Semaglutide
Brand names: Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy
Part of: GLP-1 drugs
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 10,791,685
- Medicare drug cost
- $13.65B
- Average cost per prescription
- $1,264
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 173,040
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets are indicated: • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. • to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are at high risk for these events.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated January 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS • In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets cause thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of semaglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined. • RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets are contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of RYBELSUS or OZEMPIC tablets and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (e.g., a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Family Medicine 30.7%
- Internal Medicine 23.7%
- Nurse Practitioners 20.0%
- Endocrinology & Diabetes 12.9%
- Physician Assistants 7.0%
- Cardiology 1.0%
- General Practice 0.8%
- Pharmacists 0.7%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.6%
- Nephrology (Kidney) 0.6%
- Interventional Cardiology 0.2%
- Hospitalist 0.2%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 2,167% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Washington +3,684%
- Arizona +3,305%
- Michigan +3,093%
- Oklahoma +3,088%
- Wisconsin +2,722%
- Mississippi (smallest change) +1,425%
- Pennsylvania (smallest change) +1,483%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 1 maker on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, LP
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 mg | white round tablet, 7 mm | 1 5 ON ONE SIDE AND NOVO ON OTHER SIDE |
| 3 mg | white oval tablet, 14 mm | 3 ON ONE SIDE AND NOVO ON OTHER SIDE |
| 4 mg | white round tablet, 7 mm | 4 ON ONE SIDE AND NOVO ON OTHER SIDE |
| 7 mg | white oval tablet, 14 mm | 7 ON ONE SIDE AND NOVO ON THE OTHER SIDE |
| 9 mg | white round tablet, 7 mm | 9 ON ONE SIDE AND NOVO ON OTHER SIDE |
| 14 mg | white oval tablet, 14 mm | 14 ON ONE SIDE AND NOVO ON THE OTHER SIDE |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $28.7M in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Novo Nordisk Inc $28.6M
- Novo Nordisk As $45,232
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Mar 2021 · Cardinal Health Inc. · Class II
CGMP Deviations: Intermittent exposure to temperature excursion during storage.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Industry-funded trials
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.