Ozempic vs Wegovy: the same medicine, used differently.
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Ozempic and Wegovy are made by the same company and contain the same medicine, semaglutide. So why do they have different names, doses and rules? This page explains the difference in plain terms: what each is approved for in Australia, how the doses compare, which is on the PBS, and what the trials found.
Ozempic and Wegovy both contain semaglutide, but they are separate products with different approved uses and doses. In Australia, Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, up to 2 mg a week, and is PBS-listed for it. Wegovy is approved for weight management and reducing heart-disease risk, at 2.4 mg a week (up to 7.2 mg for some adults), and is not PBS-listed. Wegovy tablets were registered on 3 November 2026 but had not been released when we checked.
- Same active ingredient, semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk.
- Ozempic: type 2 diabetes, maximum 2 mg weekly, PBS-listed for type 2 diabetes.
- Wegovy: weight management and heart-disease risk reduction, 2.4 mg weekly maintenance, not PBS-listed.
- Side effects are the same kind, but stomach effects were more common at Wegovy doses.
- They are not used together. Which suits you is your doctor’s decision.
- Ozempic: registered for type 2 diabetes, including type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease. PBS-listed for type 2 diabetes only, with Authority Required. PBS item 15311W.
- Wegovy injection: registered for weight management (adults and adolescents 12 and over), heart-disease risk reduction, and provisionally for a liver condition (MASH). Not PBS-listed. Wegovy PI.
- Wegovy PBS review: the PBAC considered a revised Wegovy submission at its 4 to 6 November 2026 meeting. Outcomes are scheduled for publication around 18 December 2026. PBS timetable.
- Wegovy tablets: added to the ARTG on 3 November 2026 (1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg). Not released to pharmacies when we checked. ARTG entry.
- Supply: the TGA shortage database showed no active Ozempic shortage on 9 November 2026. TGA shortage database.
Is Wegovy the same as Ozempic?
Wegovy and Ozempic contain the same medicine, semaglutide, and both are made by Novo Nordisk. But they are registered as separate products, for different conditions, at different doses. In Australia you cannot treat one as a substitute for the other without your doctor’s say-so.
Think of it as one medicine sold under two names for two jobs: Ozempic for blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, Wegovy for weight management and heart-disease risk. Ozempic CMI; Wegovy CMI.
What is the difference between Ozempic and Wegovy?
The differences are the approved uses, the dose, the pens and the PBS. The table sets them side by side using the current Australian product documents.
| Ozempic | Wegovy | |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine | Semaglutide | Semaglutide |
| Approved uses in Australia | Type 2 diabetes; type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease | Weight management (adults; adolescents 12 and over for the injection); reducing heart-disease risk in adults with heart disease and BMI 27 or more, without diabetes; MASH (provisional, injection) |
| Usual weekly dose | Starts at 0.25 mg, then 0.5 mg; may go to 1 mg, then 2 mg | Steps from 0.25 mg up to 2.4 mg over 16 weeks |
| Highest dose | 2 mg a week | 7.2 mg a week for some adults with BMI 30 or more (given as three 2.4 mg injections) |
| Forms | Weekly pen (0.25/0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg) | Weekly FlexTouch pen; daily tablets registered 3 November 2026, not yet released |
| PBS | Listed for type 2 diabetes (Authority Required) | Not listed |
| Age | Adults only (not for under-18s) | Adults; injection also for adolescents 12 and over |
Sources: Ozempic CMI, Wegovy CMI, Wegovy PI, PBS item 15311W.
Why is Ozempic on the PBS and Wegovy not?
PBS listing is decided per product and per condition. Ozempic was assessed and listed for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy has not been listed for weight management or heart-disease risk; the PBAC recommended a narrow listing in November 2025, but it did not proceed, and a revised proposal went to the November 2026 meeting.
