Answer library

• How do GLP-1 medications compare to other weight loss drugs?

  As of the mid-2020s, GLP-1–based medications generally help people lose more weight on average than older long-term weight-loss drugs, but they are usually more expensive, often given as injections rather than pills, and may need to be continued to keep the weight off.

• How much does Zepbound cost without insurance?

  As of 2024, Eli Lilly's U.S. list price for Zepbound is $499 to $1,086.37 per fill for a one-month supply, depending on dose and whether the patient buys the single-dose vial through LillyDirect or a pen at retail — with Sen. Bernie Sanders publicly warning on the official Senate.gov site that even after Lilly's starter-dose cut, "millions of Americans will still be unable to afford" the drug.

• How much does Wegovy cost without insurance?

  As of 2024, Wegovy's U.S. list price is about $1,349 for a one-month supply — substantially more than older weight-loss medications and far higher than list prices reported for the same molecule in Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom, a gap the Senate HELP Committee entered into the public record.

• Semaglutide vs tirzepatide: which is more effective for weight loss?

  In the head-to-head SURMOUNT-5 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, tirzepatide produced greater average weight loss than semaglutide over 72 weeks — about 20.2% of baseline body weight with tirzepatide versus 13.7% with semaglutide, in adults with obesity but without type 2 diabetes.

• How much does Ozempic cost without insurance in the United States?

  As of 2024, Ozempic's U.S. list price is about $968 for a one-month supply — roughly 10 to 15 times what Novo Nordisk charges in other wealthy countries, a gap the Senate HELP Committee brought to a public hearing on September 24, 2024.

• What are the most common side effects of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs?

  Per the FDA-approved Wegovy label, the most common side effects at incidence ≥5% are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, and abdominal pain, along with headache, fatigue, indigestion, dizziness, bloating, burping, flatulence, gastroenteritis, GERD, and nasopharyngitis; the label also carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors observed in rodents.

• Is telehealth-prescribed compounded semaglutide legitimate?

  Compounded semaglutide sold by telehealth clinics is not FDA-approved and, as of the FDA's February 6, 2026 announcement, the agency intends to restrict the active ingredients used to make it — a signal that the era of freely mass-marketed compounded GLP-1s is closing.

• Who qualifies for a GLP-1 weight-loss prescription?

  Under the FDA-approved Wegovy label, adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30) qualify, as do adults with overweight (BMI ≥ 27) who also have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol; pediatric patients aged 12 and older with obesity also qualify.

• What has Congress said about Ozempic pricing?

  On September 24, 2024, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing focused specifically on why Novo Nordisk charges Americans far more for Ozempic and Wegovy than patients pay in other high-income countries, and pressed the company on whether U.S. list prices could be lowered.