semaglutide (Ozempic)
Adjunctive therapy • Brands: OZEMPIC
Last reviewed: 2026-02-12
General information
- Primary label indications include: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (adjunct to diet/exercise) and cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease (label).
- Class: Adjunctive therapy
- Common US brands: OZEMPIC
- Therapeutic drug monitoring not routinely recommended.
- Last reviewed: 2026-02-12
Dosing & forms
- Forms/strengths: —
- Frequency: —
- Food: —
- Typical range: —
Mechanism (brief)
Weekly injectable [[GLP-1]] receptor agonist (semaglutide) indicated for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease; also produces meaningful weight loss, which can be relevant when metabolic comorbidity complicates psychiatric treatment.
Metabolism & Half‑life
- Metabolism: Proteolytic cleavage of the peptide backbone, Beta-oxidation of the fatty-acid side chain
- Half‑life: Single-dose mean 168 h
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)
Recommended: No
Monitoring highlights
- —
Sources
- OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection prescribing information — DailyMed (2026)
- Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes — New England Journal of Medicine (2016)
- Effect of liraglutide treatment on prediabetes and overweight or obesity in clozapine- or olanzapine-treated patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder: a randomized clinical trial — JAMA Psychiatry (2017)
- Therapeutic management of atypical antipsychotic-related metabolic dysfunctions using GLP-1 receptor agonists: a systematic review — Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine (2023)