Ozempic® (semaglutide) injection resources for your practice and patients
Information, videos, and downloadable resources to help you and your adult patients with type 2 diabetes taking Ozempic®
EXPERIENCE MATTERS—YOURS AND YOUR PATIENTS’
Choose Ozempic® as the first injectable for your patients with T2D.
Help your patients understand how to start on Ozempic®
Dosing information
Learn about dosing Ozempic® and ways to share this information with your patients.
Pen overview
Learn about the Ozempic® Pen and share an easy-to-follow Instructions For Use video.
More resources to help your patients start and stay on treatment
Formulary coverage
Use our formulary tool to check Ozempic® coverage in your area.
Patient support resources
Your patients can visit OzempicQuickResources.com for instant access to tools to support them between visits.
Important Safety Information for Ozempic® (semaglutide) injection
WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS
- In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether Ozempic® causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of semaglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined
- Ozempic® is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC and in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of Ozempic® and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (eg, a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with Ozempic®
Indications and Usage
Ozempic® (semaglutide) injection 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes and established CV disease.
Limitations of Use
- Ozempic® has not been studied in patients with a history of pancreatitis. Consider other antidiabetic therapies in patients with a history of pancreatitis
- Ozempic® is not indicated for use in patients with type 1 diabetes
Important Safety Information cont.
Contraindications
- Ozempic® is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with MEN 2, and in patients with a hypersensitivity reaction to semaglutide or to any of the excipients in Ozempic®. Serious hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis and angioedema have been reported with Ozempic®
Warnings and Precautions
- Risk of Thyroid C-Cell Tumors: Patients should be further evaluated if serum calcitonin is measured and found to be elevated or thyroid nodules are noted on physical examination or neck imaging
- Pancreatitis: Acute and chronic pancreatitis have been reported in clinical studies. Observe patients carefully for signs and symptoms of pancreatitis (persistent severe abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back with or without vomiting). If pancreatitis is suspected, discontinue Ozempic® promptly, and if pancreatitis is confirmed, do not restart
- Diabetic Retinopathy Complications: In a 2-year trial involving patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, more events of diabetic retinopathy complications occurred in patients treated with Ozempic® (3.0%) compared with placebo (1.8%). The absolute risk increase for diabetic retinopathy complications was larger among patients with a history of diabetic retinopathy at baseline than among patients without a known history of diabetic retinopathy.
Rapid improvement in glucose control has been associated with a temporary worsening of diabetic retinopathy. The effect of long-term glycemic control with semaglutide on diabetic retinopathy complications has not been studied. Patients with a history of diabetic retinopathy should be monitored for progression of diabetic retinopathy - Never Share an Ozempic® Pen Between Patients: Ozempic® pens must never be shared between patients, even if the needle is changed. Pen-sharing poses a risk for transmission of blood-borne pathogens
- Hypoglycemia: Patients receiving Ozempic® in combination with an insulin secretagogue (eg, sulfonylurea) or insulin may have an increased risk of hypoglycemia, including severe hypoglycemia. Inform patients using these concomitant medications of the risk of hypoglycemia and educate them on the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia
- Acute Kidney Injury: There have been postmarketing reports of acute kidney injury and worsening of chronic renal failure, which may sometimes require hemodialysis, in patients treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists. Some of these events have been reported in patients without known underlying renal disease. A majority of the reported events occurred in patients who had experienced nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or dehydration. Monitor renal function when initiating or escalating doses of Ozempic® in patients reporting severe adverse gastrointestinal reactions
- Hypersensitivity: Serious hypersensitivity reactions (eg, anaphylaxis, angioedema) have been reported in patients treated with Ozempic®. If hypersensitivity reactions occur, discontinue use of Ozempic®; treat promptly per standard of care, and monitor until signs and symptoms resolve. Use caution in a patient with a history of angioedema or anaphylaxis with another GLP-1 receptor agonist
- Acute Gallbladder Disease: Acute events of gallbladder disease such as cholelithiasis or cholecystitis have been reported in GLP-1 receptor agonist trials and postmarketing. In placebo-controlled trials, cholelithiasis was reported in 1.5% and 0.4% of patients treated with Ozempic® 0.5 mg and 1 mg, respectively, and not reported in placebo-treated patients. If cholelithiasis is suspected, gallbladder studies and appropriate clinical follow-up are indicated
- Pulmonary Aspiration During General Anesthesia or Deep Sedation: Ozempic® delays gastric emptying. There have been rare postmarketing reports of pulmonary aspiration in patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists undergoing elective surgeries or procedures requiring general anesthesia or deep sedation who had residual gastric contents despite reported adherence to preoperative fasting recommendations. Instruct patients to inform healthcare providers prior to any planned surgeries or procedures if they are taking Ozempic®
Adverse Reactions
- The most common adverse reactions, reported in ≥5% of patients treated with Ozempic® are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation
Drug Interactions
- When initiating Ozempic®, consider reducing the dose of concomitantly administered insulin secretagogue (such as sulfonylureas) or insulin to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia
- Ozempic® causes a delay of gastric emptying and has the potential to impact the absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications, so caution should be exercised
Use in Specific Populations
- There are limited data with semaglutide use in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk for adverse developmental outcomes. Discontinue Ozempic® in women at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy due to the long washout period for semaglutide
Please click here for Ozempic® Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning.
Reference:
- Ozempic® [package insert]. Plainsboro, NJ: Novo Nordisk Inc.; October 2022.