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Who Manufactures Wegovy? Everything You Need To Know About Novo Nordisk
Who Manufactures Wegovy? Everything You Need To Know About Novo Nordisk
Dr. Zoë Lees (PhD)
Dr. Sophie Dix (BSc, PhD)
1 October 2025 | Updated: 4 August 2026
4 August 2026
If you’ve heard of Wegovy or Ozempic , you might be wondering who actually makes these breakthrough weight loss injections and how they work. Both medicines come from Novo Nordisk , a global healthcare company with a long history of developing treatments for diabetes and obesity.
In this article, we’ll walk you through who Novo Nordisk are, how they developed Wegovy, the difference between Ozempic and Wegovy, what side effects to be aware of, and what new treatments might be available soon.
The history of Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk was established in the 1920s after Marie and August Krogh (one of Denmark’s first female medical graduates and a Nobel laureate, respectively) heard about a new discovery in Canada, insulin. Marie had diabetes, which at the time was only managed through “starvation dieting” [1], and often led to a short lifespan.
August travelled to Canada to seek permission to produce insulin in Denmark, which was granted, and after teaming up with scientists Hans Christian Hagedorn and August Kongsted, the brand was born, with the first patients beginning insulin treatment in 1923.
Fast forward to 1985, and the company launched the first insulin pen (NovoPen®), enabling people with type 1 diabetes to self-inject their treatment at home, paving the way for the injectable weight loss drugs like Wegovy, and the company’s first oral treatment for type 2 diabetes.
The link between weight loss treatments and insulin
Early injectable weight loss drugs began as medications used to manage blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. When using these medications, many people reported significant weight loss as a side effect, along with a loss of appetite and cravings, sometimes referred to as ‘food noise’. This discovery highlighted the opportunity for the first injectable weight loss treatments.
Which weight loss treatments does Novo Nordisk produce?
Novo Nordisk produces Ozempic and Wegovy, two different treatments with the same active ingredient: semaglutide.
Semaglutide is part of a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic the action of a naturally occurring hormone called GLP-1. This hormone helps control your appetite, slows down the time it takes for your stomach to empty after eating, and regulates your insulin and blood sugar levels, making it a powerful tool for weight loss management, specifically weight reduction.
It’s suitable for adults with obesity or those who are overweight with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes).
How Ozempic and Wegovy differ
Ozempic
Ozempic is possibly the best known GLP-1 receptor agonist available, first making headlines in late 2022 for its rapid weight loss results, with trials in adult patients showing results of up to 7% body weight reduction in a year. [2] Despite this, Ozempic is in fact a type 2 diabetes treatment, and has not been formally tested or approved for weight loss in the UK by the MHRA.
Wegovy
Wegovy is a once-weekly injectable medication approved by the MHRA for obesity and weight management. It can help you lose 15% of your body weight on average [3] when combined with a healthy diet and exercise. Recently, Wegovy made headlines as an affordable alternative to popular obesity drug Mounjaro, which increased in price in September 2025. You can find out more about the difference between the two treatments here.
What are the side effects of semaglutide?
Common side effects are gastrointestinal reactions, such as nausea or bloating, but these typically subside once you've adjusted to treatment.
Future treatments from Novo Nordisk
Alongside weight management products, Novo Nordisk is still committed to supporting patients with type 2 diabetes, and continues to develop treatments across a range of other metabolic and heart conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis).
At MedExpress, we’re here to help you reach your health goals. To learn more about our approach to weight loss and the different treatments available in the UK and Europe, and to find out what treatment is suitable for you on MedExpress.
References
- Mazur A. Why were “starvation diets” promoted for diabetes in the pre-insulin period?. Nutrition Journal [Internet]. 2011 Mar 11;10(1). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3062586/
- Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine [Internet]. 2021 Feb 10;384(11):989–1002. Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
- Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN, Wharton S, Connery L, Alves B, et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. New England Journal of Medicine [Internet]. 2022 Jun 4;387(3). Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038
Next scheduled review date: 4 August 2029
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Authors
Written by: Dr. Zoë Lees (PhD)
Dr. Zoë Lees is a medical writer at MedExpress specialising in obesity and health communication. She completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow, where she investigated adipose tissue (fat tissue) function in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. Her work focuses on translating complex clinical evidence into clear, engaging and evidence-based health information for patients and the public. At MedExpress, Zoë contributes to clinical content, educational resources and media communications across areas including weight management, GLP-1 therapies and metabolic disease. Zoë is particularly interested in improving public understanding of obesity as a chronic condition and ensuring patients have access to accurate, accessible health information grounded in current scientific evidence.
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Sophie Dix (BSc, PhD)
Dr. Sophie Dix is Head of Medical Affairs at MedExpress. A behavioural neuroscientist by training, Sophie has spent 30 years working at the intersection of medical research, pharmacology, technology and patient communication across the pharmaceutical industry, health technology and charity sectors. At MedExpress, Sophie's role is to ensure that everything the organisation does is grounded in the most current science. That means translating complex clinical evidence into accessible health information across the website, clinical pathways and media communications. It also means working with external press and broadcast media as a named expert commentator, making the science behind weight management and GLP-1 treatments understandable to a general audience. A core part of Sophie's work is building MedExpress's Real-World Evidence (RWE) programme: learning systematically from patient outcomes to understand what works in practice, not just in clinical trials. This patient-level insight feeds directly into improving patient experience and health outcomes. Sophie believes that patients make better decisions when they have access to accurate, evidence-based information. As an advocate for meaningful change in how obesity is understood, Sophie works to reduce stigma and raise awareness of the condition as an illness. This includes reframing the conversation around GLP-1s from aesthetics to public health, while highlighting the health benefits of weight loss and weight management.
Note from the experts
Remember: This blog shouldn’t be regarded as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We make sure everything we publish is fact checked by clinical experts and regularly reviewed, but it may not always reflect the most recent health guidelines. Always speak to your doctor about any health concerns you have.