Ozempic Shortage: Current Status by Strength and What to Do
No. Ozempic is not in shortage now. The injection shortage for semaglutide was resolved on February 21, 2025. Older Rybelsus tablets are being discontinued.
- Shortage
- Resolved
- Lowest self-pay
- $149 a month
- Prescription
- RequiredFDA label (DailyMed)
Ozempic facts in brief
Its half-life is about 1 week. After 7 d, half is gone, and about 3% remains by five half-lives (35 d).
In SUSTAIN 1, people with type 2 diabetes lost 4.7 kg over 30 weeks, compared with 1.2 kg on placebo.
Monthly prices in US dollars include list price and self-pay offers. Each figure was read from the maker's price page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
Ozempic: every legit route, ranked
| Route | Who it is for | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk PAP | Household income: 200% of the federal poverty level or less | Free if approved |
| Your doctor, with insurance and the savings card | Commercial insurance that covers it | Your cost may be as little as $25 a month. This price lasts up to 3 months |
| NovoCare Pharmacy: Ozempic pill (from 1.5 mg) | Anyone with a prescription, no insurance needed | $149 a month |
| GoodRx: GoodRx lowest price | Cash at the pharmacy counter | $149 a month |
| TrumpRx listing (pen, starting) | Self-pay only | $199 a month |
| Telehealth: WeightWatchers Med+, Ozempic injectable pen (self-pay) | Online visit, medicine shipped | $273 a month all in |
Prices checked November 2026. Every price points to its source page.
Sources: Novo Nordisk pricing, NovoCare, TrumpRx, rx.costco.com.
Who can qualify
In the US, every GLP-1 requires a prescription. A prescriber writes it for an approved use on the label:
- For adults with type 2 diabetes, it helps lower blood sugar when used with diet and exercise.
- It lowers the risk of a heart attack, a stroke or a heart-related death in adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- In adults with type 2 diabetes who also have chronic kidney disease, it reduces the risk of worsening kidney disease, kidney failure and heart-related death.
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).
Comparing telehealth options
| Program | Medicine option | Medicine price | Membership | All in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 WeightWatchers Med+ | Ozempic injectable pen (self-pay) | $199 a month | $74 a month | $273 a month |
 Hims & Hers | Ozempic pen | $199 a month | $149 a month after first month | $348 a month |
| Sesame (Success by Sesame) | Wegovy or Ozempic pen, after intro months | $349 a month | $59 a month | $408 a month |
Every price comes from the program's own pricing page. We receive no money from any of them.
Sources: weightwatchers.com, hims.com, sesamecare.com.
Status of the shortage
The injection shortage for semaglutide was resolved on February 21, 2025. Older Rybelsus tablets are being discontinued.
- March 2022: first on the FDA shortage list
- Shortage resolved: February 21, 2025
- State pharmacies were required to stop compounding copies: April 22, 2025
- May 22, 2025: outsourcing facilities had to stop
Source: FDA.
Signs of a scam
- Skipping the prescription means the seller is not a licensed US pharmacy.
- A price much lower than the manufacturer's own price: the brand's lowest self-pay cost is $149 a month.
- Sold as the brand, but compounded: no FDA approval means they are not Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound.
- Different salt forms: semaglutide sodium and semaglutide acetate do not match the active ingredient in approved drugs.
- Claims that a product matches the brand: the FDA sent 30 warning letters over misleading claims to telehealth companies.
- Compounded semaglutide: The FDA has 990 related adverse event reports.
- When a monthly price leaves out the drug, that is what the FTC acted against one program for; see the NextMed review.
Sources: Novo Nordisk pricing, NovoCare, TrumpRx, rx.costco.com.
Find it in the state you live in
- Hims & Hers is not available in all 50 states
- Noom Med is not available in all 50 states
- Delivery network: NovoCare Pharmacy covers all 50 states plus DC, Puerto Rico
The route you take depends most on Medicaid rules. for weight loss, 10 state Medicaid programs now cover GLP-1s. Choose your state to see its drug list and prior authorization rules:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming