Ozempic’. However, it was soon noticed that it helped people with weight loss too. Because it had only been given a license to be prescribed in diabetes, for several years Ozempic was prescribed ‘off label’ or ‘off license’ for people who were overweight or obese but who didn’t have diabetes. After research showed how useful it was for helping people lose weight, a separate license was granted for it to be used in patients who are overweight or obese but who don’t have diabetes. For this patient group, the manufacturer rebranded it ‘Wegovy’.

So, while the drug is exactly the same in both Wegovy and Ozempic, only Wegovy is licensed for use in people who are overweight or obese for weight loss. People without diabetes who have previously been taking Ozempic ‘off-label’ are now advised to switch to Wegovy.