Ozempic

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic is a once‑weekly injectable formulation of semaglutide. It acts as a GLP‑1 receptor agonist, mimicking the incretin hormone GLP‑1.

This is the best-selling drug produced by the Danish company Novo Nordisk. Global sales of Ozempic exceed US$10 billion.

It is intended for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, both as a standalone therapy and in combination with other substances, including insulin. It is sometimes prescribed off-label for weight loss.

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Buying Ozempic Online in Australia

Disregarding the issue of shortages, you will need a prescription from a doctor to purchase Ozempic. You can then buy it at a pharmacy. Online purchases are limited by the requirement to provide a prescription and the difficulty of delivering the injections, which must be transported in special refrigerated boxes.

It is possible to buy Ozempic online. However, online platforms usually only allow patients to reserve medication at a convenient pharmacy.

Ozempic Without Prescription

Ozempic cannot be legally dispensed without a prescription. Online sites claiming to sell it without a prescription are operating outside of the law.

Chemist Warehouse and Priceline both require authority‑script for PBS price eligibility.

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Online Script for Ozempic

Doctors must use the PBS authority system (either online or via phone) to prescribe Ozempic under PBS eligibility rules. Private scripts are required for individuals who do not meet Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme criteria.

There are telemedicine platforms in Australia that offer remote consultations and online prescriptions. These consultations usually take place over the phone or via video call. However, not all platforms can help you obtain a prescription for Ozempic, as establishing the indications and absence of contraindications for therapy requires an in-depth study of your medical history.

Ozempic in Chemist Warehouse

Chemist Warehouse offers Ozempic pens in-store only. Online checkout is not available currently, and a current prescription is mandatory. In any case, you will need to visit a physical pharmacy to make your purchase. You can use the locator on the website to find the nearest one.

For Australian patients, only the “prescription + pharmacy visit” option is available. However, if there is a pharmacy from another chain near you, it is worth visiting it.

How Much Does Ozempic Cost at Chemist Warehouse?

Chemist Warehouse is offering a special price of AUD 31.50 per pen. This price is only available to patients with a valid Australian PBS authority script. The price for those with a private prescription will be significantly higher.

Ozempic’s Price at Priceline Pharmacy

The price at Priceline Pharmacy, based on the PBS authority script, is the same as the price at Chemist Warehouse. The subsidy amount for Ozempic is the same at all pharmacies, meaning the maximum cost of this medicine is AUD 31.60. Significant price differences only occur if you purchase semaglutide injections with a private prescription.

PBS Restrictions Placed on Ozempic

A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes alone is not enough to get a prescription from the PBS:

Ozempic PBS Restrictions — https://www.pbs.gov.au/

Patients who do not meet these criteria can only purchase Ozempic with a private prescription.

The Australian regulator is introducing other restrictions. From 2024, general practitioners will no longer have access to a simplified process for prescribing GLP-1 analogues. Instead, they will have to obtain approval through an electronic system. This should help optimise public spending and make it more equitable. However, many doctors have strongly criticised the existing restrictions.[1]

Mechanism of Action and Effects

Semaglutide binds to GLP‑1 receptors in the pancreas and brain, improving glucose-dependent insulin release and reducing glucagon secretion. It delays stomach emptying and induces satiety, lowering energy intake. Receptor expression in heart, vasculature, kidneys and immune cells may contribute to cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory effects.[2]

The usual results of therapy are:

Achieving stable blood sugar levels.
Weight loss of around 10% of initial body weight.
Reduced cardiovascular risk.

Dosage and Administration Guidelines

Treatment typically begins with a low dose, which is increased after several weeks to improve tolerance. Dosage adjustments and administration should be guided by the doctor, based on the patient’s glycaemic response and any side effects experienced.

The general recommendations for taking Ozempic according to the instructions are as follows:

Take once a week.
Take it regardless of mealtimes.
The medicine should be injected subcutaneously using a pen injector.
Starting dose: 0.25 mg.
The maintenance dose is determined by your doctor and is usually 1 mg, but can be up to 2 mg (however, this dose is not available in Australia).

Possible Side Effects

Common side effects:

nausea
vomiting
diarrhoea
constipation
early satiety
delayed gastric emptying

Less common:

acute pancreatitis
gallbladder disease
possible retinopathy complications following rapid glucose lowering

Cases of increased heart rate also reported.[3] However, they appear to be less frequent than with retatrutide, a triple agonist of the new generation.

“Ozempic Face”: Before and After Pictures

There is a lack of controlled studies on the phenomenon of “Ozempic face”, which refers to changes in facial fat with weight loss. Although anecdotal before-and-after photos are circulating online, no peer-reviewed evidence supports them. Anyway, the medication is so popular that it’s easy to find relevant photos of this phenomenon. A generated image is presented below for the sake of confidentiality. It approximately reflects the experience of users who had drastic weight loss with Ozempic, which led to noticeable facial changes.

