How to store GLP-1 pens: fridge, room temperature and freezing

How should GLP-1 pens be stored before first use?

Before first use, keep them in the refrigerator. The Philippine package inserts for Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro KwikPen, and the US Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound labels, all say to store unused injections at 2 to 8 °C.

The Ozempic and Wegovy labels say to keep the pen in its original carton. The Mounjaro and Zepbound labels say to store it in the original carton to protect it from light.

The Philippine package inserts linked from the FDA Philippines Verification Portal apply to products registered in the Philippines, so this page shows them first. Where a Philippine value differs from a US value, both are shown. Always check the leaflet that comes with your medicine. More about each medicine is on the semaglutide and tirzepatide pages.

Storage rules by product

Each product has its own limit for time out of the refrigerator. The first rows show the Philippine package inserts. The rows after them show the US labels.

Mounjaro KwikPen (0.6 mL) and Mounjaro (0.5 mL) are listed as registered in the FDA Philippines Verification Portal (checked October 7, 2026), as are Ozempic and Wegovy solutions for injection. The Philippine package insert applies to products registered in the Philippines. Where it differs from the US label, as for the Ozempic pen (6 weeks versus 56 days after first use), the Wegovy FlexTouch pen (6 weeks versus 56 days) and an opened Mounjaro KwikPen (unrefrigerated below 30 °C versus refrigerator or room temperature), the Philippine insert is the one that applies to a pen registered in the Philippines.

Can the pen be left out of the fridge?

Yes, for a limited time and at no more than 30 °C. The limit depends on the product and the label.

Philippine package inserts

• Ozempic pen (BR-1326): after first use, it "may be stored for a maximum of 6 weeks. Store below 30°C or in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C)."
• Wegovy FlexTouch pen (BR-1468): "After first use: 6 weeks. Store below 30°C or in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C)."
• Wegovy single-dose pen (BR-1473): "Wegovy® may be stored unrefrigerated for up to 28 days at a temperature not above 30°C. Discard the pen if it has been out of the refrigerator for more than 28 days."
• Mounjaro KwikPen (DR-XY49504): "After first use 30 days. Store unrefrigerated at room temperature below 30 ºC. The pre-filled KwikPen must be discarded 30 days after first use."

Semaglutide (US Ozempic and Wegovy labels)

• Ozempic pen: after first use, it can be stored for 56 days at 15 to 30 °C or in the refrigerator.
• Wegovy FlexTouch pen: after first use, it can be stored for 56 days at 15 to 30 °C or in the refrigerator.
• Ozempic single-dose syringe and Wegovy single-dose pen or syringe: if needed, these can be kept at 8 to 30 °C for up to 28 days. For Wegovy, this applies before the cap is removed.

Tirzepatide (US Mounjaro and Zepbound labels)

• Single-dose pen or vial (US Mounjaro label): if needed, it can be stored unrefrigerated at no more than 30 °C for up to 21 days in total, then thrown away.
• KwikPen or multi-dose vial (US Zepbound label): unopened, it is discarded after 30 days if kept at room temperature (up to 30 °C). Once opened, it can be kept in the refrigerator or at room temperature, and is thrown away after a total of 30 days at room temperature, 30 days after first use, or after 4 weekly doses, even if medicine is left.

What about freezing?

Never freeze these injections. The Philippine package inserts for Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro KwikPen say not to freeze them. The US Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound labels all say not to freeze the medicine and not to use it if it has been frozen.

The US Wegovy label adds: do not store it in the freezer or directly next to the refrigerator cooling element. The Philippine Ozempic and Wegovy inserts also say to keep the medicine away from the cooling element.

How do you protect a pen from heat and light?

Keep it in its carton and away from heat. The labels say:

• Ozempic pen: protect from excessive heat and sunlight.
• Wegovy FlexTouch pen: protect from excessive heat and light.
• Wegovy single-dose pen or syringe and Ozempic single-dose syringe: protect from light and keep in the original carton until use.
• Mounjaro and Zepbound: protect from heat and light, and store in the original carton to protect from light.

What if the medicine arrives warm?

The US FDA advises not using any injectable GLP-1 medicine that arrives warm or without enough refrigeration.

If a delivery arrives warm, do not use it. Contact the pharmacy that supplied it and your doctor.

How should the pen and needles be handled?

The labels give a few handling rules for pens that hold more than one dose.

• Needles: the Ozempic label, and the Wegovy label for the FlexTouch pen, say to keep the cap on, store the pen without a needle attached, and use a new needle for each injection.
• Sharing: the Ozempic label says a pen must never be shared between patients, even if the needle is changed. The Mounjaro Medication Guide says: "Do not share your MOUNJARO KwikPen or needles with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them."
• Checking the solution: the Ozempic label says it should look clear and colorless before use. The Zepbound and Mounjaro labels describe a clear, colorless to slightly yellow solution and say not to use it if particles or discoloration are seen.

How are Wegovy and Rybelsus tablets stored?

The Philippine package insert for Rybelsus (BR-1411) says: "Store at temperatures not exceeding 30 °C. Store in the original blister package in order to protect from light and moisture."

The US Wegovy label says to store Wegovy tablets at 20 to 25 °C, with short periods at 15 to 30 °C allowed, in the original bottle in a dry place to protect them from moisture.

What this page does not cover

Some storage questions are not answered by the sources recorded for this page.

• No label guidance on traveling with pens, such as flights or cooler bags, was recorded.
• The FDA Philippines Verification Portal links no package insert for four of the six Mounjaro KwikPen records or for the six Mounjaro 0.5 mL records, so their Philippine storage wording was not read.
• How long an unopened Ozempic pen can be kept out of the refrigerator before first use was not recorded.