Ozempic on the PBS: the type 2 diabetes criteria, authority scripts, and why it can’t be for weight loss
The PBS subsidises Ozempic for type 2 diabetes after other medicines, with an authority for the first script. Here is each rule, and why a weight-loss script is always private.
Written for Australia. Reading from India? India version
Ozempic is subsidised on the PBS for type 2 diabetes only. The criteria include an HbA1c above 7% on metformin, a sulfonylurea or insulin, and an SGLT2 inhibitor that didn’t work or can’t be used. The first script needs an authority. For weight loss, any Ozempic script is private, and advertising it for weight is illegal.
Key takeaways
- Ozempic is PBS-subsidised for type 2 diabetes only, and the PBS diabetes tables list just two GLP-1 medicines: Ozempic and Trulicity.1
- The PBS criteria need an HbA1c above 7% on metformin, a sulfonylurea or insulin, after an SGLT2 inhibitor failed, couldn’t be used or wasn’t tolerated.2
- The first PBS Ozempic script needs a telephone or online authority, and GLP-1 medicines are excluded from 60-day dispensing.2,3
- The TGA says it is illegal to advertise Ozempic for weight loss, even to health professionals, because weight loss is not an approved use.4
- In the SUSTAIN 1 trial, HbA1c fell 1.5 to 1.6 points over 30 weeks on Ozempic, against no change on placebo; nausea affected 17 to 20 in 100 people in pooled trials, against about 6 in 100 on comparison treatments.5
On this page
What is Ozempic approved for in Australia?
Type 2 diabetes that diet and exercise don’t control, and lowering kidney and heart risks in people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.5
Ozempic (semaglutide) is a weekly injection. It acts like GLP-1, a gut hormone: when blood sugar is high, it makes the pancreas release more insulin and less glucagon. It also slightly slows stomach emptying.5 Doses start at 0.25 mg and can rise to 2 mg a week.5
Weight loss is not on its Australian label. Wegovy contains the same medicine, semaglutide, and is the brand approved for weight management.7,8
What are the PBS criteria for Ozempic?
Type 2 diabetes with an HbA1c above 7% on metformin, a sulfonylurea or insulin, after an SGLT2 inhibitor failed or couldn’t be used.2
The PBS sets an order for subsidised diabetes medicines. It runs roughly like this:2
Simplified from the PBS diabetes diagram (restrictions at 1 December 2024).2
HbA1c is a blood test showing your average blood sugar over about 3 months. Above 7% means the PBS counts your diabetes as not well controlled.2
The PBS does not subsidise a GLP-1 medicine together with a DPP-4 or SGLT2 inhibitor. One exception: the SGLT2 inhibitor is taken for heart failure or kidney disease, not for diabetes, and it didn’t control blood sugar well enough.2
What is an authority script, and when is one required?
An authority is approval your doctor gets, by phone or online, before writing the first PBS Ozempic script; it confirms you meet the criteria.2,3
The PBS item for a first Ozempic script is marked “Authority Required”, with up to 5 repeats.3 The diagram says the authority is needed “for initiation”.2
Most diabetes medicines can be dispensed 60 days at a time. GLP-1 medicines and insulin are the exceptions.2 So you collect Ozempic pen by pen.
A PBS script costs the capped PBS co-payment, lower with a concession card. The subsidy requires a Medicare card or concession card.9,10 Our cost post explains PBS and private scripts without prices.
The PBS rules, HbA1c and low blood sugar, step by step for Australia.
Why can’t Ozempic be prescribed on the PBS for weight loss?
The PBS listing is for type 2 diabetes only, and the TGA says promoting Ozempic for weight loss is illegal, even to health professionals.1,4
A doctor may write a private Ozempic script outside its approved use; that is called off-label prescribing. It is not subsidised. Diabetes Australia says Ozempic “is not subsidised for weight loss or other off-label uses”.7
Regulators are watching. In September 2026, Ahpra said “Patient demand alone is not a valid reason to prescribe a medicine”.11 It said it may look into high prescribers of any scheduled medicine without a complaint.11
The TGA linked illegal promotion of Ozempic to a global shortage, which also spread to Trulicity.4 Diabetes Australia said in July 2025 that supply had stabilised and new patients could start again.7 Read the full story in the Ozempic shortage, 2022–2025.
What do the trials show for Ozempic in diabetes?