Precautions

Ozempic is contraindicated for use by pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding. Treatment should be stopped in advance when planning a pregnancy.

Semaglutide is not suitable for treating type 1 diabetes. This medicine should also be avoided if there are signs of pancreatitis.

Special attention should be paid to patients:

with severe gastrointestinal diseases;
who are taking other substances to lower blood sugar (to avoid hypoglycaemia);
with a diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Effectiveness in Clinical Studies

Semaglutide demonstrated high efficacy across all key parameters:

Significant improvement in β-cell response to glucose and increased insulin production.
Reduction in HbA1c levels to -1.53% by week 30 of semaglutide treatment.
Weight loss of up to -5.06 kg by week 30 of semaglutide treatment.
Overall success rate of approximately 80%.[2]

Patient Reviews

Ozempic does not have the most convincing rating on Drugs.com, the most popular English-language resource dedicated to medicines. This is due to the frequent occurrence of gastrointestinal side effects. As not all patients know how to deal with these, they tend to leave cautious reviews.

Ozempic reviews — https://www.drugs.com/

Nevertheless, the overall trend of reviews on Reddit and other forums indicates high levels of satisfaction with the drug. Patients and doctors alike consider Ozempic to be indispensable in the fight against type 2 diabetes. They do not agree as much on the issue of weight loss, but this is easily explained by the fact that obesity should be combatted with specialised treatments rather than anti-diabetic injections.

Lottie Moss and Her Experience

Sharlotte (Mottie) Loss is the younger half-sister of Kate Moss. She used Ozempic for two weeks and, she says, she couldn’t drink or eat anything. She became severely ill and ended up in hospital. So the model does not recommend using Ozempic.[4] However, negative individual experiences are not representative. Perhaps she just wasn’t lucky enough.

Shortage Issues

Supply shortages peaked in the 2024–25 period. According to TGA reports, supply levels have stabilised and wholesalers have resumed distribution. The transition between pen presentations (1.5 mL to 3 mL) is ongoing, with products being reclassified to align with PBS dispensing. Ozempic 0.25 mg/0.5 mg in 1.5 mL presentations will remain available for dispensing until the end of 2025, but will not be available for prescription.[5] They will be replaced by 3 mL formats.

Alternatives

Ozempic vs Wegovy

Both contain semaglutide, but they are approved for different uses: Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is approved for chronic weight management in non-diabetics. Another significant distinction is related to available dosages. Ozempic is more low-dose, while Wegovy contains higher amounts of semaglutide and is sold in a wider variety of dosages.

It is not permitted to interchange between brands via PBS prescriptions.

Ozempic vs Mounjaro

Mounjaro (tirzepatide), developed by Eli Lilly, is a dual GLP-1/GIP agonist, while Ozempic is a “single” GLP-1 agonist. Mounjaro is not yet listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for weight management in Australia, though a submission is reportedly underway.

Mounjaro is the main competitor of Ozempic. Thanks to its greater impact on weight loss, tirzepatide has overtaken semaglutide in popularity in some markets.

In response to the success of a competitor, Novo Nordisk began campaigning against compounding, the process of preparing custom medications in pharmacies.[6] While this may have yielded positive results, it also led to increased shortages, including in Australia.

Ozempic vs Retatrutide

Retatrutide is still in the experimental stage and is neither approved nor commercially available in Australia. There is currently no head-to-head human comparison data available for retatrutide and Ozempic.

A comparison of the currently available results of studies on retratutide suggests that it has potentially higher efficacy.[7] However, this primarily relates to its effect on weight rather than blood glucose levels, the latter of which is a more important indicator for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Ozempic Tablets – Do They Exist?

No. Ozempic is only available as injectable pens. However, semaglutide tablets under the brand name Rybelsus are available in Australia. They have the same uses as the injections, so in non-professional settings, they are sometimes referred to as “Ozempic tablets”.

There are some differences in how tablets and injections affect the body:

Effects	Comparison
Reduction in average blood glucose levels	Tablets lead to a more significant reduction in glucose levels than injections
Weight loss	Injections lead to more significant weight loss than tablets
Side effects	Injections are easier to tolerate than tablets (frequency of side effects (4.9% and 16.7%, respectively)[15]

FAQ

The key reasons for this unfortunate situation include:

you are not on a calorie deficit (yes, Ozempic suppresses appetite, but you can still consume too many calories a day);
you have encountered a weight-loss plateau;
the current dosage you are using is not sufficient to ensure the needed weight-loss effect.

There are no direct contraindications to combining alcohol and Ozempic. However, there are several considerations regarding this combination. Firstly, drinking alcohol, especially binge drinking, is unhealthy. It can also severely hinder weight loss and worsen diabetes. Secondly, alcoholic beverages may exacerbate the side effects of Ozempic, such as nausea. Thirdly, and this is the good news, semaglutide intake has been associated with potential benefits in the treatment of alcohol use disorder. Ozempic may reduce booze cravings.[8]

This is a requirement of the consumer medicine information (CMI) for Ozempic. The medication works best when paired with regular exercise (such as swimming, jogging or walking) and a healthy diet. This is also necessary for developing healthy eating habits, because if you stop taking Ozempic, you risk encountering a rollback effect.

