What is semaglutide?
Semaglutide copies a hormone from the gut, a chemical messenger the body releases after food.
It acts on appetite signals and helps the body manage blood sugar.
Semaglutide is the ingredient; Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus are names used for products containing it.
Do the different names mean the same treatment?
For semaglutide (Ozempic injection), the label checked on September 26, 2026 names type 2 diabetes in adults as an approved use.
Weight loss was not among that product’s approved uses.
Semaglutide (Wegovy) is approved for weight management in two groups of adults: those with obesity, and those with overweight plus at least one health problem linked to weight.
The studies behind that approval used body mass index (BMI), a number based on height and weight. The obesity group had a BMI of 30 or more. The overweight group had a BMI from 27 to 29.9 and also needed a related health problem, such as high blood pressure.
By September 26, 2026, both Wegovy and Ozempic had tablet and injection forms.
What name do I ask for?
Ask for the full product name and its form: a tablet or an injection. Then put the treatment question to the prescriber: which health problem would this product address? Ask them which weight group applies to you; “semaglutide” alone leaves those questions open.