What is the half-life of semaglutide?

Roughly one week. That is what supports once-weekly injection, and it is why the drug takes about four to five weeks to reach steady state.

Are Ozempic and Wegovy the same drug?

They are the same molecule at different doses and under different approvals. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, Wegovy for chronic weight management, and Rybelsus is the oral tablet form.

How much human research exists on semaglutide?

Semaglutide has the largest published trial base of any compound on this site, with several thousand PubMed records tagged to human subjects and hundreds typed as clinical trials. The count and the query are shown above so you can re-run it.

Semaglutide: half-life, evidence and what trials used

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist available as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection and as a daily oral tablet.

Also known as Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, sema.

Evidence and regulatory status

Approved for human use, with published phase 3 data.

Approved by the FDA as Ozempic and Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes and as Wegovy for chronic weight management.

Half-life

Semaglutide has a reported terminal half-life of about 7 days. Reported as approximately one week. Figure taken from Semaglutide pharmacokinetics.

What published trials used

STEP 1 randomised participants to 2.4mg once weekly or placebo for 68 weeks, reached by titration over the first 16 weeks.

Reported for reference only. What a trial administered under supervision is not a recommendation, and Gireta does not make one.

How much research exists

PubMed records: 5592
Tagged human: 3246
Clinical trials: 344

A PubMed search for Semaglutide returns 5,592 records, of which 3,246 are tagged as human research and 344 are typed as a clinical trial.

Counted on 2026-09-04. Counts drift, so the exact query is linked rather than described, and you can re-run it.

Common questions

What is the half-life of semaglutide?: Roughly one week. That is what supports once-weekly injection, and it is why the drug takes about four to five weeks to reach steady state.
Are Ozempic and Wegovy the same drug?: They are the same molecule at different doses and under different approvals. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, Wegovy for chronic weight management, and Rybelsus is the oral tablet form.
How much human research exists on semaglutide?: Semaglutide has the largest published trial base of any compound on this site, with several thousand PubMed records tagged to human subjects and hundreds typed as clinical trials. The count and the query are shown above so you can re-run it.

Sources

Wegovy label · DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine, 2025
STEP 1 · New England Journal of Medicine, via PubMed, 2021
Semaglutide pharmacokinetics · Advances in Therapy, via PubMed, 2018

Related compounds

Incretin receptor agonists

Act on the GLP-1 receptor, and in some cases on the GIP and glucagon receptors as well.

Tirzepatide Tirzepatide is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist administered as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection.
Retatrutide Retatrutide is an investigational triple agonist of the GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, studied as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection.

Planning a schedule?

Gireta turns a compound and a cadence into a twelve-week timeline with the reconstitution maths worked out and a monthly cost.

Plan a Semaglutide schedule

Last reviewed 2026-09-04.