On the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Ozempic costs a general patient up to $25.00 a script, or $7.70 with a concession card, and it is listed only for type 2 diabetes. Anyone taking it for weight loss pays a private price set by the pharmacy. Health Minister Mark Butler said in January 2026 that more than 400,000 Australians pay private prices for these drugs, at as much as $4,000 or $5,000 a year.
This article is about cost and access. It is not medical advice. Ask your doctor whether a medicine suits you.
How much does Ozempic cost on the PBS?
From 1 January 2026, after a cut to the general co-payment, a general patient pays up to $25.00 for most PBS medicines and a concession card holder pays $7.70. Ozempic's PBS listing shows a general patient charge of $25.00 for one 3 mL pen, with 5 repeats.
The full price of that script, which the PBS calls the dispensed price for maximum quantity, is $131.40. The PBS covers the rest above your co-payment.
The PBS safety net caps what you pay in a calendar year. Once a general patient reaches $1,748.20, their PBS scripts cost the concession price for the rest of that year. For concession card holders the threshold is $277.20, after which PBS scripts cost nothing more that year.
Who can get Ozempic on the PBS?
Ozempic's PBS listing covers one condition, type 2 diabetes. The first script is an Authority Required item, and later scripts sit on a streamlined authority listing. A script written for weight loss alone falls outside the listing, so it is a private script at whatever price the pharmacy charges.
No official site publishes that private price. These are the figures on record:
- Mark Butler, on 9 January 2026: more than 400,000 Australians pay private prices to get the weight loss benefit, at as much as $4,000 or $5,000 a year.
- UNSW researchers, in a study published in July 2026: almost half of the people regularly using these medicines paid between $200 and $700 out of pocket to use them for conditions other than diabetes.
- Flat White, 15 September 2026: many users pay up to $600 a month out of pocket.
How many Australians take Ozempic and similar drugs?
Ozempic belongs to a group of medicines called GLP-1 receptor agonists. The UNSW study, from its Medicines Intelligence Research Program, is the first national estimate to count private use alongside the PBS. It measured total sales of these medicines with industry data and subtracted PBS dispensings to estimate private use.
- Total sales rose from 58,000 units in May 2020 to 500,000 in April 2025.
- PBS-subsidised access rose from 58,000 units to 280,000 over the same five years.
- Private access went from zero to 43.8% of total estimated use.
The researchers put regular users at about half a million and call their figure the absolute minimum, because it leaves out Wegovy and Saxenda, the two brands sold purely for weight loss. Flat White's 15 September edition put the number at roughly 900,000. EY-Parthenon's July 2026 research found one in 10 Australian adults report using a GLP-1 medicine.
Will Wegovy be on the PBS?
Wegovy is semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Ozempic, from the same company. It has no PBS listing yet.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommended a listing at its November 2025 meeting for a narrow group: adults with established heart or artery disease, meaning a past heart attack or stroke or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease, who also have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more. Both conditions apply.
Mark Butler said on 9 January 2026 that the government would sit down with the company to agree a price, and that it is committed to listing every recommendation the committee makes. As at 8 October 2026, the PBS medicine status page shows a revised submission for the November 2026 PBAC meeting, with the PBS listing marked "Has not yet occurred".
Why are economists watching GLP-1 drugs?
EY-Parthenon modelled three paths for adoption in a report released on 15 July 2026. Each shows the share of Australian adults using GLP-1 medicines within a decade.
| Scenario | Share of adults within a decade |
|---|---|
| Current settings continue | 17.1% |
| Policy reform (PBS approval for weight management, oral forms) | 24.1% |
| Highest growth | 30.1% |
The highest-growth path is the source of the estimate of more than seven million adult users by 2036.
The users EY surveyed have already changed what they buy. Net consumption of sweet snacks and confectionery is down 46% and alcoholic drinks are down 41%. More than two-thirds (67%) said their motivation to refresh their wardrobe had increased since starting treatment, 57% had increased their spending on clothes and 53% said their focus on skincare and grooming had increased.
For anyone working in those industries, this is a shift in demand. EY names supermarkets, food manufacturers, alcohol retailers, fashion and beauty. Jarden, as quoted in Flat White's 15 September edition, puts total annual spending on GLP-1 drugs above $4 billion, up 70% year on year.
What does the TGA say about peptides bought online?
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) added unapproved peptide products to its compliance priorities on 10 June 2026, after detecting more unlawful imports, supply and advertising. Many of these products are not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and have not been assessed for safety, quality or effectiveness. A joint operation with Australian Border Force and Victoria Police seized peptides, performance and image enhancing drugs and steroids with an estimated street value over $2 million.
Professor Anthony Lawler, head of the TGA, said: "If you don't know exactly what's in the vial, where it was made or whether it's sterile, you could be putting your health at serious risk."
Data Source: IQVIA Solutions Australia and PBS dispensing claims
From Flat White: Did you run it through Copilot?
Sources
Every page below was read on 8 October 2026.
- PBS, semaglutide (Ozempic) item 12075M (type 2 diabetes, Authority Required, general patient charge $25.00, DPMQ $131.40, 5 repeats)
- PBS, semaglutide (Ozempic) item 14163K (streamlined authority for later scripts)
- PBS, What are the current patient fees and charges? ($25.00 and $7.70 from 1 January 2026, safety net thresholds $1,748.20 and $277.20)
- PBS, Medicine status: semaglutide (Wegovy) (the group the listing covers, November 2025 recommendation, November 2026 meeting, listing not yet occurred)
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, TV interview with Minister Butler, Sunrise, 9 January 2026 (400,000 Australians, $4,000 or $5,000 a year, the price talks)
- UNSW Newsroom, Half a million Australians are regularly using GLP-1 medicines, 31 July 2026 (sales, PBS and private access, $200 to $700, the study's limits)
- EY, Rising GLP-1 use could reshape how millions of Australians eat, shop and spend, 15 July 2026 (three scenarios, seven million by 2036, one in 10 adults, spending changes)
- TGA, TGA strengthens compliance focus on unapproved peptide products, 10 June 2026 (compliance priority, the seizure, Professor Lawler's words)
Spotted an error? Correct something.
