Ozempic pill launches in the United States for type 2 diabetes

Novo Nordisk began selling its reformulated oral semaglutide tablet in the United States on Monday, May 4, 2026, under the name "Ozempic pill" for adults with type 2 diabetes ^[1][2]. The Rybelsus brand is being discontinued in the US, though the name will continue outside the country ^[2].

The change is more than cosmetic. The new tablet is slightly smaller, uses a new coating, and is more bioavailable, meaning more of the drug is absorbed ^[1][2]. That allowed Novo to lower the milligram strengths. The old Rybelsus 3 mg, 7 mg and 14 mg doses correspond to the new Ozempic pill strengths of 1.5 mg, 4 mg and 9 mg, respectively ^[1][2]. Michael Radin, M.D., Novo's executive director of diabetes medical affairs, said the new strengths are "equivalent in both efficacy and safety versus what was on the market for Rybelsus" ^[2]. Novo says the pill is taken the same way as before ^[1].

The indication has not changed: the pill is approved to help improve blood sugar control alongside diet and exercise, and to reduce major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes at increased risk ^[1]. Rybelsus was the first GLP-1 drug available as a tablet when the FDA approved it in 2019 ^[1][2].

Price and where to get it

Novo says the pill will be available through more than 70,000 US retail pharmacies, plus select telehealth providers and the company's direct-to-patient NovoCare pharmacy ^[1][2]. For people with insurance coverage, the company says the medication may cost $25 for up to a three-month supply ^[1]. Self-pay prices through Novo's own pharmacy and certain telehealth partners are expected to run roughly $149 to $299 per month depending on dose ^[1]. Actual out-of-pocket cost will still depend on a person's coverage ^[1].

Novo is manufacturing the new format entirely in the United States, largely through its North Carolina operations, according to Jamey Millar, the company's EVP of US operations ^[2]. After the supply shortages that hit early GLP-1 launches, Millar said 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" ^[2].

The branding logic

Ed Cinca, Novo's SVP of marketing and patient solutions, said "The Rybelsus brand won't be carried forward but the tablets will continue under the iconic brand of Ozempic" ^[2]. The campaign tagline is "There is only one Ozempic" ^[2]. Cinca framed the strategy as "one brand; two presentations and effectively three disease states between Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease" ^[2]. He also said use of GLP-1 drugs in the US has grown tenfold since injectable Ozempic's 2018 approval ^[2].

The move lands in a crowded market. Eli Lilly sells tirzepatide as Mounjaro and Zepbound, and recently launched Foundayo, its orforglipron pill ^[2]. Novo's Wegovy brand is unchanged apart from the addition of a Wegovy pill announced earlier in 2026 ^[2].

Why it matters for patients

If you take oral semaglutide, the milligram number on your bottle is changing even if your dose is effectively the same. A 3 mg Rybelsus tablet maps to a 1.5 mg Ozempic pill, and 14 mg maps to 9 mg ^[1][2]. That is a real source of potential confusion at the pharmacy counter. Novo said current Rybelsus patients "should continue their medication as directed" but should "speak with their healthcare professionals about transitioning to the Ozempic pill, as appropriate" ^[2].

It also matters that the Ozempic pill is a type 2 diabetes medicine, not a weight-loss drug. The oral GLP-1 approved for obesity is the Wegovy pill ^[2]. Sharing the Ozempic name across a pen and a pill may make the category easier to recognize, but it does not make the two products interchangeable.

On effectiveness, research generally suggests injectable semaglutide produces significantly greater HbA1c reductions than oral forms in type 2 diabetes, and that side effects occur more frequently with oral semaglutide ^[1]. Mir Ali, MD, a bariatric surgeon in Fountain Valley, California, told Medical News Today that oral GLP-1s "are easier to take, transport, and store" and cheaper to manufacture, but are "slightly less effective than injections and require daily instead of weekly administration" ^[1].

What happens next

Novo first announced the rebrand and reformulation in February 2026 ^[1][2]. Cinca said the rebranding "will be approached over the year," with campaigns rolling out gradually ^[2]. How insurers and pharmacy benefit managers will handle formulary placement for the new strengths is not detailed in these sources.