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Wegovy vs Mounjaro: Obesity Label Against Diabetes Label

Wegovy (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk) vs Mounjaro (tirzepatide, Eli Lilly)

Last verified May 2026

By Ruth Calder · Enforcement Editor
Editorially reviewed & fact-checked against primary sources · How we verify contentLast reviewed

The verdict

Cross-label again, so read it carefully: Wegovy is approved and dosed for weight management, Mounjaro for diabetes. The same molecule as Mounjaro, sold as Zepbound, outperforms Wegovy on weight in a head-to-head — but Mounjaro under its own label has no obesity trial and no cash-pay tier, listing near $1,069. Wegovy has SELECT's MACE −20% and a $349–$499 NovoCare price. For a cash payer that is usually decisive.

Side-by-side comparison

FieldWegovyMounjaro
FDA-approved indicationChronic weight management; CV risk reduction in obesityType 2 diabetes mellitus only
MechanismGLP-1 receptor agonistDual GIP / GLP-1 receptor agonist
Weight-loss pivotal trial-14.9% TBWL / 68 wk (STEP-1, obesity)-11.2 kg / 40 wk (SURPASS-2, T2D 15 mg)
Same-molecule head-to-head (obesity)Semaglutide 2.4 mg: -13.7% / 72 wk (SURMOUNT-5)Tirzepatide 15 mg: -20.2% / 72 wk (SURMOUNT-5)
A1C reductionNot a labeled outcome (obesity indication)-2.30% at 15 mg / 40 wk (SURPASS-2)
Cardiovascular outcomeMACE -20% in obesity without diabetes (SELECT, 2023)SURPASS-CVOT pending 2027
Cash price (manufacturer direct)$349-$499/mo (NovoCare)No cash-pay tier; ~$1,069/mo WAC (Lilly savings card, commercial only)
Same-molecule obesity equivalentWegovy IS the obesity-labeled semaglutideZepbound (tirzepatide, obesity + OSA labeled)
Youngest approved age12 and over, at or above the 95th BMI percentileAdults only, 18 and over

What each one costs in the compounded market

Standing monthly cash prices from the 556 sellers on this register. These are compounded preparations, not the approved products compared above.

Wegovy — semaglutide

from $79 /mo

283 sellers publish a standing price; the median is $174 a month.

Mounjaro — tirzepatide

from $99 /mo

253 sellers publish a standing price; the median is $240 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 when the shortages closed. The price gap is real, and so is the difference in oversight. Every seller, with its price record.

Frequently asked questions

Are Wegovy and Mounjaro the same drug?

No. Wegovy is semaglutide 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.

Is Wegovy or Mounjaro cheaper?

On the manufacturers' own cash pricing: Wegovy at $349-$499/mo (NovoCare), Mounjaro at No cash-pay tier; ~$1,069/mo WAC (Lilly savings card, commercial 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.

Does either one have better cardiovascular evidence?

Wegovy does. Wegovy: MACE -20% in obesity without diabetes (SELECT, 2023). Mounjaro: SURPASS-CVOT 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.

What does a compounded version of each actually cost?

Across the 556 sellers in this register, the cheapest standing monthly cash prices we hold are semaglutide from $79 a month and 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.

Can I switch from Wegovy to Mounjaro?

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.

Which one should I ask for?

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.

References

  1. 1.Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, et al. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1). N Engl J Med. 2021. PMID: 33567185.
  2. 2.Frías JP, Davies MJ, Rosenstock J, Pérez Manghi FC, Fernández Landó L, et al. Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (SURPASS-2). N Engl J Med. 2021. PMID: 34170647.
  3. 3.Aronne LJ, Horn DB, le Roux CW, et al. Tirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity (SURMOUNT-5). N Engl J Med. 2025. PMID: 40353578.
  4. 4.Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM, et al. Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity Without Diabetes (SELECT). N Engl J Med. 2023. PMID: 37952131.
  5. 5.Novo Nordisk. WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection — FDA prescribing information. DailyMed (NIH/NLM). 2025. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ee06186f-2aa3-4990-a760-757579d8f77b
  6. 6.Eli Lilly and Company. MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) injection — FDA prescribing information. DailyMed (NIH/NLM). 2025. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=d2d7da5d-ad07-4228-955f-cf7e355c8cc0

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