Peptide · GLP-1 receptor agonist
Semaglutide
A GLP-1 receptor agonist peptide, authorised as a prescription medicine for type 2 diabetes and for weight management, under several brand names.
Approved medicineAuthorised by a regulator, available on prescription.
- Legal status · US
- Approved medicine
- Evidence in people
- Molecule
- GLP-1 receptor agonist
- In sport
- Not named on the WADA list
- Status checked
Regulatory status · United States
This describes the position in the United States. Rules in Canada differ; an approved peptide medicine there is in its national register.
An approved prescription medicine. Its authorised products — with their strengths, pack sizes and authorisation holders — are in the ordinary catalogue, each with its official label.
Authorised products
| Brand | Authorised for | How it is given | First US approval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic | Type 2 diabetes | Injection, once a week | 2017 |
| Rybelsus | Type 2 diabetes | Tablet, once a day | 2019 |
| Wegovy | Weight management | Injection, once a week | 2021 |
Doses, warnings and who should not use it are on each product’s official label, linked from its page.
Every authorised product in CanadaWhat changed, and when
First US approval, as Ozempic, for type 2 diabetes.
Approved as a tablet (Rybelsus) — the first GLP-1 medicine taken by mouth.
Approved for chronic weight management, as Wegovy.
What to be careful about
Compounded or "generic" semaglutide sold outside a pharmacy is not the approved product, whatever the label says. The FDA has acted repeatedly against compounded GLP-1 sellers.
Sources
Regulatory positions change. This page states the date it describes, and nothing on it is legal or medical advice.