What is Semaglutide?
The short answer
Semaglutide is a lab-made peptide that copies a hormone the gut makes after you eat. In the US, you need a prescription to get Semaglutide.
What it is
Copies the gut hormone GLP-1 and binds its receptor.
What people look into
Weight
- 9 sources
- Status as of
- How we source
- Ellum doesn't sell peptides.
Get updates on Semaglutide
What it is
- Type
- GLP-1 receptor agonist (peptide)
- Also known as
- sema
- How it works
- Copies the gut hormone GLP-1 and binds its receptor.
Regulatory status
FDA-approved (Rx) How we label status
As of October 4, 2026, Semaglutide is an FDA-approved prescription drug for type 2 diabetes; chronic weight management; cardiovascular risk reduction; reducing the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, Ozempic injection only; noncirrhotic MASH with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis (stages F2 to F3) in adults, Wegovy injection only, under accelerated approval.
- Federal (FDA)
- Approved Rx (Ozempic NDA209637 2017; Wegovy NDA215256 2021; Rybelsus NDA213051 2019; Ozempic tablets NDA213051 2026; Wegovy tablet NDA218316 2025)
- 503A compounding
- Approved-drug component; shortage resolved 2025-02-21 (503A window ended, PI denied 2025-04-24; 503B ended 2025-05-22); 'essentially a copy' limits apply (as of April 1, 2026)
- WADA 2026
- Not prohibited (monitoring)
Timeline
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| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FDA Federal Register notice proposes not to include semaglutide on the 503B bulks list for outsourcing facility compounding. | Federal Register, event of May 1, 2026, on federalregister.gov |
US enforcement actions
78 US enforcement actions since 2023.
Actions by US federal and state agencies whose documents name Semaglutide. Each row links to the government's own document.
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| Date | Agency | Action | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDA | Warning letter | FDA document, warning letter, September 18, 2026, on fda.gov | |
| FDA | Warning letter | FDA document, warning letter, August 24, 2026, 1 of 5 that day, on fda.gov | |
| FDA | Warning letter | FDA document, warning letter, August 24, 2026, 2 of 5 that day, on fda.gov | |
| FDA | Warning letter | FDA document, warning letter, August 24, 2026, 3 of 5 that day, on fda.gov | |
| FDA | Warning letter | FDA document, warning letter, August 24, 2026, 4 of 5 that day, on fda.gov |
Show all 78 enforcement actions
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Forms and brands
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| Name | Kind | Status | FDA status | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compounded semaglutide | Compounded form | Not FDA-approved | Not FDA-approved (compounded drugs are not FDA-approved) | |
| Ozempic | Brand | FDA-approved (Rx) | Approved Rx (NDA209637, 2017; tablets NDA213051, 2026; type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, injection; cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk for major adverse cardiovascular events, tablets; reducing the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, injection only) | |
| Rybelsus | Brand | FDA-approved (Rx) | Approved Rx (NDA213051, 2019; type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk for major adverse cardiovascular events) | |
| Semaglutide sodium / acetate (salt forms) | Salt | Not FDA-approved | Not FDA-approved | |
| Wegovy | Brand | FDA-approved (Rx) | Approved Rx (NDA215256, 2021; tablet NDA218316, 2025; chronic weight management; cardiovascular risk reduction; noncirrhotic MASH with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis (stages F2 to F3) in adults, injection only, under accelerated approval) |
References
Sources as of October 4, 2026
- DailyMed: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm (1 of 3)
- DailyMed: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm (2 of 3)
- DailyMed: dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm (3 of 3)
- FDA: www.fda.gov/media/185526/download
- FDA: www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-alerts-and-statements/fda-clarifies-policies-compounders-national-glp-1-supply-begins-stabilize
- Federal Register: www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/01/2026-08552/list-of-bulk-drug-substances-for-which-there-is-a-clinical-need-under-section-503b-of-the-federal
- WADA: www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026_list_monitoring_program_en_final_clean_september_2025.pdf
- Drugs@FDA: www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm
- FDA: www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2026/213051Orig1s030ltr.pdf