Reference, not advice. Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus are prescription medicines. This page describes what the evidence shows. It publishes no doses, gives no guidance on use, and does not replace a prescriber. Vallydia does not sell, supply or link to any GLP-1 medicine.
Ozempic and Wegovy are not two competing drugs. Both contain semaglutide, a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist. A third brand, Rybelsus, contains it too, as a daily tablet.
What separates them is the regulator's label: the approved condition, the dose range and the form. The molecule is the same.
This frame is half right. The molecule is the same. But each label rests on its own trial programme, and the results do not automatically transfer from one box to another. The diabetes data come from SUSTAIN. The weight data come from STEP. The cardiovascular data that support the label come from SELECT, a trial of Wegovy. Saying "semaglutide works for X" is accurate only when you know which trial measured X.
Grades come from our semaglutide register entry. They are graded per outcome, not per brand.
| Outcome | Grade | Trial programme | What was measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes | A | SUSTAIN (injection), oral programme | Robust HbA1c reduction |
| Weight management in obesity | A | STEP (injection), OASIS (oral) | Roughly 15% mean weight loss with the injection |
| Cardiovascular risk | A | SELECT (Wegovy), SOUL (oral) | Fewer major cardiovascular events |
| Kidney outcomes in type 2 diabetes with CKD | A | FLOW | Slower kidney function decline, fewer kidney failures and CV deaths |
Two caveats from the register belong next to the grades.
The weight effect wanes if treatment stops. The weight result describes people who stay on treatment. It does not describe a permanent change.
Gastrointestinal tolerability is the main limit. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are the most common reasons people struggle with treatment.
Semaglutide was the second GLP-1 to win a weight-management label, after liraglutide. In the head-to-head STEP 8 trial it produced about 15.8% weight loss against 6.4% for liraglutide. It is no longer the strongest agent on this outcome: across trials, tirzepatide shows roughly 22% mean weight loss.
| Ozempic | Wegovy | Rybelsus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molecule | semaglutide | semaglutide | semaglutide |
| Form | Weekly injection | Weekly injection | Daily tablet |
| Approved for | Type 2 diabetes | Chronic weight management | Type 2 diabetes |
| Dose range | Lower | Higher | Oral – not comparable mg for mg |
| Key trials | SUSTAIN, FLOW | STEP, SELECT | Oral programme, SOUL |
In the US, the FDA declared the semaglutide shortage resolved on 21 February 2025. The phase-out deadlines for compounding pharmacies have passed, so compounded semaglutide is now largely prohibited, with narrow patient-specific exceptions. Gray-market and counterfeit "semaglutide" sold as a "research peptide" is unapproved and a documented safety risk. None of the trial evidence above applies to it, because nobody can verify what is in the vial.
Rapid weight loss on any GLP-1 can produce visible changes in the face: hollowing, laxity and lines. That is an appearance effect of fast weight loss, not a drug side effect. We cover it separately in Skincare on GLP-1s – "Ozempic face".
Are Ozempic and Wegovy the same drug? Yes. They have the same active molecule, semaglutide, but different approved conditions and dose ranges.
Is Wegovy stronger than Ozempic? It is the same drug used at a higher dose range. That range is what the STEP weight-management trials tested.
Is Rybelsus the same as Ozempic in a pill? It is the same molecule in tablet form, taken daily. Oral and injected doses cannot be compared milligram for milligram.
Does semaglutide protect the heart? SELECT, a trial of Wegovy, showed fewer major cardiovascular events, and the oral SOUL trial supports the same outcome. Both are graded A in the register.
Is compounded semaglutide the same thing? Not verifiably. In the US it is now largely prohibited, and gray-market vials are a documented safety risk.
Does Vallydia publish doses? No. Dosing is a prescriber's decision.
Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus are one molecule sold under three labels. Each label rests on its own trial programme: SUSTAIN for diabetes, STEP for weight, SELECT for the heart. The evidence for semaglutide is as strong as pharmacology gets. Its limits are tolerability, the fact that the effect ends when treatment does, and a successor that now outperforms it on weight.
Three names, one molecule. Each label tells you which trial measured what.
Vallydia does not sell, supply or link to any GLP-1 medicine.
How we separate evidence levels: how we grade · how we grade.
Vallydia sells its own cosmetic serums, and some ingredients discussed here belong to the same categories as those products. Assessments are drawn from the published evidence by the method we publish, and applied to our own ingredients on the same terms — our copper-peptide serum is graded no more kindly than the peptides it competes with. We disclose the interest so you can weigh it.
Brand and trade names appearing in these articles are the property of their respective owners and are used only to identify the product or ingredient under discussion. Their appearance implies no affiliation with, or endorsement by, the proprietor. Where we judge a claim, we are judging the published evidence for that claim — not making a statement about the company that makes it.
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This site provides neutral scientific reference and sells only products lawful in your region. Nothing here is medical advice, a recommendation, or an offer to supply unapproved medicines. No dosing or administration is published for research compounds. Cosmetic peptides per Regulation (EC) 1223/2009. Unapproved injectable peptides are neither sold nor advertised in the EU (Directive 2001/83/EC, Title VIII). © 2026 Vallydia.