The Wegovy pill and the Wegovy injection are the same drug, semaglutide, sold two ways. The pill is taken once a day.2 The pen is injected once a week.4 On Novo's own cash prices the pill costs less at every strength: $149 to $299 a month against $349 for the standard pen.1
Everything else on this page is the detail behind those three sentences, with the source for each.
The two forms side by side
| Wegovy pill | Wegovy pen | |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | semaglutide | semaglutide |
| How often | once a day, by mouth | once a week, injected |
| Strengths | 1.5, 4, 9, 25 mg | 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.7, 2.4 mg, plus 7.2 mg HD |
| Self-pay, per month | $149 / $199 / $299 by strength | $349; $399 for 7.2 mg HD |
Tablet strengths from the FDA's drug code directory, which also dates the tablet's launch to January 2026;3 pen strengths and both price lists from NovoCare.1
The milligram numbers are not comparable across the two columns. A daily tablet and a weekly injection deliver the drug differently, so 25 mg by mouth and 2.4 mg by injection are each the top of their own range, not a sign that one is ten times stronger. Your prescriber sets the dose, in either form.
How each one is taken
For the pen, the label is short and relaxed:4
Administer WEGOVY injection once weekly, on the same day each week, at any time of day, with or without meals.
Wegovy prescribing information
For the tablet, Novo describes it as "a once-daily pill".2 The label names 25 mg once daily as the maintenance dose.5 The tablet has its own instructions on how to take it, and we have not quoted them here, so we will not paraphrase them. Read the leaflet that comes with the bottle and ask the pharmacist if anything is unclear. The pen's dose ladder is here.
What each one is approved for
Both forms carry the weight indication: "to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity, or in adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition."5
Both also carry the heart one. The injection's label lists a use "to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events",6 and the tablet's label gives its maintenance dose "for cardiovascular risk reduction and weight reduction in adults".5 Picking the pill does not mean giving up the cardiovascular indication, which matters if your plan covers Wegovy for heart risk but not for weight.
One thing we cannot give you is a weight-loss comparison between the two forms. We hold no trial figure for the tablet that we can quote, and a number we cannot source does not go on this page.
What each one costs
Novo publishes a self-pay price for both, and they are shaped differently. The pill climbs with the strength; the pen is flat:1
| Wegovy, Novo self-pay | Per month |
|---|---|
| Pill, 1.5 mg | $149 |
| Pill, 4 mg | $199 |
| Pill, 9 mg and 25 mg | $299 |
| Pen, 0.25 and 0.5 mg, new patients | $199 for the first 2 fills, through 31 Dec 2026 |
| Pen, 0.25 to 2.4 mg | $349 |
| Pen HD, 7.2 mg | $399 |
One month of the pill is "1 bottle of 30 tablets".1 The $199 pen price is an introductory offer with its own end date, 31 December 2026, and after that the starting pen doses go back to $349.7
The gap between the top pill tier and the standard pen, every month, on Novo's own prices. At the entry strength the gap is $200.
Here is the live picture for the pill from the sellers we track, all-in with membership fees:
Most rows on that board are compounded semaglutide, which is not FDA-approved and is not the branded Wegovy tablet. The ranking is by price only. And here is everything carrying the Wegovy name, pen and pill together:
With insurance or Medicare
Commercial plan that covers it: Novo's savings offer brings Wegovy to as little as $25 a month, "subject to a maximum savings of $100/month".7 Whether your plan covers the pill, the pen or both is plan-specific. Our coverage tracker holds what eight insurers publish.
Medicare: the GLP-1 Bridge names both forms. Eligible Part D members can get "Wegovy (injection or tablet)" for "a $50 copayment for each 30-day supply", and the programme runs through 31 December 2027.8 At $50 either way, the cash gap between the forms disappears.
Choosing between them
- If you will not inject: the pill is the only Wegovy without a needle.
- If you would rather think about it once a week: the pen is one dose a week, any time of day, with or without meals.4
- If cash price decides it: the pill is cheaper at every strength on Novo's list.1
- If your plan covers one form and not the other: that usually settles it. Ask the plan before the prescriber writes it.
None of these is a reason to pick a dose, and none replaces the conversation with whoever prescribes it. If you are weighing the pill against Lilly's tablet instead, Foundayo vs the Wegovy pill covers that.