Question 1

Are Mounjaro and Wegovy the same drug?

Accepted Answer

No. Mounjaro is tirzepatide and Wegovy is semaglutide — different molecules, and they work differently: Dual GIP / GLP-1 receptor agonist against GLP-1 receptor agonist. Results with one do not predict results with the other.

Question 2

Is Mounjaro or Wegovy cheaper?

Accepted Answer

On the manufacturers' own cash pricing: Mounjaro at No manufacturer cash-pay program (Lilly savings card limited to commercial T2D insurance), Wegovy at $349-$499/mo via NovoCare. ⚠ That is the list-price comparison, and it is not what most people pay. What you actually pay depends on whether your plan covers it, which formulary tier it sits in, and whether you have met your deductible — and for many people the honest comparison is between an insured copay and a cash-pay compounded alternative rather than between these two figures.

Question 3

Does either one have better cardiovascular evidence?

Accepted Answer

Wegovy does. Mounjaro: SURPASS-CVOT pending 2027. Wegovy: MACE -20% in obesity without diabetes (SELECT, 2023). This matters more than it first appears — a drug with a completed outcomes trial has evidence about events that matter, not only about weight, and that is often what decides coverage.

Question 4

How is each one taken?

Accepted Answer

Mounjaro: Once-weekly subq 2.5-15 mg (6-step titration). Wegovy: Once-weekly subq 0.25-2.4 mg (5-step titration). Worth weighing honestly against your own habits — the best drug for you is partly the one you will still be taking in eight months, and a dosing routine that does not fit a life gets abandoned.

Question 5

What does a compounded version of each actually cost?

Accepted Answer

Across the 556 sellers in this register, the cheapest standing monthly cash prices we hold are tirzepatide from $99 a month and semaglutide from $79 a month. ⛔ A compounded preparation is not the approved product: no agency has reviewed that specific preparation for safety, effectiveness or manufacturing quality, and the legal ground under compounding these molecules narrowed once the shortages closed. The price gap is real and so is the difference in oversight.

Question 6

Can I switch from Mounjaro to Wegovy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with a prescriber. Expect to re-titrate from the bottom of the new drug's ladder rather than starting where you left off: these are different molecules and tolerance to one does not transfer to the other. Both the old drug's washout and the new drug's schedule apply.

Question 7

Which one should I ask for?

Accepted Answer

That is a prescriber's call, and anyone answering it from a table is guessing. What a page like this can do is tell you what the trials measured, what the manufacturers charge, and where the evidence is still missing, so the conversation starts from the record rather than from an advertisement.

Field	Mounjaro	Wegovy
FDA-approved indication	Type 2 diabetes only (weight management requires Zepbound)	Chronic weight management; cardiovascular risk reduction in obesity
Mechanism	Dual GIP / GLP-1 receptor agonist	GLP-1 receptor agonist
Weight-loss trial anchor	SURPASS-2: -11.2 kg / 40 wk (15 mg, T2D)	STEP-1: -14.9% TBWL / 68 wk (2.4 mg, obesity)
Head-to-head molecule (SURMOUNT-5)	Tirzepatide -20.2% / 72 wk	Semaglutide -13.7% / 72 wk
Dosing	Once-weekly subq 2.5-15 mg (6-step titration)	Once-weekly subq 0.25-2.4 mg (5-step titration)
Cardiovascular outcome	SURPASS-CVOT pending 2027	MACE -20% in obesity without diabetes (SELECT, 2023)
Cash price (manufacturer direct)	No manufacturer cash-pay program (Lilly savings card limited to commercial T2D insurance)	$349-$499/mo via NovoCare
Insurance coverage path	PA requires A1c >=6.5% + metformin trial; obesity-only patients typically denied	PA requires BMI >=30 (or >=27 + comorbidity); obesity benefit often excluded by employer plans

Mounjaro vs Wegovy: Different Labels, Different Evidence

The verdict

Side-by-side comparison

What each one costs in the compounded market

Frequently asked questions