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ingredients in ozempic

Ozempic for Weight Loss | Uses & Side Effects

What is Ozempic? Ozempic is a medicine designed to treat people with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic is a branded medicine manufactured by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk Inc. The active ingredient in Ozempic is semaglutide, which is a synthetic version of the naturally occurring hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is an incretin mimetic, which helps

Published 2026-07-11GlycoMetrix
Abstract study of peptide signaling across a cell membrane

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic is a medicine designed to treat people with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic is a branded medicine manufactured by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk Inc.

The active ingredient in Ozempic is semaglutide, which is a synthetic version of the naturally occurring hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is an incretin mimetic, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels.

It does this by helping the body to produce more insulin when needed and suppressing the amount of glucose produced by the liver.

Ozempic and weight loss

You might have heard about Ozempic being used as a weight loss treatment and be wondering how Ozempic can help you lose weight.

Ozempic isn’t licensed as a weight loss treatment. However, the active ingredient in Ozempic, semaglutide, can help to regulate your appetite, keeping you feeling fuller for longer and reducing cravings. This, alongside healthy eating and regular exercise, can be very effective for losing weight.

Our weight loss plans

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Where can I buy Ozempic?

Ozempic is a prescription-only medicine that you would need to get from your GP, hospital specialist or a licensed online pharmacy, like Boots Online Doctor. We have a range of other, similar weight loss treatments available.

For example, Mounjaro, a weight loss injection pen containing tirzepatide, is similar to Ozempic. It helps you feel fuller, reducing hunger levels and cravings and resulting in improved control of eating habits.

Find out more about Mounjaro.

Is Wegovy the same as Ozempic?

Wegovy is manufactured by Novo Nordisk Inc., the same pharmaceutical company that manufactures Ozempic, and contains the same active ingredient semaglutide.

Wegovy has been created specifically for supporting weight loss and has been approved and licensed for this purpose.

Find out more about Wegovy.

Other weight loss treatments

We also have a variety of other treatments currently available to support you on your weight loss journey.

Mounjaro works in a similar way to Wegovy and Ozempic, by helping to reduce appetite and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Orlistat and Xenical are both capsules that work by stopping your body from absorbing some of the fat from the food you eat. These medicines are best used alongside a lower fat healthy eating plan.

Find out more about these weight loss treatments.

What’s the difference between Ozempic and Rybelsus?

Ozempic and Rybelsus are made by the same manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, and have the same active ingredient, semaglutide. They are both primarily designed to treat people with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic comes in the form of a self-injection pen. Rybelsus comes in tablet form.

What else can I do to lose weight?

In addition to the weight loss medicines we can prescribe, we also have a host of resources available for free to help you with your weight loss goals.

These include recommended eating plans, live webinars with our expert lifestyle medicine team and our 10-week weight loss programme. Visit our lifestyle hub to find out more.