How much does Wegovy cost?

In this article:

• Wegovy without insurance
• Pill vs. injection
• Does insurance cover Wegovy?
• Cost with insurance
• Medicare and Medicaid coverage
• How to save
• Is Wegovy cheaper than Ozempic or Zepbound?
• Bottom line

In this article

• Wegovy without insurance
• Pill vs. injection
• Does insurance cover Wegovy?
• Cost with insurance
• Medicare and Medicaid coverage
• How to save
• Is Wegovy cheaper than Ozempic or Zepbound?
• Bottom line

Wegovy (semaglutide) is a prescription weight-loss medication available as a prefilled single-dose weekly injectable pen or a once-daily oral tablet. It is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss in adults and children 12 years and older with obesity, as well as in overweight adults with at least one weight-related comorbid condition. It is also approved to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in adults with cardiovascular disease who are either overweight or have obesity, and in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis with fibrosis (MASH). Wegovy slows the passage of food from the stomach, affects brain signals that regulate hunger, and regulates insulin production. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, decreased body weight by an average of 15% over 68 weeks in clinical trials.

As a brand-name drug, Wegovy can be expensive, but some insurance plans may cover it for a low cost or no cost at all. Additionally, there are other ways to save if you don’t have insurance or if the copay with insurance is too high.

How much does Wegovy cost without insurance?

On average, the cost of Wegovy without insurance is $1,807 for 30, 1.5 mg tablets. Costs fluctuate and vary by pharmacy and location. With a Wegovy coupon from SingleCare or the SingleCare app, you could pay $1,011 per month for oral or injectable Wegovy, depending on your pharmacy.

RELATED: Cheapest semaglutide injection

Oral Wegovy tablets are started at a dose of 1.5 mg daily for 30 days. The dose is increased monthly to a maximum of 25 mg per day. Wegovy injections begin with a starting dose of 0.25 mg weekly for four weeks, increasing the dose every month until a weekly maintenance dose of 1.7 or 2.4 mg is reached. Wegovy HD is a 7.2 mg weekly injection available for people who require a higher dose of semaglutide for medically indicated weight loss.

RELATED: Can I start Wegovy at 1.7 mg?

Wegovy pill vs. injection cost: which is cheaper?

According to the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, the retail price for Wegovy tablets, injections, and HD injections is the same: $1350/month.

For a limited time, Wegovy tablets are available to people without insurance at starting doses (1.5 and 4 mg) for: 

• $149/month, followed by $299/month for 9 mg and 25 mg doses.
• Starting-dose Wegovy injections (.25 and .5 mg) will cost $149/month, followed by $349/month for 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg maintenance doses.
• Wegovy HD injections (7.2 mg) will cost $399/month.

Doses of Wegovy tablets and injections are increased every 4 weeks until a maintenance dose is reached. The rate of increase may be slower for some people. The maintenance dose may also vary based on your health conditions and side effects. These factors, along with whether tablets or injections are recommended for you, will affect your overall cost. Some commercial insurance plans cover Wegovy injections, tablets, or both. The copay or coinsurance amount may vary by plan.

Does insurance cover Wegovy?

To get a Wegovy prescription covered by insurance, you need to meet the FDA’s approval criteria. The FDA approves Wegovy for weight loss in adults who have obesity with an initial body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more and pediatric patients ages 12 and older with obesity and an initial BMI at the 95th percentile or higher. It’s also approved for adults who have a BMI of 27 or more with at least one weight-related medical condition, such as heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, or MASH. 

Even if you meet the FDA-approved criteria for Wegovy, it is important to check with your health insurance company before finalizing treatment plans. Many insurance companies require healthcare providers to request prior authorization before coverage is granted. “This request must include patient-specific information such as current weight, prior weight history and loss attempts, other medical conditions, and current activity levels,” says Dexter Turnquest, MD, a bariatric surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital.

If someone’s insurance plan doesn’t cover Wegovy, their healthcare provider can submit a coverage request to their insurance company, which will review it and reconsider coverage. Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Wegovy, provides guidelines and a sample letter to help you and your healthcare provider with your coverage request. 

If your insurance company still doesn’t cover Wegovy, consider speaking with your healthcare provider about Wegovy alternatives.

RELATED: Does Kaiser cover Wegovy? Does Aetna cover Wegovy?

How much does Wegovy cost with insurance?

Insurance plans like Kaiser Permanente, Aetna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield vary in their coverage of Wegovy. When GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are covered on a plan’s drug formulary, they are generally in a higher tier. That means that prior authorization and higher copays may be required.

Novo Nordisk offers a copay option for people with commercial insurance who qualify for the program that may be as low as $25/month. However, the maximum savings in this program is $100/month.

