Semaglutide doses on the FDA labels
Wegovy (weight reduction, cardiovascular risk, liver fibrosis in MASH) and Ozempic (type 2 diabetes) are semaglutide, injected under the skin once a week. Both labels start at 0.25 mg for 4 weeks and step up after 4 weeks or more on each dose.
| Step | Dose | Units at 2.5 mg/mL | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start, weeks 1 to 4 | 0.25 mg | 10 | Wegovy, |
| Weeks 5 to 8 | 0.5 mg | 20 | Wegovy, |
| Weeks 9 to 12 | 1 mg | 40 | Wegovy, |
| Weeks 13 to 16 | 1.7 mg | 68 | Wegovy, |
| Maintenance from week 17, every indication: 2.4 mg recommended, or 1.7 mg | 2.4 or 1.7 mg | 96 or 68 | Wegovy, |
| Maximum, weight reduction in adults, after at least 4 weeks on 2.4 mg | 7.2 mg | over 100 | Wegovy, |
| Start, weeks 1 to 4 | 0.25 mg | 10 | Ozempic, |
| From week 5 | 0.5 mg | 20 | Ozempic, |
| If more glucose control is needed, each after at least 4 weeks on the dose before | 1, then 2 mg | 40, then 80 | Ozempic, |
| Maintenance, type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease | 1 mg | 40 | Ozempic, |
| Maximum | 2 mg | 80 | Ozempic, |
Wegovy and Ozempic come in pens and single-dose syringes that give the dose without a units scale, so there is nothing to convert. The units are for a vial drawn up with a U-100 insulin syringe; at 2.5 mg/mL the 7.2 mg dose is 2.88 mL, more than a 1 mL syringe holds.
Units to mg at 2.5 mg/mL
Take the strength from your vial’s label. 2.5 mg/mL is only an example. Compounders make semaglutide at different strengths, and one compounder may offer several, so the same units hold a different dose in each vial.
| Units | mL | At 2.5 mg/mL | Fits a barrel of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.01 mL | 0.025 mg | 0.3 mL, 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 2 | 0.02 mL | 0.05 mg | 0.3 mL, 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 5 | 0.05 mL | 0.125 mg | 0.3 mL, 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 10 | 0.10 mL | 0.25 mg | 0.3 mL, 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 15 | 0.15 mL | 0.375 mg | 0.3 mL, 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 20 | 0.20 mL | 0.5 mg | 0.3 mL, 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 25 | 0.25 mL | 0.625 mg | 0.3 mL, 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 30 | 0.30 mL | 0.75 mg | 0.3 mL, 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 40 | 0.40 mL | 1 mg | 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 50 | 0.50 mL | 1.25 mg | 0.5 mL, 1 mL |
| 60 | 0.60 mL | 1.5 mg | 1 mL |
| 70 | 0.70 mL | 1.75 mg | 1 mL |
| 75 | 0.75 mL | 1.875 mg | 1 mL |
| 80 | 0.80 mL | 2 mg | 1 mL |
| 90 | 0.90 mL | 2.25 mg | 1 mL |
| 100 | 1.00 mL | 2.5 mg | 1 mL |
Each unit is 0.01 mL, so at 2.5 mg/mL it holds 0.025 mg. In a vial twice as strong the same units hold twice the mg; the calculator above works out any strength.
Units, mL and mg
A unit on an insulin syringe is a volume, not an amount of drug: 100 units are 1 mL on a U-100 syringe. The mg in that volume depend on the strength, which is the mg on the label divided by the mL they are in: 5 mg in 2 mL is 2.5 mg per mL.
FDA has reported dosing errors with compounded semaglutide in vials, some needing hospital care. Instructions gave doses in units whose volume depends on the strength, patients mixed up mL, mg and units, and some were given syringes much larger than the dose. Compounded drugs are not reviewed by FDA for safety, quality or effectiveness before they are sold.
The example in the calculator. A vial labelled 2.5 mg/mL: 10 units are 0.1 mL, and 0.1 mL × 2.5 mg/mL = 0.25 mg, the starting dose on the Wegovy and Ozempic labels. The other way, 0.25 mg ÷ 2.5 mg/mL = 0.1 mL, which is 10 units.
Other calculators
- Tirzepatide dosage calculatorUnits to draw for a tirzepatide dose, from the mg in the vial and the mL of liquid in it.
- Insulin syringe units to mLUnits on a U-100 insulin syringe in mL, and mL in units.
- Retatrutide dosage calculatorUnits to draw for a retatrutide dose, from the mg in the vial and the water you added.
- GLP-1 dosage chartsStart, step-up, maintenance and maximum doses of each GLP-1 medicine as its FDA label gives them, with the label's date.
Questions
How many mg is 10 units of semaglutide?
At 2.5 mg/mL it is 0.25 mg: 10 units are 0.1 mL, and 0.1 × 2.5 = 0.25. At another strength, multiply 0.1 mL by the mg per mL on your vial’s label.
How many units is 0.25 mg of semaglutide?
At 2.5 mg/mL, 10 units (0.1 mL). 0.25 mg is the starting dose on the Wegovy (2026-06-23) and Ozempic (2026-06-10) labels; the units depend on your vial’s strength.
How many units is 2.4 mg of semaglutide?
At 2.5 mg/mL, 96 units, almost a full 1 mL syringe. 2.4 mg is the recommended Wegovy maintenance dose (label of 2026-06-23).
Can I use this with a Wegovy or Ozempic pen?
No. Those pens give the dose printed on them or dialled on them and have no units scale. The calculator is for a vial drawn up with a U-100 insulin syringe.
My instructions give the dose in units. Is a unit the same in every vial?
The volume is: 0.01 mL on a U-100 syringe. The mg in it are not, because they depend on the vial’s strength. Check the dose in mg with the strength on your label before you draw.
Sources
- Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets, prescribing informationFDA, label of 2026-06-23. 2.2 and Table 1: start, steps, maintenance and the 7.2 mg maximum; 3: pens and syringes.
- Ozempic (semaglutide) injection, prescribing informationFDA, label of 2026-06-10. 2.2: start, steps, maintenance and maximum doses; 3: pens and syringes.
- Dosing errors with compounded injectable semaglutideFDA alert of 2024-07-26. Strengths that vary by compounder, doses given in units, mL, mg and units mixed up, syringes larger than the dose.
- BD Insulin Syringe, 510(k) K190054FDA, cleared 2019-10-21. U-100 syringes of 0.3, 0.5 and 1 mL and their lines.