Quick Answer: No, not nationally. The FDA removed semaglutide injection products, including Ozempic and Wegovy, from its drug shortage database on February 21, 2025, after Novo Nordisk expanded manufacturing capacity. In 2026, national supply meets demand, but localized stock gaps still occur for specific doses, especially the 0.25 mg and 2 mg pens, at individual pharmacies. If your pharmacy is out, call two or three others nearby, ask your prescriber about a temporary dose substitution, or use the NovoCare Pharmacy home-delivery option. The compounded semaglutide many patients used as a cheaper substitute during the shortage lost its legal cover: 503A compounding pharmacies had to stop by April 22, 2025, and 503B outsourcing facilities by May 22, 2025, with the FDA proposing a permanent ban in April 2026. For most patients, cost, not supply, is now the real barrier: retail runs $890 to $1,350 per 28-day pen in 2026, and Medicare Part D caps total annual out-of-pocket drug spending at $2,100.
Novo Nordisk's Ozempic (semaglutide) entered a nationwide FDA-listed shortage in August 2022 as prescribing for both type 2 diabetes and off-label weight loss surged faster than the company could scale production. The shortage affected the 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg pens at different points and drove patients to compounding pharmacies, which were allowed under FDA enforcement discretion to make copies of a drug listed as officially short. The FDA declared the semaglutide injection shortage resolved on February 21, 2025, stating that supply now meets or exceeds current and projected US demand. That resolution ended nearly three years of intermittent stockouts at retail pharmacies nationwide.
Compounding pharmacies that filled the supply gap during the shortage lost their legal basis to keep doing so once the FDA declared supply adequate. Section 503A compounding pharmacies were required to stop making copies of semaglutide by April 22, 2025, and Section 503B outsourcing facilities by May 22, 2025. The Outsourcing Facilities Association sued to block the shutdown, but a federal district court denied its request for a preliminary injunction in April 2025. In April 2026, the FDA proposed permanently removing semaglutide and tirzepatide from the 503B bulk drug substances list; the public comment period, originally set to close June 30, 2026, was extended to July 30, 2026, and finalization is expected by the third quarter of 2026. Patients who relied on lower-cost compounded semaglutide during the shortage now have three legal paths: the FDA-approved brand pen, the oral tablet Rybelsus, or a manufacturer savings program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy) was selected for the second round of Medicare drug price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Negotiated Maximum Fair Prices for Round 2 drugs are scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027, one year later than the first 10 negotiated drugs (Eliquis, Jardiance, and others), which took effect in 2026. Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes who cannot afford Ozempic in 2026 should check whether Medicare covers GLP-1 weight loss drugs or whether their state's Medicaid coverage of GLP-1 drugs applies to their situation while they wait for the 2027 negotiated price.
What Ozempic Shortage Costs by Point of Pay (2026)
The price you pay depends almost entirely on WHERE you pay. The same ozempic shortage can cost many times more at a hospital than at your local pharmacy:
2026 Ozempic Shortage Price by Point of Pay| Where you pay | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|
| Pharmacy counter (retail, cash) | $890 - $1,350/month | Price varies significantly by pharmacy and dose strength in 2026; see the pharmacy comparison table below. |
| Medicare Part D (2026) | $0 - $200/month, capped at $2,100/year | Covered for type 2 diabetes only. Prior authorization and formulary tier placement determine your actual copay. |
| Commercial insurance | $25 - $300/month after prior authorization | Prior authorization and step therapy remain standard in 2026 even though the national shortage has ended. |
| Novo Nordisk savings card (manufacturer coupon) | $25/month (48-month cap, commercial insurance only) | Not usable with Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or VA benefits, or if you are uninsured. |
| Medicaid | $1 - $4/prescription, with prior authorization | Covered for type 2 diabetes in all 50 states; weight-loss use and prior authorization rules vary by state. |
Retail prices reflect 2026 GoodRx and pharmacy chain data. Stock availability, not just price, should be confirmed by phone before traveling to a pharmacy for the 0.25 mg or 2 mg pen.