Do Medicare and Medicaid cover Wegovy?

Beginning in July 2026, Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage will cover Wegovy under the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program. The program is expected to last through December 2027. Under this program, Wegovy injections and tablets will cost $50/month for Medicare recipients who meet one of the following criteria: 

• A body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher when the medication is started
• A BMI of 30 or higher and blood pressure that is not well controlled on two or more medications 
• A BMI of 30 or higher and heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction
• A BMI of 30 or higher and chronic kidney disease that is stage 3A or above
• A BMI of 27 or higher with pre-diabetes, a previous heart attack or stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease

Medicaid coverage for Wegovy varies by state and plan. As of January 2026, only 13 states included GLP-1 medications for weight loss on their Medicaid formularies. Contact your state’s Medicaid office to determine whether it covers weight management medications such as Wegovy. 

How to get discounts on Wegovy

People with insurance can get a discount on Wegovy using a NovoCare Wegovy savings card, depending on eligibility. Using the card with their insurance benefits, they can pay as little as a $25 copay, subject to a maximum savings of $100 per 28-day supply.

People without insurance (and those with insurance that does not cover Wegovy) can pay about $150-$200 for a 28-day supply of starting doses, depending on the dosage form. Maintenance doses of medication will cost between $300 and $400/month. Those prices may change based on the manufacturer’s program. 

Another option is a SingleCare prescription coupon or discount card. Depending on your preferred pharmacy, you may save over $700 for a 28-day supply of Wegovy. Just show your card to your pharmacist. You can also search for Wegovy coupons in the SingleCare app, compare prices at local pharmacies, download a free digital coupon from the most affordable pharmacy, and show it to your pharmacist to get your discount.

Weight loss coupons & resources

Is Wegovy cheaper than Ozempic or Zepbound?

At list price, Wegovy and Ozempic (both semaglutide from Novo Nordisk) are similarly priced. Zepbound (tirzepatide) introduced lower self-pay pricing in 2025, which makes it a competitive alternative for uninsured patients.

Ozempic vs. Wegovy cost

Wegovy and Ozempic are made by the same manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. Both medications contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, and work similarly. “Semaglutide helps the pancreas release the right amount of insulin to lower your blood sugar,” says Nilda Agnes Abellera, MD, medical director of Infuze MD.

However, the costs, approved uses, age restrictions, and dosages differ. After the dose is gradually increased, Wegovy delivers a higher maximum weekly dose and has a higher maintenance dose than Ozempic. Additionally, the FDA approved Wegovy for weight loss but not Ozempic. For that reason, Ozempic is sometimes prescribed off-label for weight loss. 

As for the cost difference, Ozempic costs slightly less than Wegovy. The average price of Ozempic is $1,395 per month without discounts or insurance for a 2 mg/3 mL pen, which should last a month. While Wegovy comes in a box of 4 single-use pens, Ozempic is supplied as a single pen that delivers multiple doses. Ozempic, like Wegovy, is also now available in tablet form. With a SingleCare coupon for Ozempic, you could pay about $792 for a one-month supply of injectable Ozempic, or $927 for 30 tablets. Costs fluctuate and vary by pharmacy and location.

“Both Wegovy and Ozempic are generally covered by insurance if prescribed for diabetes,” Dr. Abellera says. Again, the cost for each with insurance varies by plan. 

Zepbound vs. Wegovy cost

Since Ozempic isn’t approved for weight loss (but may be prescribed off-label for weight loss), it may be worth asking your healthcare provider about Zepbound (tirzepatide). Zepbound is a dual GLP-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist that is approved for weight loss in adults with obesity (a BMI of 30 or more) and adults who are overweight (a BMI of 27 or more) with a weight-related medical condition. Zepbound is also approved for treating obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

In clinical trials, people have lost more weight with Zepbound than with Wegovy. Zepbound may be more affordable without insurance as well. Zepbound costs $663 per month without insurance for a Zepbound KwikPen. With the SingleCare app or a Zepbound coupon from SingleCare, you could pay $408 per month without insurance. Zepbound’s manufacturer, Lilly, has a similar savings program to Wegovy for insured and uninsured patients. Zepbound is also included in the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program. Talk to your healthcare provider about the differences between Wegovy and Zepbound to see which is best for you. 

Bottom line

The injectable or oral prescription medication Wegovy supports weight loss when used in combination with a healthy diet and an exercise program. Insurance coverage varies for weight-loss drugs, so check your plan details to verify the cost. You can do this by calling the phone number on the back of your insurance card. The average cost of Wegovy without insurance is around $1,350 per month, but there are ways to save, including SingleCare coupons for Wegovy.