Content
Weight loss treatment for where you are now
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.
Ozempic® is a prescription medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help with blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes. It’s also commonly prescribed off-label for weight loss. But how much does Ozempic cost?
The cost of Ozempic varies based on factors like:
Whether you have insurance coverage
If you’re eligible for discount programs
Without insurance or discount programs, Ozempic can cost around $1,000 a month. Most insurance providers only cover the cost when it’s used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Like many Americans, you might be curious if there are cheaper alternatives to Ozempic that can be equally effective.
Read on to learn about the cost of Ozempic, including when your insurance plan may offer coverage, and what type of discount programs are available.
Content
Ozempic can be nearly $1,000 a month. But the actual cost of Ozempic you pay out of pocket depends on whether you have insurance coverage or qualify for discount programs.
Without insurance coverage or a cost-savings card, you’ll likely pay the list price for brand-name Ozempic. The list price is the cost the drug manufacturer sets before applying insurance or discounts.
According to Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that produces Ozempic, the list price as of July 2024 is currently $968.52 for a monthly supply (four weekly doses). This is what Ozempic costs without insurance in the United States.
The list price of Ozempic tends to be higher in the U.S. than in many other countries. In an August 2023 report by the non-profits KFF and the Peterson Center on Healthcare, the authors outlined how Ozempic prices in the United States compare to some other countries:
Novo Nordisk offers a discount savings card for Ozempic. According to the Ozempic website, you may pay as little as $25 per month for a one-month, two-month, or three-month supply. The maximum savings is $150 a month for up to 24 months.
To qualify for the offer, you need to have an eligible commercial insurance plan. Most commercial plans that cover Ozempic only pay for the drug when it’s prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, along with healthy eating and regular exercise.
Most government and private insurance providers don’t offer coverage for medications used for weight loss alone. They may offer coverage when you take Ozempic as a diabetes drug.
Check your insurance coverage details before you start taking Ozempic or other medications that contain the active ingredient semaglutide. Each insurance policy sets its own eligibility criteria.
For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts offers coverage for Ozempic for treating type 2 diabetes when it’s prescribed as part of step therapy. Step therapy is when your insurance only offers coverage once you‘ve tried a preferred drug first.
In the case of Ozempic, Step 1 drugs include:
Bydureon BCise®
Byetta®
Trulicity®
Preferred drugs are often cheaper alternatives.
Medicare and Medicaid don’t currently offer coverage for medications solely for the purpose of weight loss.
Medicare offers healthcare coverage for people over 65 or with certain disabilities in four parts:
Part A covers hospital expenses.
Part B covers medical equipment and outpatient care.
Part C is a Medicare-approved plan from a private company that offers alternative health and drug coverage.
Part D covers prescription medications.
Medicare Part D covers Ozempic for weight loss when it’s used to treat type 2 diabetes if you meet the eligibility criteria. Medicare Part D is prohibited to cover “agents when used for anorexia, weight loss, or weight gain (even if used for a non-cosmetic purpose.”
Medicaid is another government insurance program available for people with low incomes. This program covers nearly all FDA-approved drugs for the conditions they’ve been approved to treat. However, Medicaid doesn’t offer coverage for weight loss drugs, even if they’ve been FDA-approved for this reason.
The cost of Ozempic with insurance can depend on your insurance provider. Some insurance providers may require a copay or that you reach your deductible first.
A copay is a flat rate you pay out of pocket each time you get a prescription filled. A deductible is the amount you need to pay for healthcare costs in a given year before your insurance will offer additional coverage.
Many insurance providers have tools to help subscribers estimate the out-of-pocket price of medications. For instance, Medicare has a calculator available on its website where you can put in your location and the type of medication you’re taking.
See our guide to find out what weight loss drugs are covered by insurance.
Generic medications contain the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs, but they’re sold under the active ingredient name instead. There isn’t a generic version of Ozempic yet. Novo Nordisk still holds a patent on the medication and its active ingredient.
According to the FDA, most brand-name medications have a five-year protection period where they’re free from price competition from generic alternatives. But drug manufacturers can get extensions on their patents, so it could be longer than that before generic semaglutide hits the market.
