What every label agrees on
- Before first use, every injectable GLP-1 pen, syringe and vial in the US labels is kept in the refrigerator at 2–8°C (36–46°F) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7].
- Freezing is a hard stop: each label says a product that has been frozen is not used. The Novo Nordisk labels add that pens should not sit right next to the cooling element of the fridge [1][2][6][7].
- Light and heat count too. The labels rely on the original carton, or the pen cap between doses, to shield the medicine from light [1][2][3][5], and the semaglutide and tirzepatide labels also ask for protection from heat [1][2][3].
- Every time limit starts at a particular moment, such as the first injection from a pen or the first day out of the fridge, so that date is the one to keep [1][3].
- A solution that looks wrong is not used. Semaglutide, dulaglutide and liraglutide are described as clear and colorless, tirzepatide as clear and colorless to slightly yellow, and none should contain particles [1][3][5][6].
US labels, product by product
The table follows section 16 of each US prescribing information, the part that sets out storage. It is a summary for comparison; the leaflet in your box is what applies to you.
| Product and form | Before first use | In use or out of the fridge | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic® pen, several weekly doses [1] | Fridge, 2–8°C, until the expiry date | 56 days after first use, at 15–30°C or in the fridge; kept without a needle attached | Section 16 |
| Ozempic® single-dose prefilled syringe [1] | Fridge, 2–8°C, in the carton | If needed, up to 28 days at 8–30°C | Section 16 |
| Wegovy® single-dose pen, including Wegovy® HD 7.2 mg, or single-dose syringe [2] | Fridge, 2–8°C, in the carton | If needed and before the cap comes off, up to 28 days at 8–30°C | Section 16 |
| Wegovy® FlexTouch®, four 2.4 mg doses [2] | Fridge, 2–8°C | 56 days after first use, at 15–30°C or in the fridge | Section 16 |
| Mounjaro® or Zepbound® single-dose pen or single-dose vial [3][4] | Fridge, 2–8°C, in the carton | If needed, a total of 21 days unrefrigerated at no more than 30°C, then discarded | Section 16.2 of each label |
| Mounjaro® or Zepbound® KwikPen® or multi-dose vial, four doses [3][4] | Fridge until the expiry date; if kept at up to 30°C instead, discarded after 30 days | Fridge or up to 30°C; discarded 30 days after first use, after 30 days in total at room temperature or after 4 weekly doses | Section 16.2 of each label |
| Trulicity® single-dose pen [5] | Fridge, 2–8°C; carton until use | If needed, a total of 14 days at room temperature, not above 30°C | Section 16.2 |
| Saxenda® pen, daily doses [6] | Fridge, 2–8°C | 30 days after first use, at 15–30°C or in the fridge; kept without a needle | Section 16 |
| Victoza® pen, daily doses [7] | Fridge, 2–8°C | 30 days after first use, at 15–30°C or in the fridge; kept without a needle | Section 16 |
| Wegovy®, Rybelsus® and Ozempic® tablets [2][8] | Room temperature, 20–25°C, with short spells at 15–30°C allowed | In the original bottle until a tablet is taken, in a dry place | Section 16 |
| Foundayo™ tablets [9] | Room temperature, 20–25°C, with short spells at 15–30°C allowed | Supplied in bottles that contain a desiccant | Sections 16.1 and 16.2 |
Europe and Canada: where the numbers change
Product information is approved region by region, and in-use periods do not always match the US label. The EU summaries of product characteristics put storage in sections 6.3 and 6.4, the Canadian monographs in section 11. The EU has no Zepbound® or Foundayo™ product information; tirzepatide is sold there as Mounjaro®.