Source: CMS Part D 2026 benefit design, Novo Nordisk NovoCare savings programs, GoodRx 2026, FDA Drug Shortages Database
Why Hospitals Charge So Much
Hospitals rarely stock Ozempic because it is a self-injected, once-weekly outpatient prescription drug, not an inpatient infusion. During the 2022 to 2025 shortage, many hospital pharmacies dropped Ozempic from their formularies entirely rather than compete with retail demand, forcing admitted patients to bring their own pen from home to continue their weekly dose. That practice created billing complications that still occasionally surface on 2026 hospital bills: partial-pen administration charged as a full fill, or a home-brought medication billed as if the hospital dispensed and acquired it.
Patients who see Ozempic on an inpatient itemized bill at $1,500 or more for a partial pen should request the line-item cost and the National Drug Code (NDC) number. The 2026 wholesale acquisition cost for a single pen runs approximately $935 to $1,000. Charges well above that figure typically reflect facility markups for pharmacy handling and nursing administration rather than the drug's acquisition cost, and Medicare and most commercial insurers will only reimburse the outpatient pharmacy rate. Patients disputing an inflated inpatient charge can use the CoveredUSA Medical Bill Analyzer to check the itemized bill against the wholesale rate before paying.
Patient Assistance Programs
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, runs the programs below. With the compounded-semaglutide market being phased out through 2026, these manufacturer programs and GoodRx-style discounts are now the main levers for lowering your out-of-pocket cost, since supply itself is no longer the constraint it was in 2022 through 2024.
Patient assistance programs for Ozempic Shortage| Manufacturer program | Cost / Benefit | How to apply |
|---|
| Ozempic Savings Card | $25/month for up to 48 months for commercially insured patients with type 2 diabetes | ozempic.com/savings |
| Novo Nordisk Patient Assistance Program (NovoCare) | Free Ozempic for uninsured patients at or below 400% FPL | novocare.com/pap |
| NovoCare Pharmacy (direct home delivery) | Ships pens directly to your home, which can help when a local pharmacy is temporarily out of stock | novocare.com/pharmacy |
| NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card | Variable discount accepted at most US pharmacies | needymeds.org |
Manufacturer coupons and savings cards are not available to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or VA beneficiaries by federal law (the anti-kickback statute, 42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b). If you have government insurance, apply for the NovoCare Patient Assistance Program instead of the savings card.
Source: Novo Nordisk NovoCare patient program pages, NeedyMeds.org
Medicare Part D
Ozempic is a Medicare Part D drug, billed exclusively through your prescription drug plan rather than Part B, since there is no J-code for a self-injected outpatient pen. Formulary tier placement varies by plan: most Part D plans place Ozempic on Tier 3 (non-preferred brand) or a specialty tier, which drives up your copay before you reach the annual out-of-pocket cap. For 2026, total out-of-pocket spending across all your Part D drugs combined is capped at $2,100 under the Inflation Reduction Act. Once you hit that cap, you pay $0 for the rest of the calendar year on covered drugs, including Ozempic.
Medicare covers Ozempic for type 2 diabetes only; federal law bars Part D from covering drugs used purely for weight loss, so Wegovy remains excluded from most plans except in narrow cardiovascular-risk-reduction cases CMS clarified in 2024. Because semaglutide is a Round 2 Inflation Reduction Act negotiation drug, no Maximum Fair Price applies to Ozempic in 2026; the negotiated price takes effect January 1, 2027. Patients with low income can also apply for Medicare Extra Help (Low Income Subsidy) at ssa.gov, which can reduce Part D copays to $0 to $12 per prescription regardless of formulary tier.
Common Ozempic Shortage Billing Errors
Now that the national shortage has ended, most Ozempic billing problems stem from access rules, not supply, and from leftover shortage-era workarounds. Check for these before paying an unexpected bill:
- Compounded semaglutide billed or sold as brand Ozempic after the FDA's 2025 shortage resolution ended the legal basis for compounding. Confirm the National Drug Code on your receipt matches a Novo Nordisk NDC, not a compounding pharmacy's in-house code.
- Prior authorization not submitted before the pharmacy tried to fill: if your prescriber's office did not file the PA, you may be billed cash unnecessarily while a covered claim sits unprocessed.
