Novo Nordisk introduces the Ozempic pill for the US market

Novo Nordisk announced on February 4, 2026 that its oral semaglutide tablet will be sold in the United States under the Ozempic name, with availability planned for the second quarter of 2026 ^[3][4]. The move folds the company's diabetes pill into the same brand as the weekly Ozempic injection and ends the Rybelsus name in the US market ^[5].

The tablet is not simply a relabeled version of the old pill. The FDA approved a reformulated oral semaglutide in 1.5 mg, 4 mg and 9 mg strengths on December 9, 2024, and that product was rebranded as Ozempic tablets on January 30, 2026 ^[1]. Rybelsus had been sold in 3 mg, 7 mg and 14 mg tablets since its approval on September 20, 2019 ^[1]. Novo says the reformulation improved absorption, so the 3, 7 and 14 mg Rybelsus doses correspond to the new 1.5, 4 and 9 mg strengths ^[5]. The company describes the new tablet as smaller, with a new coating and the same efficacy and safety profile as the earlier formulation ^[3][5].

Ozempic tablets are approved as an addition to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events — cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack or non-fatal stroke — in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk for those events ^[1][3]. The tablets are taken once daily in the morning on an empty stomach ^[1]. Like the injection, they carry a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors, and common side effects reported in at least 5% of patients include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation and decreased appetite ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The practical effect is that anyone taking Rybelsus in the US will eventually be moving to a differently named, differently dosed product. Novo says the two are not interchangeable on a milligram-to-milligram basis, and that current Rybelsus patients should continue their medication as directed and talk with their health care professionals about transitioning to the Ozempic pill ^[3][5]. Rybelsus will continue to be marketed outside the US ^[3][5].

Cost is the other change. Novo set self-pay prices at $149 for the 1.5 mg starting dose, $199 per month for the 4 mg dose and $299 per month for the 9 mg dose ^[3]. That is a different pricing structure than the $499-per-month self-pay price the company set for Ozempic injection in August 2025 ^[1]. How insurers and pharmacy benefit managers will cover the rebranded tablet, and whether existing Rybelsus prior authorizations carry over, is not addressed in the available sources.

Distribution is broader than some recent GLP-1 launches. Novo says the pill will be sold at retail pharmacies nationwide — roughly 70,000 brick-and-mortar locations — plus select telehealth providers and its direct-to-patient NovoCare Pharmacy ^[3][5]. An executive said the tablet is manufactured end-to-end in the United States, largely through the company's North Carolina operations, and that Novo feels "very confident in our ability to securely and reliably, dependably supply the U.S. marketplace, both with the Ozempic pill and Wegovy pill" ^[5].

One source of confusion worth flagging: Ozempic tablets are the diabetes product. A separate semaglutide tablet under the Wegovy name, approved December 22, 2025 in 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg strengths, is the one indicated for weight reduction ^[1]. Same molecule, different brand and different approved uses.

What happens next

Novo said in February that the launch would come in the second quarter of 2026 ^[4]. The company later confirmed the tablets would be available nationwide starting May 4, 2026 ^[3][5]. Novo has also said it plans to phase in the rebranding over the course of the year, with Rybelsus discontinued as a US brand ^[5].

A supplemental application for a 25 mg Ozempic tablet was under FDA review as of early February 2026; no decision date is given in the sources ^[4]. Separately, Novo announced a reduction in US list prices for Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus on February 24, 2026, though the details of that change are not described in the sources here ^[1].