| Product and document | What it says | Next to the US label |
|---|---|---|
| Ozempic® pen, EU SmPC 6.3 [10] | In use: 6 weeks for 4-dose pens and 8 weeks for 8-dose pens, below 30°C or in the fridge | Shorter than the 56 days in the US label [1] |
| Ozempic® syringe, EU SmPC 6.3 [10] | Up to 28 days out of the fridge, not above 30°C | The same 28 days [1] |
| Wegovy® FlexTouch®, EU SmPC 6.3 [11] | After first use: 6 weeks, below 30°C or in the fridge | Shorter than the 56 days in the US label [2] |
| Wegovy® single-dose pen or syringe, EU SmPC 6.3 [11] | Up to 28 days out of the fridge, not above 30°C; discarded after more than 28 days out | The same 28 days [2] |
| Wegovy® tablets, EU SmPC 6.4 [11] | Original blister pack, protected from moisture and light; no special temperature condition | US tablets: bottle, 20–25°C [2] |
| Mounjaro®, EU SmPC 6.3 [12] | Single-dose pen or vial: up to 21 cumulative days below 30°C. KwikPen®: discarded 30 days after first use | Same day counts; the US label also ends a KwikPen® after 4 doses [3] |
| Zepbound®, Canadian monograph 6 and 11 [13] | Describes the KwikPen® only: up to 30 days unrefrigerated at no more than 30°C, discarded after its four weekly doses | The US label also covers single-dose pens and vials [4] |
| Saxenda®, EU SmPC 6.3 and 6.4 [14] | After first use: 1 month, below 30°C or in the fridge | US label: 30 days at 15–30°C or in the fridge [6] |
So, does Ozempic® need to be refrigerated?
Before the first injection, yes: the label keeps a new Ozempic® pen in the fridge, where it is good until the expiry date printed on it. Once you have used it, the fridge becomes optional. For the next 56 days the pen can stay in the fridge or at a room temperature between 15°C and 30°C (59–86°F), with its cap on and no needle attached [1].
After those 56 days the pen is thrown away even if some medicine is still inside, and the pen’s Instructions for Use ask you to write that disposal date on your calendar [1]. A pen supplied for the European market carries a different number: its leaflet gives 6 or 8 weeks depending on the pen [10].
Tirzepatide pens, KwikPen® and vials
Mounjaro® and Zepbound® share the same storage rules. A single-dose pen or vial lives in the fridge but, if needed, may spend up to 21 days in total outside it at no more than 30°C (86°F); after that total it is discarded [3][4]. The labels count a total, and the EU document calls the 21 days cumulative, so separate spells outside the fridge add up [12].
The KwikPen® and the multi-dose vial each hold four weekly doses. Once opened, either can be kept in its carton in the fridge or at room temperature up to 30°C, and its use ends at the first of three limits: 30 days since first use, 30 days in total at room temperature, or the fourth weekly dose, even with medicine left [3][4].
Two practical points come from the single-dose pen instructions: a pen taken straight from the fridge does not need warming up first, and a pen dropped on a hard surface is not used [15].
Liraglutide and dulaglutide
Saxenda® and Victoza® are daily liraglutide pens, so one pen lasts for several weeks of injections. Both US labels allow 30 days after the first use, at 15–30°C or in the fridge, and ask for the needle to be removed after each injection so the pen is stored without one [6][7]. The EU Saxenda® document gives 1 month below 30°C [14].
Trulicity® is a once-weekly single-dose pen. If needed, each pen may be kept at room temperature, not above 30°C, for a total of 14 days [5].
Tablets are different
The GLP-1 tablets are not refrigerated. The US Wegovy® tablet, Rybelsus® and Ozempic® tablet labels set room temperature at 20–25°C (68–77°F), allow short spells between 15°C and 30°C, and keep the tablets in their original bottle, away from moisture, until one is taken [2][8]. The Foundayo™ label gives the same range and allowance, and its bottles contain a desiccant [9]. In the EU, Wegovy® tablets are supplied in blisters with no special temperature condition [11].
When a pen is thrown away
- It has been frozen, even if it has thawed [1][3].
- It has been above 30°C (86°F), or, according to the Wegovy® guide, exposed to light [2].
- Its in-use or out-of-fridge limit has passed, even with medicine left [1][3].
- The solution looks cloudy, discolored or contains particles [1][3].
- A single-dose tirzepatide pen has been dropped on a hard surface [15]. For a dropped Ozempic® pen, the instructions ask for a new needle and a flow check before the next injection [1].
Keeping the dates straight
Every limit above starts on a date you have to remember: the first injection from a pen, or the first day a single-dose pen or vial spent outside the fridge. With several pens in rotation, or a pen that went on a trip, those dates are easy to lose. Writing them down at the moment they happen is simpler than reconstructing them later, and it gives your pharmacist something concrete to check against the label.
Ozempic®, Wegovy®, FlexTouch®, Rybelsus®, Saxenda® and Victoza® are registered trademarks of Novo Nordisk A/S. Mounjaro®, Zepbound®, KwikPen® and Trulicity® are registered trademarks and Foundayo™ is a trademark of Eli Lilly and Company. PepLabo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly and Company.