This grade answers one narrow question: how strong is the public evidence and safety record behind this drug, and how clean is its money trail and court record? It is not a verdict on whether the drug is right for you.
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 determined [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ), Nonclinical Toxicology ( 13.1 )] . • RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets are contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2) [see Contraindications ( 4 )] . Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of RYBELSUS or OZEMPIC tablets and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (e.g., a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with RYBELSUS or OZEMPIC tablets [see Contraindications ( 4 ), Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )]. WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS See full prescribing in...
Warnings the FDA chose to announce publicly after approval, as opposed to quiet label edits. Class-wide items name the drug's class, not this drug specifically.
Listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines: a global expert panel judged it among the medicines a health system should always have, on evidence of value, not marketing.
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 reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are at high risk for these events. ( 1 )
and OZEMPIC tablets are contraindicated in patients with: • A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2) [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] . • A prior serious hypersensitivity reaction to semaglutide or to any of the excipients in RYBELSUS or OZEMPIC tablets. Serious hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis and angioedema have been reported with semaglutide tablets [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 )] . • Personal or family history of MTC or in patients with MEN 2 syndrome type 2 ( 4 ) • Prior serious hypersensitivity reaction to semaglutide or any of the excipients in OZEMPIC ( 4 )
• Acute Pancreatitis : Has been observed in patients treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists, including RYBELSUS or OZEMPIC tablets. Discontinue if pancreatitis is suspected. ( 5.2 ) • Diabetic Retinopathy Complications : Has been reported in a cardiovascular outcomes trial with semaglutide injection. Patients with a history of diabetic retinopathy should be monitored. ( 5.3 ) • Hypoglycemia with Concomitant Use of Insulin Secretagogues or Insulin : May increase the risk of hypoglycemia, including severe hypoglycemia. Reducing the dosage of insulin secretagogue or insulin may be necessary. ( 5.4 ) • Acute Kidney Injury Due to Volume Depletion : Monitor renal function in patients reporting adverse reactions that could lead to volume depletion. ( 5.5 ) • Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions : Use of RYBELSUS or OZEMPIC tablets has been associated with gastrointestinal adverse reactions, sometimes severe. RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets are not recommended in patients with severe gastroparesis. ( 5.6 ) • Hypersensitivity Reactions : Serious hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis and angioedema) have been reported. Discontinue RYBELSUS or OZEMPIC tablets if hypersensitivity react...
The following serious adverse reactions are described below or elsewhere in the prescribing information: • Risk of Thyroid C-cell Tumors [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Acute Pancreatitis [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] • Diabetic Retinopathy Complications [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] • Hypoglycemia with Concomitant Use of Insulin Secretagogues or Insulin [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] • Acute Kidney Injury Due to Volume Depletion [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] • Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] • Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 )] • Acute Gallbladder Disease [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.8 )] • Pulmonary Aspiration During General Anesthesia or Deep Sedation [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.9 )] Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥5%) are nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, decreased appetite, vomiting and constipation. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Novo Nordisk Inc., at 1-833-457-7455 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying condit...
Indications and Usage ( 1 ) ………………………………….……..10/2025 Dosage and Administration ( 2 )…………………………..………..12/2025 Warnings and Precautions Acute Pancreatitis ( 5.2 )……………………………………..…10/2025 Acute Kidney Injury Due to Volume Depletion ( 5.5 ) ………..10/2025 Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions ( 5.6 ) ….………….10/2025 Acute Gallbladder Disease ( 5.8 )…………….………..……….10/2025
Source: FDA SPL label for OZEMPIC (Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, LP), effective 20260130. Full label on DailyMed.
These are counts of reports people filed, not rates of harm. Anyone can file one, and nobody checks whether the drug was the cause. Millions of doses are taken for every report sent, so the useful part is how this drug compares with the average across all drugs.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,832 | 3,961 | 5,514 | 8,069 | 11,841 | 19,086 | 27,462 | 21,528 |
5,706 reports blaming this drug for every million Medicare prescriptions filled, which is 2.1× the typical drug on this site. (67,785 reports in 2024–2026, against 11,880,490 Medicare fills in one year. This is the one number here that accounts for how many people take the drug.)
Source: the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports are voluntary and unverified. Drugs that are prescribed a lot, in the news, or in lawsuits attract more reports, so the percentages are compared with the whole database to correct for that partly, not fully.
Counts measure how much evidence exists and how transparent it is, not how big the benefit is. For that, ask your prescriber: if 100 people like me took this, how many would get better because of it, and how many would be harmed? (Doctors call these the "number needed to treat" and "number needed to harm.") It differs by condition and is the number drug ads leave out. Sources: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov.
In 2024, drug companies reported $15,071,226 in payments to US physicians and hospitals tied to this drug across 423,428 transactions (Wegovy $6,861,640, Ozempic $5,531,973, Rybelsus $2,677,614).
Not named in any federal pharmaceutical settlement of $100M or more on record.
Sources: CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act); Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pending docket list; DOJ settlements as tabulated on Wikipedia with links to the primary record. State-court and individual suits are not included.
| Product | Fills | $/fill |
|---|---|---|
| Ozempic | 10,417,182 | $1,245 |
| Rybelsus | 1,251,733 | $1,510 |
| Wegovy | 211,575 | $1,424 |
2 drugs in the same class grade a letter or more higher than semaglutide on this site. Worth asking whether one of them would do the same job for you.
Same ATC pharmacological class, graded ones first, best grade at the top. Being in the same class does not make them interchangeable for your condition; it makes them worth asking about.