Which company created the GLP-1 medicine semaglutide under the brand Ozempic?

Novo Nordisk created semaglutide, marketed for type 2 diabetes under the brand name Ozempic.

Ozempic is a once-weekly injectable medicine whose active ingredient, semaglutide, belongs to the glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, receptor agonist class. It was approved in the United States in 2017 for improving blood-sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, alongside diet and exercise.

Semaglutide imitates a hormone signal involved in glucose regulation and can also reduce appetite. The same ingredient is marketed under other brand names and indications, including Wegovy for chronic weight management. Those products should not be treated as interchangeable prescriptions.

Eli Lilly is a common source of confusion because it makes tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight management. Tirzepatide is a different molecule from semaglutide, even though both have become prominent in the same therapeutic area.