Description
Wegovy (Semaglutide) 0.5 mg FlexTouch
Wegovy contains semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It is supplied as a pre-filled pen for subcutaneous injection. Regulatory sources identify Wegovy as a prescription medicine used for long-term weight management and, in some regions, for cardiovascular risk reduction in appropriate patients.
Active Ingredient and Medicine Class
The verified active ingredient is semaglutide. It belongs to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class. Medicines in this class act on GLP-1 receptors involved in appetite regulation and glucose control.
Established Medical Uses
Wegovy is authorised for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related health problems, alongside diet and physical activity. In the United States, the label also includes reduction of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight, and use in certain paediatric patients with obesity. Approved indications vary by country and region.
How It Works
Semaglutide helps lower body weight mainly by reducing appetite and calorie intake. It also stimulates insulin secretion and reduces glucagon secretion in a glucose-dependent manner. It delays gastric emptying, which may affect how quickly the stomach empties and can influence absorption of some oral medicines.
Important Safety Information
Wegovy is contraindicated in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. It is also contraindicated in patients with a prior serious hypersensitivity reaction to semaglutide or any excipient.
Important warnings include risk of acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, dehydration-related kidney injury, and severe gastrointestinal adverse reactions. Caution is needed with medicines that lower blood sugar, especially insulin or insulin secretagogues, because hypoglycaemia risk may increase. Because Wegovy delays gastric emptying, it may affect absorption of oral medicines. GLP-1 receptor agonists have also been associated with rare pulmonary aspiration events during general anaesthesia or deep sedation.
Possible Side Effects
The most commonly reported adverse effects are gastrointestinal, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, and abdominal pain. Other reported effects include headache, fatigue, and dyspepsia. More serious reactions can include pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, acute kidney injury, severe hypersensitivity reactions, and worsening of low blood sugar in people taking other glucose-lowering medicines.
Scientific Evidence
Randomised clinical trials in people with overweight or obesity have shown that subcutaneous semaglutide produces clinically meaningful weight loss compared with placebo, and in selected populations it has also shown cardiovascular benefit. Published studies and regulatory reviews consistently support its role in chronic weight management, while also documenting the gastrointestinal and gallbladder-related safety profile.
Medical Information Notice
This page is an educational summary based on sources available at the time of review and does not replace the official patient leaflet or individual assessment by a qualified healthcare professional.
Medical Sources
- European Medicines Agency (EMA), Wegovy: EPAR – Product Information. Link
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), WEGOVY (semaglutide) Highlights of Prescribing Information. Link
- Wilding JPH et al., Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity, New England Journal of Medicine, 2021. PubMed