That revised proposal covers adults with established heart disease, such as a previous heart attack or stroke, and a BMI of 35 or more. The outcome is due to be published around 18 December 2026; until then nothing has changed for patients.
More detail: Is Wegovy on the PBS? PBAC November 2026 agenda; PBS medicine status.
Does Wegovy cause more weight loss than Ozempic?
Wegovy’s higher dose was tested for weight loss and led to larger losses than seen in Ozempic’s diabetes trials. But no trial has compared the two branded products head to head, and the trials enrolled different people, so the numbers are a guide, not a contest.
| Trial | Who | Dose | Average weight change |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEP 1 (68 weeks) | Adults with obesity or overweight, no diabetes | Semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy) | −14.9% vs −2.4% placebo |
| STEP UP (72 weeks) | Adults with BMI 30 or more, no diabetes | Semaglutide 7.2 mg (Wegovy) | −18.7% vs −15.6% on 2.4 mg and −3.9% placebo |
| OASIS 4 (64 weeks) | Adults with obesity or overweight | Semaglutide 25 mg tablet (Wegovy) | −13.6% vs −2.2% placebo |
| SUSTAIN FORTE (40 weeks) | Adults with type 2 diabetes | Semaglutide 2 mg (Ozempic) | −6.9 kg vs −6.0 kg on 1 mg |
| SUSTAIN 1 (30 weeks) | Adults with type 2 diabetes | Semaglutide 0.5 mg and 1 mg (Ozempic) | −3.7 kg and −4.5 kg vs −1.0 kg placebo |
Sources: STEP 1; STEP UP; Wegovy PI (OASIS 4); Ozempic PI (SUSTAIN). Wegovy figures count everyone who started (treatment-policy analysis); Ozempic figures are as reported in its PI.
The closest comparison is STEP 2, which tested semaglutide 2.4 mg and 1 mg in people with type 2 diabetes. On 2.4 mg, weight fell 9.6% compared with 3.4% on placebo. People with diabetes tend to lose less weight on any treatment. STEP 2, Lancet 2021.
Does Wegovy have more side effects than Ozempic?
Both have the same kinds of side effects, mainly nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation. At Wegovy’s higher doses, stomach side effects were more common than at Ozempic’s diabetes doses, as you would expect from a bigger dose of the same medicine.
| Side effect | Ozempic 0.5 mg / 1 mg | Wegovy 2.4 mg |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 17.0% / 19.9% | 38.3% (placebo 14.0%) |
| Diarrhoea | 12.2% / 13.3% | 26.8% (placebo 14.3%) |
| Vomiting | 6.4% / 8.4% | 21.8% (placebo 5.7%) |
| Hair loss | Listed in the CMI | 2.5% (placebo 1.0%) |
Sources: Ozempic Australian PI (pooled diabetes trials); Wegovy Australian PI, Table 3 (weight-management trials). Different trials, so read these as a pattern.
Both CMIs list the same serious but less common effects, including inflamed pancreas, gallbladder problems, bowel obstruction, severe allergic reactions and sudden vision changes. Full lists: Ozempic side effects and Wegovy side effects.
Can Ozempic be prescribed for weight loss?
Ozempic is not approved for weight management in Australia, so prescribing it for weight loss is off-label. Off-label prescribing is not banned, but the PBS subsidy covers type 2 diabetes only, so an off-label script is private.
Ahpra’s September 2026 guidance reminds doctors of their obligations when prescribing off-label, including informed consent and a sound clinical reason. Ahpra, 16 September 2026. The registered semaglutide brand for weight management is Wegovy.
Can you switch from Ozempic to Wegovy?
Only on your doctor’s advice. They are the same medicine at different doses, and the Wegovy CMI says not to combine it with other medicines of the same type, so you would not take both. Your doctor decides the starting dose and how to step up.
Semaglutide sold online without a prescription, as vials or as a “compounded” product is not a lawful supply in Australia; compounding GLP-1 medicines has been banned since 1 October 2024. TGA. See how to spot an illegal seller.