The FDA requires generic alternatives to be equivalent to their brand-name counterparts in:
Safety
Strength
Route of administration
Quality
Performance
Intended use
Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide. While semaglutide isn’t available as a generic drug yet, it’s on the FDA’s list of drugs currently in shortage.
Drugs currently in shortage are available for a process called compounding.
Wegovy®, Rybelsus®, and Ozempic all contain the active ingredient semaglutide. All three medications are prescription drugs, meaning they aren’t available over-the-counter.
Wegovy is FDA-approved with exercise and a balanced meal plan to:
Aid in weight loss for people with obesity
Support weight loss for folks with overweight and at least one weight-related complication (such as diabetes)
Aid in weight loss for children over 12 with a BMI (body mass index) over the ninety-fifth percentile for their age and sex
The list price for Wegovy is currently $1,349.02. Though Wegovy is FDA-approved for weight loss, many health insurance plans still don’t offer coverage.
Ozempic is FDA-approved to help people with type 2 diabetes improve their blood sugar control along with regular exercise and a healthy diet. It’s also FDA-approved to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and established heart disease.
Ozempic isn’t FDA-approved to treat weight loss in people with obesity, but it’s often used off-label for this purpose. Off-label is when a healthcare professional prescribes a medication for something other than what it was FDA-approved to treat.
As noted, the Ozempic list price is currently $968.52.
Rybelsus is also only FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes but may be prescribed off-label to help with weight loss. Some people prefer taking Rybelsus to other forms of semaglutide because it’s administered orally instead of through an injection. But you take it once a day instead of weekly.
The list price for Rybelsus is currently $968.52 — the same as Ozempic.
Many medications fall into a class of drugs called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) agonists. They’re prescribed to help those with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar levels or to help people with overweight or obesity lose weight.
Beyond Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, here’s a breakdown of other FDA-approved GLP-1 agonists that might be used for weight loss and/or type 2 diabetes:
The medication metformin is also often used to treat type 2 diabetes. The cost of metformin depends on the dose you need.
Metformin is available as a generic drug, which means it’s generally relatively cheap compared to medications that haven’t yet reached generic status.
Explore the difference between metformin versus semaglutide in our guide.
Research suggests that semaglutide can be effective at helping with weight management in people with overweight or obesity. It’s also been shown to improve blood sugar levels in those with type 2 diabetes.
As mentioned, semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist. GLP-1 drugs mimic the action of a hormone produced by the digestive tract. They help stimulate the production of insulin after eating.
A 2022 study published in Nature Medicine looked at adults with overweight and at least one weight-related complication and adults with obesity. Participants who used semaglutide experienced substantial and sustained weight loss over 104 weeks compared to a placebo.
The average change in body weight was a decrease of 15.2 percent in the semaglutide group, compared to a decrease of 2.6 percent in the placebo group.
Common side effects of Ozempic listed on the FDA label include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Constipation
More serious side effects may include:
Pancreatic inflammation (pancreatitis)
Worsening diabetic retinopathy complications
Worsening kidney function
Allergic reaction
Low blood sugar, when used with other diabetes medications
Gallstones
Rapid heart rate
There could also be a possible increased risk of thyroid tumors. But this is based on rodent studies, and it’s unknown if Ozempic could affect humans the same way.
Here’s what to keep in mind about Ozempic prices with and without insurance:
Ozempic is one of the brand names semaglutide is sold under in the United States.
This injectable medication is only FDA-approved to help with blood sugar control in those with type 2 diabetes, but it’s also often prescribed off-label to treat overweight and obesity.
Insurance companies are unlikely to provide coverage when Ozempic is used solely as a weight loss drug.
Before taking Ozempic or other forms of semaglutide, check your insurance coverage to understand your estimated out-of-pocket costs.
Your healthcare provider can help you decide if Ozempic or other forms of semaglutide may be right for you.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.
Hims & Hers has strict sourcing guidelines to ensure our content is accurate and current. We rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We strive to use primary sources and refrain from using tertiary references. See a mistake? Let us know at blog@forhims.com!