Ozempic is a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes which also has a positive effect on a patient’s weight. However, it has not been, nor will it be, approved for weight loss purposes, as Wegovy has already received approval for this. Distinguishing between diabetes and obesity medicines is important for patient management and reducing demand for Ozempic.

It is not worth relying on semaglutide being subsidised by the state for weight loss. The PBAC has already rejected two relevant applications from Novo Nordisk.[9] Currently, economic feasibility prevails over improving patient access to obesity drugs.

Unless other therapies or lifestyle support are maintained, HbA1c and glucose control may deteriorate and weight may return. For example, according to one stody[10], participants regained two-thirds of their initial weight loss after stopping the use of 2.4 mg of semaglutide (i.e. Wegovy). Data on discontinuation trajectories is limited. Your doctor should advise you on the next steps to take.

There is no evidence to suggest that semaglutide has addictive properties. It does not act on the opioid or reward pathways.

No reliable evidence links Ozempic with heavy menstrual bleeding, and menstrual changes have not been reported in clinical trials. However, if you experience a change in your menstrual flow while taking Ozempic, you should consult your healthcare professional, as other underlying health issues could be responsible.

Taking an incomplete dose several times a week is not permitted. The half-life of semaglutide is approximately 7 days. There is no point in dividing the dose into several doses, as this will not change the duration of the drug’s action. If you cannot tolerate the full dose, discuss with your doctor whether to reduce the dose or switch to a more suitable medication.

Unlike regular syringes, which require you to measure out your dose manually, the Ozempic pen comes pre-loaded with the medication and has a dial that makes it easy to select your prescribed dose. This minimises the risk of dosing errors. The pen has a finer, shorter needle than many regular syringes, which can make the injection process less daunting and potentially more comfortable. The pen’s design allows for better portability. You can take it with you wherever you go, eliminating the need to carry around a vial of medication and separate syringes.

Ozempic pens were approved in 2023 and finally arrived in New Zealand in 2024-2025, while Wegovy was also approved in 2025.[11] Although the shortage of Ozempic in both countries does not mean that the drug is unavailable or that supplies have been halted, it does raise doubts over whether suppliers will be able to meet demand for semaglutide injections in the near future.

Incidentally, the situation with Wegovy supplies is much better. This is prompting some patients to purchase Wegovy instead of Ozempic (typically in 0.5 mg and 1 mg doses).

Ozempic is available at major Australian pharmacies (e.g. Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, TerryWhite Chemmart etc.) in both cities. However, some users reported issues with stock.[12]

Reddit users report that it is rare in Melbourne.[13] A similar situation exists in Sydney and Perth, where pharmacies are putting patients on waiting lists. Sometimes, this wait can be as long as a month.[14]

Chemist2U offers home delivery to customers with valid prescriptions, including for Ozempic. However, it is advisable to ask the pharmacy specialists whether they can guarantee that the transportation conditions are appropriate.

Neither the government nor private companies provide an official stock locator service. However, pharmacies such as Chemist Warehouse and Priceline may be able to advise you on local availability.

None exist. No transdermal or patch presentation is approved. However, there are animal studies where transdermal application of semaglutide has been tested. Tests on rats proved successful and demonstrated the high efficacy of the new method of using semaglutide as a weight loss agent.[16]

Purchasing the medication (“cheapest” offers, “Ozempic for sale”) without presenting a valid prescription or via unregulated websites is illegal and unsafe. Stay away from such online “services”.

Ozempic is never sold at a discount or included in sales promotions. Even if you are a member of a pharmacy loyalty programme, you will not receive a “special price”.

Buying Ozempic beyond Australia requires local regulatory approval (probably a local prescription too) and is not covered by Australian PBS. Ozempic is approved in Hong Kong, so if you live there, you can discuss treatment with your local doctor.

It costs around A$144 per pen at Chemist Warehouse. Purchasing with private scripts from pharmacies such as Priceline will cost A$150–200 per pen. For diabetics with PBS prescriptions, the cost is 31.60 AUD, or 7.70 AUD for those with a concession card.[17]

Private health insurance, such as Bupa, may not cover PBS-listed meds, including Ozempic. However, it depends. A company may offer rebates on consultation costs and the cost of the medication itself. Unfortunately, the current trend is to cut refunds for Ozempic.[18]

Wegovy and Mounjaro are alternative injectable therapies but are not PBS-listed for weight loss. Oral substitutes include Contrave, Xenical, and Prolistat. There are also good natural supplements like PhenQ.

References:

Ozempic

What is Ozempic?