Cost of Wegovy: A Real-Numbers Breakdown

Wegovy forms and approval

Wegovy injection is approved under NDA 215256, originally on 4 June 2021 [1]. Wegovy tablets are approved under NDA 218316, on 22 December 2025 [2]. Both are Novo Nordisk products [1][2].

The strength changes as treatment steps up

Wegovy injection starts at 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks, then steps to 0.5 mg for weeks 5 to 8, 1 mg for weeks 9 to 12 and 1.7 mg for weeks 13 to 16, with maintenance from week 17. The recommended adult maintenance dose for weight reduction is 2.4 mg weekly, or 1.7 mg; adults who tolerate 2.4 mg for at least 4 weeks and need more weight loss may go to a maximum of 7.2 mg weekly [4]. The 7.2 mg pen is a separate approved strength [1].

Compounded semaglutide

Compounded semaglutide is not FDA-approved and is not reviewed for safety, effectiveness or quality before marketing [3]. A pharmacy may compound for an individual patient on a prescription, and a product that is essentially a copy of an approved drug is allowed only in limited circumstances: FDA says it does not intend to act against four or fewer such prescriptions per calendar month, or where the prescriber documents a significant difference for that patient [5]. As of 31 May 2026 FDA had received 990 adverse event reports for compounded semaglutide and says the figure likely undercounts [3].

What the trials show about stopping

In STEP 4, after a 20-week run-in with a mean weight loss of 10.6% [6], 803 adults were randomized to continue semaglutide 2.4 mg or switch to placebo for 48 weeks. From week 20 to week 68, weight changed by -7.9% in those who continued and +6.9% in those who switched [6]. The STEP 1 extension followed 327 participants: mean loss at week 68 was 17.3% with semaglutide versus 2.0% with placebo, and one year after stopping, semaglutide participants had regained 11.6 percentage points, for a net loss of 5.6% versus 0.1% [7].