Is eating different on Ozempic and Wegovy?
The food basics are the same for both: protein at each meal, enough fibre and fluid, and smaller portions that you can finish.
Free guides: what to eat on Ozempic, Wegovy diet plan, semaglutide food guide and foods for queasy days. A doctor or Accredited Practising Dietitian can tailor this to you.
Is Wegovy the same as Ozempic?
They contain the same medicine, semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk, but they are separate products. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes up to 2 mg a week. Wegovy is approved for weight management and heart-disease risk reduction at 2.4 mg a week, or up to 7.2 mg for some adults.
Why is Ozempic on the PBS but not Wegovy?
PBS listing is decided per product and condition. Ozempic is listed for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is not listed; a revised proposal for adults with heart disease and a BMI of 35 or more went to the November 2026 PBAC meeting, with outcomes due around 18 December 2026.
Does Wegovy cause more weight loss than Ozempic?
Wegovy doses produced larger average weight loss in weight-management trials, such as 14.9% in STEP 1, than Ozempic doses did in diabetes trials. No trial has compared the two branded products directly.
Does Wegovy have more side effects than Ozempic?
The same kinds, but stomach side effects were more common at Wegovy doses. Nausea affected 38.3% of people on Wegovy 2.4 mg in its trials, compared with 17.0% to 19.9% on Ozempic 0.5 mg and 1 mg in diabetes trials.
Is there a Wegovy pill in Australia?
Wegovy tablets (1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg) were added to the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods on 3 November 2026. They had not been released to pharmacies when we checked on 9 November 2026.
Can I take Ozempic and Wegovy together?
No. They contain the same medicine and are not used together. Switching between them is a decision for your doctor.
Related explainers: Ozempic in Australia · Wegovy in Australia · Is Wegovy on the PBS? · Wegovy doses · Mounjaro vs Ozempic
Primary sources checked for this page.
- Ozempic Consumer Medicine Information (Australia), prepared August 2026.
- Ozempic Australian Product Information, revised 25 September 2026.
- Wegovy FlexTouch Consumer Medicine Information (Australia), prepared July 2026.
- Wegovy Australian Product Information, revised 3 November 2026.
- Wilding et al., STEP 1, New England Journal of Medicine, 2021.
- Wharton et al., STEP UP (semaglutide 7.2 mg), Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, September 2025.
- Davies et al., STEP 2, The Lancet, March 2021.
- PBS item 15311W: semaglutide (Ozempic), retrieved 9 November 2026.
- PBS medicine status: semaglutide (Wegovy), established cardiovascular disease with obesity, retrieved 9 November 2026.
- PBAC November 2026 meeting agenda (version 6), updated 3 November 2026.
- PBS: PBAC cycle timeframe 2026–2027, retrieved 9 November 2026.
- TGA ARTG entry 522753: Wegovy semaglutide 1.5 mg tablets, ARTG date 3 November 2026.
- TGA Medicine Shortage Reports Database: semaglutide, retrieved 9 November 2026.
- Ahpra: crackdown on reckless prescribing as regulator ramps up peptides oversight, 16 September 2026.
- TGA: GLP-1 receptor agonist pharmacy compounding changes, 2024.
Editorial method: Australian regulatory documents (the TGA-approved Product Information and Consumer Medicine Information, the TGA and the PBS) were checked first, then peer-reviewed trial publications. Trial numbers are group averages and say which analysis they come from. Status statements are dated and may change. A named clinical review is pending; until then this is editorial research, not clinical opinion. See the Preptide editorial policy.
Important: General information only, not medical advice. Brand names are registered trademarks of their respective owners; Preptide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any medicine manufacturer. Preptide is food, not medication, and does not prescribe, sell, recommend or promote prescription medicines. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about any medicine. In an emergency call 000. Read our editorial policy and Health Acknowledgement.