The Wegovy dosing chart, and what year one actually costs

The Wegovy pen ladder is 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, with a 7.2 mg high-dose strength above it, stepped up over months rather than started at the target. Novo's self-pay price is flat at $349 a month across the whole standard range, so climbing costs nothing extra. What that flat number hides is the first year: a new self-pay patient gets two fills at $199 before the $349 starts, which works out at $3,888 for twelve months rather than the $4,188 the sticker implies.

Julian CaraulaniFounder, PriceTracker GLP-1Last checked Aug 27We track prices. Clinical facts on this site are quoted from the drug's label, the FDA or the published trial, with the source and the date beside each one. We do not write medical guidance and we do not tell anyone what to take.

6 min read · published Aug 27

The short version

1The pen ladder is 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.7 and 2.4 mg, with 7.2 mg above it. It is climbed over months.
2Novo's self-pay price is $349/mo flat across every standard dose, so dose escalation does not raise the bill.
3A new self-pay patient gets two fills at $199 first, making year one $3,888 rather than $4,188.
4The tablet is a separate product and self-pays cheaper, from $149/mo.

Wegovy is climbed, not started. The pen strengths are 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, with a 7.2 mg high-dose strength above them, and a patient moves up in steps over months so the gastrointestinal effects have time to settle.

Every dosing chart on the internet stops there. Here is the same ladder with the money on it, and then the number nobody publishes: what the first twelve months actually cost.

Worth knowing

Your dose and how fast you move between strengths are decisions for the clinician who prescribed this. The ladder below is Novo's published schedule and pricing, reproduced so you know what to expect.

The ladder

Wegovy · the manufacturer’s own ladder · sellers checked Aug 27

What each dose costs

Ease in0.25 / 0.5 mgThe starting doses, priced at $199/mo for a new patient's first two fills through December 31, 2026. After that they cost the standard $349.$199/mo
Build1 / 1.7 mgThe middle of the ladder. The manufacturer's self-pay price is flat across every pen dose from 0.25 to 2.4 mg.$349/mo
Maintain2.4 mgThe top of the standard pen range. The self-pay price is the same as every tier below it.$349/mo
High dose7.2 mg (HD)The high-dose strength, $50/mo above the standard pen price.$399/mo

Against that, the cheapest verified seller of Wegovy today is Sesame Care at $208/mo all in, checked Aug 27. See every Wegovy price.

Dose steps and manufacturer prices from the manufacturer, as published. Your dose and your schedule are set by your prescriber.

The flat middle column is the useful part. $349 covers 0.25 mg and it covers 2.4 mg.¹ On the brand, going up a dose does not put your bill up, and asking to sit at a strength for an extra month costs nothing.

What year one actually costs

Here is where the sticker price misleads, and it misleads downward as often as upward.

Novo's terms, quoted:¹

Patients new to the Wegovy Savings offer or NovoCare Pharmacy pay $199 for each month of 0.25 mg & 0.5 mg. Offer for 2 monthly fills through December 31, 2026, then $349 per month.
NovoCare

So a new self-pay patient starting today does not pay $349 twelve times. They pay:

Months	Dose	Rate	Subtotal
1 to 2	0.25 / 0.5 mg	$199	$398
3 to 12	climbing to 2.4 mg	$349	$3,490
Year one			$3,888

$3,888

What twelve months of self-pay Wegovy costs a new patient, on Novo's published rates. The sticker price alone would suggest $4,188. The difference is the two introductory fills.

Two caveats we would rather state than bury. The introductory rate runs through 31 December 2026, so a patient starting later in the year gets fewer of those fills before it lapses. And it applies to patients new to the offer, not to everyone.

If a prescriber holds you longer at the lower strengths, the calendar stretches but the bill does not change after month two, because the price is flat. That is the practical benefit of flat pricing and it is worth understanding before you compare against a program that prices by dose.

The tablet is a different product, and cheaper

Wegovy is also sold as a daily tablet, at different strengths and a different price: from $149 a month rather than $349. If you are choosing on cost, that comparison matters more than anything on the pen ladder, and we covered the pill and what it costs separately.

The schedule itself

From the FDA label:²

Administer WEGOVY injection once weekly, on the same day each week, at any time of day, with or without meals.
FDA label, via DailyMed

No empty stomach, no particular hour. Pick a day that you will actually remember and rotate injection sites with each dose.

What this costs against the alternatives

The brand is one route and not the cheapest one. The molecule, compounded, is a different proposition at a different price and a different regulatory status:

Sources2

NovoCare, Wegovy savings offer and self-pay pricing read Aug 22“Patients new to the Wegovy Savings offer or NovoCare Pharmacy pay $199 for each month of 0.25 mg & 0.5 mg. Offer for 2 monthly fills through December 31, 2026, then $349 per month for Wegovy 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, or 2.4 mg and $399 per month for Wegovy HD 7.2 mg.” ↩
FDA label for Wegovy (semaglutide), via DailyMed read Aug 27“Administer WEGOVY injection once weekly, on the same day each week, at any time of day, with or without meals. ... Rotate injection sites with each dose.” ↩

Common questions

What is the Wegovy dosing schedule?

The pen strengths are 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, with a 7.2 mg high-dose strength above them. Treatment starts at the bottom and steps up over months so side effects can settle. Your schedule is set by your prescriber.

Does Wegovy cost more at higher doses?

No, not on the brand. Novo's published self-pay price is $349 a month for 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.7 and 2.4 mg, so it is flat across the whole standard range. The 7.2 mg high-dose pen is $399. Some compounded sellers do price by strength.

What does a year of Wegovy cost?

On Novo's published self-pay rates, a new patient pays $199 for each of their first two monthly fills and $349 thereafter, which is $3,888 for twelve months. The introductory rate runs through 31 December 2026 and applies to patients new to the offer.

How long does it take to reach the 2.4 mg maintenance dose?

Novo's schedule holds a patient at each strength for several weeks, which puts the maintenance dose a few months from the first injection rather than a few weeks. Prescribers commonly slow it further if side effects are difficult, and on the brand that does not cost more.

When should I inject Wegovy?

The FDA label says to administer it once weekly, on the same day each week, at any time of day, with or without meals, rotating injection sites with each dose. There is no requirement to take it on an empty stomach or at a particular hour.