In SUSTAIN, Ozempic produced about 6% average body-weight loss over 40 weeks. That is a trial average; individual results vary widely and depend on staying on treatment.
What Ozempic is approved for
Blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes; lowering the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease; and lowering the risk of kidney decline, kidney failure and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. It is not approved for weight loss; Wegovy is the same medicine approved for that.
Ozempic weight-loss results
Ozempic produced 6% mean body-weight reduction in the SUSTAIN pivotal trial at 40 weeks. That figure is a mean: within the same trial some people lost far more and a minority lost little, so read it as the middle of a wide spread rather than a target.
How effective is Ozempic?
Mean body-weight change at 40 weeks in the SUSTAIN trial. Source: FDA prescribing information.
Vs placebo
+5.0 pts
Moderate signal
Vs GLP-1 class ceiling
27% of ceiling
Lower-tier — newer drugs available
Individual results vary. Trial participants also received lifestyle counseling. Full disclaimer.
Expected weight-loss curve
Mean body-weight change across 40 weeks on Ozempic from the SUSTAIN trial. Curve smoothed from published endpoints; individual results vary significantly.
Trial participants also received lifestyle counseling. Real-world results depend on dose adherence, side-effect tolerance, and lifestyle factors.
Why results vary, what happens after stopping, and how GLP-1 medicines compare with other approaches are covered once for the whole class in GLP-1 weight-loss results. Side effects that make people stop early are on the Ozempic side effects page.
FAQ about Ozempic for weight loss
Is Ozempic FDA-approved for weight loss?
No. The label's approved uses: blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes; lowering the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease; and lowering the risk of kidney decline, kidney failure and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. It is not approved for weight loss; Wegovy is the same medicine approved for that.
For what those numbers look like in practice — the share of people who reached each level, the month-by-month timeline, and what happens when you stop — see Ozempic before and after: what the data shows.
Educational only, not medical advice. Full medical disclaimer.