Skip to the reading The consultation notebook A guide to online semaglutide care Find a page Before a visit Start with the whole visit What semaglutide is Prepare your questions Check the care plan How online care is checked Tests and checks Check the pharmacy Read the full price Keep the questions going Caution notes Plan the follow-up Read the evidence The medicine behind the name # First, get clear on the medicine Keep this in mind Semaglutide is an ingredient name. Get the product name written out, then ask what health problem the person treating you hopes it will help. ## What it does, in ordinary words FDA is short for Food and Drug Administration. That agency reviews medicines for approval in the U.S. After eating, the gut releases a chemical messenger; semaglutide is a modified copy of that hormone. It acts on appetite signals and helps the body handle blood sugar. FDA prescribing label That hormone is called GLP-1. A medicine that copies its action is often called a GLP-1 medicine. How the label describes it Proteins and peptides are made from the same tiny parts joined into chains. The chains in peptides are shorter than those in proteins. Insulin belongs to this peptide group. Calling something a peptide describes its structure, without establishing its safety or legal use as medicine. Medicine information checked September 26, 2026. Keep this in mind The ingredient can be shared while the approved uses differ. A brand name alone also leaves out whether the product is a tablet or an injection. ## Which product is being discussed? Semaglutide (Ozempic) For an adult with type 2 diabetes, one approved role of Ozempic injection is to help manage blood sugar. Changes in eating and exercise go with that use. Among those adults, having heart disease adds an approved use: reducing the chance of stroke, heart attack or death caused by heart disease. Another approval covers adults in that diabetes group who have long-term kidney disease. It is for reducing the risks of kidney failure, worsening kidney function and death caused by heart disease. Its official medicine information, called the label, does not list weight loss as an approved use. Ozempic medicine information Off-label means prescribing an approved medicine for a use outside that list. A person authorized to prescribe may legally do this. Semaglutide (Wegovy) Weight loss followed by keeping that weight off is an approved use of Wegovy for certain groups. Treatment also includes fewer calories and more physical activity. Wegovy medicine information For its adult weight use, the label covers obesity, or overweight alongside a weight-related health condition. Semaglutide tablets As of September 26, 2026, both Ozempic and Wegovy came as tablets as well as injections. Rybelsus is the older name for semaglutide tablets used for diabetes. The newer version is called Ozempic tablets, and the older Rybelsus tablets are being replaced. The replacement notice gives no date when Rybelsus will be gone. Information for the diabetes tablets Keep this in mind Ask what health problem the proposed product is meant to address. The answer can affect the care discussion and the insurance question. ## What does “compounded” mean? When medicine is compounded, a pharmacist or doctor prepares it to order in place of a manufacturer’s finished product. The FDA does not check a made-to-order medicine’s safety, quality or how well it works before it is sold. These medicines are not FDA-approved. FDA explanation of compounding Read the pharmacy and compounding checks → Open the evidence notes ## A closer look at the evidence ### Keep product names attached to claims FDA-approved uses can differ between a tablet and an injection. Check the information for the exact product being offered. Wegovy medicine information Ozempic medicine information Information for the diabetes tablets FDA explanation of compounding When you are ready Prepare your questions → A guide is what this notebook offers: help with the care questions, without running a clinic or selling medicine. Return to the start Evidence notebook Read as plain text