In SUSTAIN 1, HbA1c fell by 1.5 to 1.6 points over 30 weeks on Ozempic, against no change on placebo.5
That trial had 388 people whose diabetes wasn’t controlled by diet and exercise. Their average HbA1c started at about 8.1%.5 By week 30, 74 in 100 on 0.5 mg and 72 in 100 on 1 mg reached an HbA1c under 7%. On placebo it was 25 in 100.5
These are trial averages, not a prediction for you. The harms sit beside them.
- Stomach effects. In the Australian Ozempic label’s pooled diabetes trials, 17 to 20 in 100 people had nausea, against about 6 in 100 on comparison treatments. Diarrhoea and vomiting were also more common.5
- Low blood sugar. The risk rises when Ozempic is taken with insulin or a sulfonylurea.5
- Dehydration. Vomiting or diarrhoea can dry you out, which in rare cases harms the kidneys.5
- Pancreatitis (an inflamed pancreas), including fatal cases, has been reported with GLP-1 medicines. The typical sign is sudden, severe upper belly pain that may spread to the back.5,12
- Pregnancy. Semaglutide is pregnancy category D in Australia.13
Questions people ask
Can I get Ozempic on the PBS?
Only for type 2 diabetes, if your HbA1c is above 7% on other medicines and an SGLT2 inhibitor failed or can’t be used. Your doctor needs an authority for the first script.2
Can I get Ozempic on Medicare for weight loss?
No. Ozempic is PBS-listed for type 2 diabetes only. A weight-loss script would be private and off-label.1,7
Can my GP prescribe Ozempic?
Yes. The PBS authority for a first script is requested by the prescribing doctor, by phone or online.2
Can I take Ozempic with Jardiance or Forxiga on the PBS?
Not usually: a PBS GLP-1 isn’t subsidised with an SGLT2 inhibitor for diabetes. It is allowed if the SGLT2 inhibitor is for heart failure or kidney disease and didn’t control blood sugar well enough.2
Is Ozempic still in shortage?
Diabetes Australia said in July 2025 that supply had stabilised and doctors could start new patients again.7
How we researched this
We read the PBS criteria diagram (December 2024), the April 2025 PBS diabetes tables, the PBS Ozempic item and the Ozempic label on 12 October 2026. TGA and Ahpra wording comes from their own pages and newsGP.
Brand names of SGLT2 inhibitors in the questions are examples of the class; the PBS rule applies to the class.
Before you move on
- Know your latest HbA1c.
- List the diabetes medicines you have tried, and why you stopped.
- Ask whether an authority script applies to you.
- Remember: no PBS Ozempic for weight loss.
- Learn the signs of pancreatitis and low blood sugar.
More from the Australia blog
The monthly Australia update
An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don’t sell medicines, take drug-company money, earn commissions or link to any provider. Once a month: PBS decisions, TGA approvals and safety alerts. How we write
Sources
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. PBS restrictions for type 2 diabetes: summary tables, April 2025. Link
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. PBS-subsidised pharmacotherapy for type 2 diabetes (restrictions at 1 December 2024). Link
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Item 12075M: semaglutide 1.34 mg/mL injection, 1 × 3 mL pen (Ozempic), first PBS prescription. Link
- TGA. Advertising Ozempic and GLP-1 receptor agonists is prohibited. Last updated 11 March 2025. Link
- Novo Nordisk. Ozempic Australian Product Information. Date of revision 25 September 2026. Link
- TGA. Applying the Advertising Code rules: price information. Last updated 21 July 2026. Link
- Diabetes Australia. Ozempic supply returning to normal in Australia. 23 July 2025. Link
- Novo Nordisk. Wegovy Australian Product Information. Date of revision 22 June 2026. Link
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. What are the current patient fees and charges? Link
- HIF. Can you claim for weight loss drugs on your Extras cover? Health Hub, 2026. Link
- newsGP (RACGP). Ahpra launches new guidance in peptide prescribing. 16 September 2026. Link
- healthdirect. Pancreatitis. Link
- Australian Diabetes Society with ANZOS, ANZMOSS and RACGP. Australian Obesity Management Algorithm. July 2024. Link
- healthdirect. How healthdirect can help you (triple zero and the 1800 022 222 helpline). Link
Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Oct 2027 · Report an error
How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It’s general information, not medical advice. Talk to your GP, pharmacist or prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. We don’t sell, prescribe or recommend any brand or provider. How we write