Same drug — tirzepatide — sold as two brands. Zepbound is FDA-approved for chronic weight management; Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes. Same molecule, maker, and once-weekly injection; the brand and approved use differ.
| Zepbound | Mounjaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Active drug | tirzepatide | tirzepatide |
| Drug class | Dual GIP + GLP-1 receptor agonist | Dual GIP + GLP-1 receptor agonist |
| FDA-approved for | Chronic weight management | Type 2 diabetes |
| How it's taken | Once-weekly injection | Once-weekly injection |
| Maker | Eli Lilly | Eli Lilly |
Zepbound and Mounjaro are the same active medicine — tirzepatide, made by Eli Lilly as a once-weekly injection that acts on two gut hormones (GIP and GLP-1). The difference isn't the drug; it's the brand and the FDA-approved use.
Mounjaro is approved to treat type 2 diabetes. Zepbound is approved for chronic weight management (and for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity). Because they're the same molecule, which one a person is prescribed usually comes down to their diagnosis and insurance coverage, not a difference in how the drug works.
In the pivotal obesity trial (SURMOUNT-1), tirzepatide at 15 mg produced about a 20–21% average body-weight reduction over ~72 weeks. Because Zepbound and Mounjaro are the same molecule, the drug's effect is the same at the same dose — the brands differ in approved indication, not chemistry. These are trial averages; individual results vary. This is general information, not medical advice.
Zepbound and Mounjaro are the same drug (tirzepatide) with different names and approved uses. They aren't interchangeable products, though — dose ranges and coverage differ, and only a clinician should start, switch, or dose them.
General information, not medical advice, and not a substitute for your clinician. Efficacy figures are pivotal-trial averages — individual results, side effects, and cost vary. Only a licensed healthcare professional can choose, start, switch, or dose these medicines.