What is Wegovy, explained

What this guide covers

Wegovy is semaglutide, the same active drug as Ozempic, at a higher dose approved for chronic weight management. Who makes it, what it is approved for, how it differs from Ozempic, and what to know. This is patient education, not a substitute for the prescriber who knows your case. Generic names sit next to brand names throughout: semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).

Key points

• The short answer. Wegovy is semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), made by Novo Nordisk, and it is the same active molecule as Ozempic, just dosed higher and approved specifically for chronic weight management rather than diabetes. It is a once-weekly injection and a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which means it mimics the gut hormone GLP-1 to reduce appetite, slow gastric emptying, and quiet 'food noise'. The single most useful thing to understand about Wegovy is that it is not a different drug from Ozempic; it is the same drug, titrated to a higher target dose, with a weight-management indication on its label. How that mechanism actually works is covered in our how-does-Ozempic-work guide, and it applies identically here.
• Who makes Wegovy, and what it is approved for. Wegovy is made by Novo Nordisk, the same company behind Ozempic and Rybelsus. The FDA approved it for chronic weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or sleep apnea. It also carries an approval for adolescents 12 and older who meet the BMI criteria, and an approval for reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established heart disease who have obesity or overweight, based on the SELECT trial. Whether you qualify, and which indication applies, is something your prescriber checks against the label and your situation.
• Wegovy vs Ozempic: same molecule, different dose. This is the question most people arrive with. Ozempic and Wegovy both contain semaglutide and work through the identical mechanism, but they are approved for different things and dosed differently. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes and tops out at a lower maintenance dose; Wegovy is approved for weight management and titrates to a higher target dose, which is the main reason the weight effect tends to be larger. They are not interchangeable on paper even though the active drug is the same, because insurance, indication, and available pen strengths differ. Our Ozempic vs Wegovy comparison walks through the practical differences in full.
• How it works in your body. Because Wegovy is semaglutide, the mechanism is exactly the one we describe for Ozempic: it activates GLP-1 receptors in the brain to reduce appetite and quiet the constant pull toward food, slows how fast the stomach empties so you feel full longer, and supports glucose-dependent insulin release. At the higher weight-management dose, the appetite effect is the headline. People often describe feeling satisfied with noticeably less food and thinking about meals far less. That is the intended effect, not a coincidence, and it is why the trial weight outcomes are what they are. The slowed-stomach mechanism is also why the side-effect pattern matches the rest of the class.
• Dosing, as the label describes it. Wegovy uses a fixed escalation schedule designed to limit gut side effects, climbing in steps over several months to a maintenance target. The starting dose is low and is meant to build tolerance rather than to treat, and each step up is where side effects tend to flare briefly before settling. The exact schedule and the timing of each increase are your prescriber's call against how you tolerate it, this page describes the shape of the ramp, not a personal prescription. The key principle, shared across every GLP-1, is that slow titration is the lever that keeps the drug livable. Rushing the dose is the most common reason people feel miserable and quit.

Frequently asked questions