Question 1

Which works better for weight loss, Trulicity or Mounjaro?

Accepted Answer

On the trial evidence, Mounjaro. Trulicity recorded −2.9 to −3.1 kg / 26 wk (Trulicity 1.5 mg) and Mounjaro −11.2 kg / 40 wk (Mounjaro 15 mg, SURPASS-2), and the head-to-head comparison put Trulicity at No direct insulin-degludec head-to-head at max dose against Mounjaro at −2.37% A1C vs insulin degludec −1.34% (SURPASS-3, 52 wk). A head-to-head is the strongest form of this evidence because both arms run under one protocol — separate trials are not directly comparable however alike they look.

Question 2

Are Trulicity and Mounjaro the same drug?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

Is Trulicity or Mounjaro cheaper?

Accepted Answer

On the manufacturers' own cash pricing: Trulicity at About $987/mo retail, with a patient-assistance route and a commercial savings card, Mounjaro at About $1,069/mo list, with a savings card for commercial insurance only. ⚠ 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 4

Does either one have better cardiovascular evidence?

Accepted Answer

Trulicity does. Trulicity: MACE −12% (REWIND, HR 0.88; in T2D ± established CVD). Mounjaro: SURPASS-CVOT readout pending 2027. 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 5

How is each one taken?

Accepted Answer

Trulicity: Once-weekly subq 0.75 → 1.5 → 3 → 4.5 mg pen. Mounjaro: Once-weekly subq 2.5 → 5 → 7.5 → 10 → 12.5 → 15 mg. 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 6

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. ⛔ 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 7

Can I switch from Trulicity to Mounjaro?

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 8

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	Trulicity	Mounjaro
Mechanism	GLP-1 receptor agonist	Dual GIP / GLP-1 receptor agonist
A1C reduction (max dose, cross-trial)	−1.1% / 26 wk (Trulicity 1.5 mg, AWARD program)	−2.30% / 40 wk (Mounjaro 15 mg, SURPASS-2)
Weight loss (max dose, cross-trial)	−2.9 to −3.1 kg / 26 wk (Trulicity 1.5 mg)	−11.2 kg / 40 wk (Mounjaro 15 mg, SURPASS-2)
Insulin-comparator head-to-head	No direct insulin-degludec head-to-head at max dose	−2.37% A1C vs insulin degludec −1.34% (SURPASS-3, 52 wk)
Dosing	Once-weekly subq 0.75 → 1.5 → 3 → 4.5 mg pen	Once-weekly subq 2.5 → 5 → 7.5 → 10 → 12.5 → 15 mg
FDA-approved indication	Type 2 diabetes (adults + pediatrics ≥10); CV risk reduction in T2D	Type 2 diabetes (adults only)
Cardiovascular outcome	MACE −12% (REWIND, HR 0.88; in T2D ± established CVD)	SURPASS-CVOT readout pending 2027
Youngest approved age	10 and over, since 2022	Adults only
What it costs if you pay cash	About $987/mo retail, with a patient-assistance route and a commercial savings card	About $1,069/mo list, with a savings card for commercial insurance only

Trulicity vs Mounjaro: Lilly's Old and New Weekly

The verdict

Side-by-side comparison

What each one costs in the compounded market

Frequently asked questions