Ozempic in tablet form: what it's called, how it differs and how to get it in Spain

There is no such thing as Ozempic in tablet form. In Spain, Ozempic is only sold as a once-weekly injectable pen. Its active ingredient, semaglutide, is available as tablets under two other Novo Nordisk brands: Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy tablets for weight management. Both are prescription-only medicines and are only dispensed by pharmacies.

The mix-up is understandable. "Ozempic" has become the name people use for a whole family of treatments, so when someone hears there is a tablet with the same molecule, they search for it under the name they know. The trouble is that searching this way mixes up medicines with different indications, doses and prices. It also leaves you open to sellers using that name for something that cannot be legal. Let's go through it step by step.

Is there an Ozempic tablet?

No. In CIMA, the medicines database run by the AEMPS (the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices), every Ozempic presentation is a solution for injection in a pre-filled pen, in strengths of 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg. Its summary of product characteristics describes one subcutaneous injection a week, given in the abdomen, thigh or upper arm, at any time of day and with or without food. In Spain it is authorised for type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults, alongside diet and exercise.

What does exist is oral semaglutide. This is the same molecule in a tablet designed to be absorbed in the stomach. That is why it is taken very differently from the pen, as we explain below. It is sold under two brands, and each has its own indication.

What is semaglutide in tablet form called?

• Rybelsus: semaglutide tablets for adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. It is used to improve blood glucose control, either on its own or with other antidiabetic drugs. According to its summary of product characteristics, it is not indicated for obesity or weight management.
• Wegovy tablets: oral semaglutide for weight management. On 15 July 2026, Novo Nordisk announced that the European Commission had authorised it, describing it as the first GLP-1 agonist tablet approved for weight management in the European Union. CIMA lists four strengths, 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg, all in packs of 30 tablets. As of 5 November 2026, all four are listed as marketed in Spain.

Rybelsus also changed strengths this year. On 12 February 2026, the AEMPS announced a new formulation with higher bioavailability. The old 3, 7 and 14 mg tablets are replaced by 1.5, 4 and 9 mg tablets, which are bioequivalent and have the same efficacy and safety. The agency warned of the risk of medication errors while both versions are on the market. It also reminded patients that a prescription for the old strengths is not valid for the new ones.

How do Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy tablets differ?

They share a molecule but are not interchangeable. Three things differ: what each one is authorised for, how it is taken and how high the dose goes.

What each one is authorised for

Ozempic and Rybelsus are type 2 diabetes medicines. Wegovy tablets are for weight management, meaning both losing weight and keeping it off. They are for adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or of 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition: prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea or cardiovascular disease. They are always used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.

To give you an idea of what to expect: the OASIS 4 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, followed 307 adults with obesity or overweight who did not have diabetes. At 64 weeks, those taking 25 mg oral semaglutide had lost an average of 13.6% of their body weight, compared with 2.2% on placebo. The summary of product characteristics gives the same figure.

How it is taken

Ozempic is injected once a week. Both tablets are taken once a day, and their summaries of product characteristics set the same rules. Take the tablet on an empty stomach, ideally after fasting for at least 8 hours. Swallow it whole with a sip of water, up to half a glass (120 ml). Then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other oral medicines. The Wegovy tablets summary of product characteristics explains that waiting less time reduces absorption. This is the trickiest part of the oral route, and your doctor and pharmacist will go through it with you using the patient information leaflet.

How high the dose goes

For Ozempic, the summary of product characteristics starts at 0.25 mg a week and does not recommend going above 2 mg a week. For Wegovy tablets, the dosing schedule starts at 1.5 mg a day and steps up to 4, 9 and then 25 mg, with each step lasting at least four weeks. 25 mg is both the maintenance dose and the maximum. For Rybelsus, the European summary of product characteristics includes maintenance doses of 4, 9, 25 and 50 mg, with 50 mg as the maximum daily dose. In Spain, however, CIMA only lists the 1.5, 4 and 9 mg tablets.

Both oral summaries of product characteristics agree on one point: always one tablet a day, and never several tablets taken together to make up a higher dose. Milligrams also cannot be compared across brands. 9 mg of Rybelsus and 9 mg of Wegovy tablets belong to medicines with different indications, and your doctor decides the dose of each.

How much do semaglutide tablets cost at the pharmacy?

Rybelsus has an official price in the Spanish Ministry of Health's Nomenclátor: €123.53 for a pack of 30 tablets, the same for the 1.5, 4 and 9 mg strengths. At one tablet a day, 30 tablets last a month. The Spanish public health system only funds it in certain situations and with prior authorisation (visado): type 2 diabetes in people with a BMI of 30 or more, in combination with other antidiabetic drugs.

Wegovy tablets are not publicly funded. BIFIMED, the Spanish public funding database, has listed them as "not funded by resolution" since 1 September 2026, so patients pay the full price. The price is set freely and no official source publishes it. Press reports give €236.20 for a pack of 30 × 25 mg tablets, about €236 a month. We have not found a published price for the starter packs.

If you want to compare with the injection, we break down the price of Ozempic per pen and per month in another guide, along with the cost of Rybelsus per dose and per month.

Do you need a prescription for oral semaglutide?

Yes. Rybelsus and Wegovy tablets are prescription-only medicines in Spain, like Ozempic, and pharmacies only dispense them with a prescription. For Wegovy tablets, the doctor assesses whether you meet the criteria for the indication (your BMI and any related conditions), reviews your current medicines and medical history, and explains how to take it. For Rybelsus, the prescription is based on a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

A Rybelsus prescription is not a shortcut to weight treatment either. It is indicated for diabetes, and public funding only covers diabetes cases that meet the prior authorisation criteria. For weight management, the tablet authorised in Spain is Wegovy tablets, and you pay the full price.

What should you know about sellers offering "Ozempic tablets"?

First, what they are selling is not Ozempic. If a product is advertised under that name, either it is another medicine being passed off misleadingly or it is not an authorised medicine at all. Spanish law also closes off the usual routes for these products. Article 3.5 of the Medicines Guarantees Act (Ley de garantías de los medicamentos) bans selling prescription medicines online or by mail order. Royal Decree 870/2013 only allows non-prescription medicines to be sold online, and only by authorised pharmacies that have notified the authorities. On top of that, Article 80.1 of the same Act bans advertising any prescription medicine to the public.

This is a real risk. In September 2025, the AEMPS passed on an alert from the EMA and the European network of medicines agencies about a sharp rise in illegal medicines sold as GLP-1 agonists. These products are often sold on fraudulent websites and promoted on social media. They may not contain the declared active ingredient and may contain harmful levels of other substances. Back in 2023, the EMA had already found falsified Ozempic pens at EU wholesalers, although there was no evidence that they had reached legitimate pharmacies. Anyone offering semaglutide tablets without a prescription, by message or on a website that is not a pharmacy, is offering a product of unknown origin.

To find out which channels are legal and how to spot them, see our guide to buying Ozempic and Mounjaro legally and safely in Spain.

The semaglutide tablet authorised for weight management is oral Wegovy. We cover it in Wegovy tablets: price and prescription, and the cost of the injectable version in the price of each Wegovy pen.

What if you want medical support to lose weight?

The key point: the brand that only comes as a pen has no tablet version, and any tablet containing this molecule has to go through a doctor and a pharmacy. If your goal is to lose weight, there is a reliable option in Spain: a medical weight-loss programme. It starts with an assessment, includes a prescription from a registered doctor where appropriate, and offers ongoing follow-up. That is what we do at AiON. You can:

Check in a few minutes whether you're eligible