Prices checked Nov 2, 2026

The Ozempic pen costs $349 to $499 a month without insurance

NovoCare sells the Ozempic pen for $349 a month at 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1mg from the third fill, and $499 at 2mg, according to GLP Chart. New patients pay $199 a month for their first two fills at 0.25mg and 0.5mg, through December 31, 2026. Compounded semaglutide, a pharmacy-made version that is not FDA-approved and is not Wegovy or Ozempic, is the cheapest cash route to semaglutide on our chart.

Compounded options

On a commercial plan the Ozempic savings card takes it to $25 a month. What Ozempic costs with your plan.

Cost by dose: 0.25mg to 1mg and 2mg.

Every Ozempic cash path, side by side

Prices are checked every week against NovoCare's published pricing, then logged on the Price Index. We do not create accounts or make purchases to verify them. These are ongoing prices, not multi-month prepay teasers.

GLP-1 prices lists what each seller charges for Ozempic, dose by dose, checked November 1, 2026.

Ozempic for weight loss: read this first

Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss. If your goal is weight loss, that changes what you pay. Insurance generally covers Ozempic only with a diabetes diagnosis, so off-label weight-loss use is usually a cash purchase: $199 a month for a new patient's first two fills, then $349 or more for the pen through NovoCare.

The weight-loss-indicated version of the same molecule is Wegovy, semaglutide at a higher maximum dose. For weight loss it is often the cheaper insured path, and its oral pill runs $149 a month through NovoCare. The full breakdown is in the Wegovy cost guide.

Compounded semaglutide: the $59 route the FDA has not approved

Compounded semaglutide is not Ozempic, and the FDA has not approved it. A licensed 503A pharmacy makes it against a prescription, and the FDA does not review it for safety, effectiveness or quality. Its formulation, including the salt form, can differ from the approved drug. Ask your prescriber which pharmacy makes it and which form of semaglutide it uses. It is the reason many cash-pay patients never pay the $1,027.51 list price.

The entry floor is $59 a month at Collective, drug price, plus $199 yearly membership. That price covers the starter dose, and most programs charge more as you titrate up. If you want one price that holds across every dose, CoreAge Rx runs $79 a month flat, the same rate at the starter and the maintenance dose. Found advertises $169 a month, but that rate is a year paid up front. Month to month Found is $289. Other compounded programs charge up to $348 a month. Noom Med pairs compounded semaglutide with behavioral coaching at $179 a month on the microdose tier and $249 at the full dose, billed quarterly.

What Ozempic costs with insurance

When a commercial plan covers Ozempic for type 2 diabetes, the copay usually runs $25 to $50 a month. That is the cheapest path, but it is gated by a diabetes diagnosis and prior authorization. Coverage for off-label weight loss is rare in 2026, so weight-loss patients without diabetes usually pay cash or switch to Wegovy through prior authorization.

Whether your plan covers Ozempic depends on the payer and your diagnosis. Check our payer coverage pages for your insurer. If prior authorization is required, our PA letter templates cover the major commercial payers. If you are denied, the appeal letter builder drafts the response. Medicare Part D often covers Ozempic for diabetes, and from July 1, 2026 the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge covers qualifying GLP-1s at a flat $50 a month for eligible Part D beneficiaries.

What Ozempic costs per year

Ozempic is a long-term medication, so the annual number is the one that matters. A year of Ozempic at list price costs about $12,330 with no insurance. NovoCare's pen at $349 a month is $4,188 a year at 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1mg, and CoreAge Rx charges $79 a month flat, $948 a year. With insurance covering it for diabetes, a year can cost as little as $300 to $600 in copays.

The gap between the cheapest cash route and the list price is about $969 a month, or roughly $11,622 a year. The cheap end is compounded. That gap is the whole reason to compare before you start.

Why Ozempic is so expensive in the US

The $1,027.51 list price is a US phenomenon. The same semaglutide costs a fraction of that in Europe. The US has no central drug-price negotiation, and pharmacy-benefit managers capture much of the rebate between list and net price. The list price is mostly a sticker. What cash buyers pay is NovoCare's $349 pen, or compounded semaglutide at $59 a month, drug price, plus $199 yearly membership. Our explainer on why Ozempic is so expensive in the US walks through the list-price mechanics.

Ozempic was studied first for cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes. In the SUSTAIN-6 trial (NEJM, 2016), patients at the 1.0mg dose lost a mean of about 4.9 kg over 104 weeks as a secondary measure, in a study designed around heart outcomes rather than weight. For weight loss specifically, the higher-dose sibling Wegovy has the stronger trial record. The pricing case is what this page is for.

Every Ozempic dose step on the FDA label, and why it stops at 2 mg →

What to do next

If you have diabetes and want branded Ozempic, start with your insurer for the $25 to $50 copay, then fall back to NovoCare's pen at $349 a month if you are not covered. If your goal is weight loss, compare against Wegovy, the indicated product, and consider compounded semaglutide at $59 a month, drug price, plus $199 yearly membership, as the cash floor. Compare every program's real all-in price on the GLP Chart before you decide.

Side effects: Nausea, Diarrhea, Constipation, Fatigue, Burping, Hair loss, each with the rates the current FDA labels print, and every Ozempic reaction on one page.

Ozempic cost FAQ