How long has Ozempic (semaglutide) been on the market?

GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, the class of medications that Ozempic® belongs to, have been on the market for close to 20 years. Byetta® (exenatide) was the first of this class to be FDA-approved in 2005. Ozempic is an injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist that was FDA-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in December 2017. At that time, the available doses were 0.25mg, 0.5mg, and 1mg. In March 2022, the 2mg Ozempic dose was FDA-approved. The only GLP-1 receptor agonists that are FDA-approved for weight loss are Saxenda® and Wegovy®, and these were FDA-approved in 2014 and 2021, respectively.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Lemieux, MD, FACP, ABOM diplomate

‍Dr. Lauren Lemieux completed her Internal Medicine residency and fellowship in Clinical Nutrition at UCLA. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, and as a Physician Nutrition Specialist. She is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Lemieux is passionate about helping her patients reach their health goals using personalized nutrition, lifestyle and weight management strategies.

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Ozempic®, Saxenda®, and Wegovy® are registered trademarks of Novo Nordisk A/S.
Byetta® is a registered trademark of AstraZeneca.