- Dose-substitution billing mismatch: a pharmacy that substitutes one pen strength for another because of a local stock gap must update the claim to the correct NDC, or your copay calculation and quantity limit tracking will be wrong.
- Manufacturer savings card not applied at the register even though you qualify. Ask the pharmacist to rerun the claim with the savings card BIN and PCN before paying full price.
- Charged the pre-cap coinsurance rate after you already hit the $2,100 Part D annual out-of-pocket cap for the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there still an Ozempic shortage in 2026, and what should I do if my pharmacy is out of stock?
No official national shortage exists in 2026. The FDA declared the Ozempic and Wegovy shortage resolved on February 21, 2025. If a specific pharmacy is temporarily out, especially of the 0.25 mg or 2 mg pen, call two or three other locations nearby, check the FDA Drug Shortages Database at accessdata.fda.gov to confirm there is no active shortage, ask your prescriber about a temporary dose adjustment, or order through NovoCare Pharmacy's home-delivery service.
Is there a generic or biosimilar for Ozempic?
No. No FDA-approved generic or biosimilar semaglutide exists as of 2026. Ozempic's patents are expected to run through approximately 2031. The compounded semaglutide many patients used as a cheaper stand-in during the 2022 to 2025 shortage lost its legal basis in 2025, and the FDA proposed permanently banning that compounding pathway in April 2026. Rybelsus and Wegovy are the same active ingredient, not generics.
How do I apply for the Novo Nordisk patient assistance program (NovoCare)?
Visit novocare.com/pap or call 1-866-310-7549. You must be a US resident, uninsured or without drug coverage for Ozempic, and have household income generally at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, roughly $63,840 for one person or $132,000 for a household of four in 2026. Submit proof of income, proof of residency, your prescription, and your prescriber's signature. Approval takes 7 to 14 business days and is generally valid for one year.
Can I use the Ozempic savings card with Medicare?
No. Federal anti-kickback law bars manufacturer copay savings cards, including the Ozempic Savings Card, from use by anyone with Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or VA benefits. The savings card is for commercially insured patients only and caps the copay at $25 per month for up to 48 months. Medicare beneficiaries should apply for the NovoCare Patient Assistance Program instead, or ask about Medicare Extra Help for low-income subsidies.
What if my insurance denies coverage for Ozempic?
Request the written denial notice, then file a formal appeal within 60 days for most Medicare Part D and commercial plans. Ask your prescriber to request a peer-to-peer review with the plan's medical director and to file a step-therapy override if you already failed a required alternative like metformin. If the internal appeal fails, escalate to external review through your state insurance commissioner or, for Medicare, the Medicare Appeals Council.
Does the IRA Maximum Fair Price apply to Ozempic in 2026?
Not yet. Semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy) was selected for the second round of Medicare drug price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Round 2 negotiated Maximum Fair Prices take effect January 1, 2027, a year after the first 10 negotiated drugs (Eliquis, Jardiance, and others) took effect in January 2026. Until then, Medicare Part D beneficiaries pay under standard formulary tier cost-sharing, capped at $2,100 total out-of-pocket per year for 2026.
What does Ozempic cost without insurance at the pharmacy counter in 2026?
Cash retail runs $890 to $1,350 for a 28-day pen depending on pharmacy and dose. Costco and Walmart typically offer the lowest GoodRx-discounted prices, around $905 to $970, while CVS tends to run highest, around $960 to $1,060. Some GoodRx listings show discounts as low as $149 for eligible strengths at select pharmacies, so always compare your specific ZIP code. Uninsured patients at or below 400% FPL can get Ozempic free through the NovoCare Patient Assistance Program instead of paying cash.
Is compounded semaglutide still legal in 2026?
Mostly no. Section 503A compounding pharmacies had to stop making copies of semaglutide by April 22, 2025, and Section 503B outsourcing facilities by May 22, 2025, once the FDA declared the shortage resolved. A federal court denied an industry group's attempt to block the shutdown in April 2025. In April 2026, the FDA proposed permanently banning semaglutide compounding, with a decision expected by the third quarter of 2026. Online sellers still advertising compounded semaglutide after these deadlines are operating outside FDA authorization, and unauthorized products have been linked to dosing errors.
