Back to all peptides

Semaglutide

GLP-1 agonist

A GLP-1 receptor agonist peptide drug approved for type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management.

Updated August 13, 2026 · By The Peptide Dex — Gut Editorial

Reading a prescription or supplement label

On a prescription or label?

Semaglutide

GLP-1 medicines and gut peptides have distinct names—brand names, generics, and research codes.

Pharmacokinetic snapshot

Reference values from published sources—not prescribing or dosing advice. Cosmetic INCI peptides do not belong here; injectable and prescription contexts only.

Half-life: 7 days
Typical dose range: 0.25–2.4 mg
Common frequency: Weekly (subcutaneous)

Source: PMC semaglutide PK

Structure (cute edition)

Simplified amino acid chain for Semaglutide

✨ real molecule sketch

This peptide is a short chain of about 4 amino acids—think of it as a tiny protein necklace on your label.

INCI: Semaglutide · ~4 amino acids in our simplified view

FDA label data

Sourced from OpenFDA drug labels (public domain). Not medical advice.

Brand names: OZEMPIC, RYBELSUS, Ozempic, WEGOVY

Manufacturer: Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, LP

Indications

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE 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. RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets are glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists indicated: • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. ( 1 ) • to…

Warnings

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 det…

Research & public records

Counts and links from public databases (PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, Wikidata, NIH drug nomenclature). Educational only — not medical advice.

Knowledge base: medication used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity — Wikipedia

PubMed: 5041 indexed papers (search PubMed)

How Low Could Semaglutide Prices Fall? An Analysis of Production Cost and Implications for Global Access. · Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
Understanding reasons for initiation and experience with tirzepatide among individuals with obesity or overweight: Results from the PERCEPTIONS survey. · Obesity pillars
Semaglutide alters behaviour and nucleus accumbens oscillatory activity in healthy mice. · Molecular brain
The Periprocedural Safety of Continued GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Prior to Cardiac Catheterization. · The American journal of cardiology
Lower fall and femoral fracture risks with semaglutide and tirzepatide compared with DPP-4 inhibitors in older adults with type 2 diabetes. · Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA
Tirzepatide compared with semaglutide in obesity disease: a subpopulation analysis applying Japan Society for the Study of Obesity criteria in the global SURMOUNT-5 trial. · Current medical research and opinion
Direct effects of glucagon-like Peptide-1 receptor agonists on mitochondrial function in human-derived in vitro models: A systematic review and meta-analysis. · Metabolism open
Déjà vu! A Case of Recurrent Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis 70 Days After Liver Transplantation. · ACG case reports journal

Clinical trials: 759 studies on ClinicalTrials.gov (view search)

The Effect of Semaglutide on Pituitary Function · COMPLETED
Evaluating the Effect of the STEP@STAH Semaglutide Protocol on the Physical Health Measures of Atypical Antipsychotic-Treated Patients · ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Effect of Renal Impairment on the Pharmacokinetics of NN9535 · COMPLETED
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Non-diabetic Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis · NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Semaglutide Use in Elderly Obese Patients · COMPLETED
Investigation of Gastric Emptying by Gastric Ultrasonography in Diabetic Patients Treated With GLP-1 Receptors · RECRUITING
Semaglutide for the Prevention Of Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus · NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Investigation on Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Multiple Doses of a Long-acting GLP-1 Analogue in Healthy Male Subjects and Male Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes · COMPLETED

ChEMBL: CHEMBL4556788

RxNorm names: 0.5 ML semaglutide 0.5 MG/ML Auto-Injector [Wegovy]; 0.5 ML semaglutide 1 MG/ML Auto-Injector [Wegovy]; 0.5 ML semaglutide 2 MG/ML Auto-Injector [Wegovy]; 0.75 ML semaglutide 2.27 MG/ML Auto-Injector [Wegovy] (RxNav)

DailyMed labels: 8 SPLs

What brands say it does

Semaglutide mimics glucagon-like peptide-1, slowing gastric emptying and increasing satiety. Weekly injection versions (Ozempic, Wegovy) produce significant weight loss in trials. It is a prescription drug—not a supplement—and requires medical supervision.

Where you’ll find it

Prescription pharmacies, obesity medicine clinics, and telehealth weight-loss programs.

Other names you might see

Ozempic Wegovy GLP-1 receptor agonist

Compare with similar peptides

Exenatide vs Semaglutide Liraglutide vs Semaglutide Retatrutide vs Semaglutide Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide

Similar peptides

Educational only—not medical advice. GLP-1 drugs require a prescription; do not source medications online without a clinician.