Is Wegovy Tirzepatide? Brand Names Explained (2026)

Written by Nataliia Bondarchuk. Updated November 5, 2026.

No, Wegovy is not tirzepatide: Wegovy is semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk, while tirzepatide is a different drug made by Eli Lilly and sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound. The confusion is understandable. All of these are weekly injections for blood sugar or weight, they belong to the same broad family of medicines often called 'GLP-1 drugs', and each company sells the same active ingredient under more than one brand name. The active ingredient is the actual medicine inside the pen or tablet; the brand name is the commercial name on the box, and it usually tells you what the product is approved for. Semaglutide is sold as Ozempic, Wegovy, Wegovy HD, the Wegovy pill and Rybelsus. Tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound. Lilly's newer weight-loss pill, Foundayo, is a third, different molecule called orforglipron. This guide maps every brand to its ingredient, maker, approved uses and form, explains how Mounjaro and Wegovy differ, and summarizes the one head-to-head trial of Zepbound against Wegovy, as of November 2026.

The table below lists the main US brands. 'Approved use' means the uses on the US label, not every way doctors may prescribe the drug.

Tirzepatide has two US brand names, both from Eli Lilly. Mounjaro was approved by the FDA on May 13, 2022, as an add-on to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. Its label says it is not for type 1 diabetes and is not approved for weight loss. Zepbound followed on November 8, 2023, for chronic weight management in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure. On December 20, 2024, Zepbound was also approved for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

Both brands come in the same six strengths, from 2.5 mg to 15 mg, taken once a week; how those strengths are used is covered in our tirzepatide dosage guide. Zepbound now comes in three forms: the original single-dose pen, single-dose vials launched in August 2024 and sold self-pay through LillyDirect, and a multi-dose KwikPen approved on February 23, 2026, which holds four doses (one month). Lilly said in February 2026 that all Zepbound doses in the KwikPen or vial start at $299 a month for the 2.5 mg dose through LillyDirect. More on that device is in our Zepbound KwikPen guide. For a closer look at how the two tirzepatide brands compare, see Mounjaro vs Zepbound.

Semaglutide, from Novo Nordisk, has more brands because it comes as both injections and tablets:

No. Zepbound is tirzepatide, the same active ingredient as Mounjaro. The mix-up usually happens because Zepbound and Wegovy are the two best-known weight-loss injections and are often discussed side by side. They are made by different companies and contain different molecules. A simple way to remember it: Lilly's injections (Mounjaro and Zepbound) are tirzepatide; Novo Nordisk's products (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) are semaglutide. If you want to understand what tirzepatide is chemically, our explainer on whether tirzepatide is a peptide covers that.

Mounjaro and Wegovy differ in three ways: the molecule, the approved use, and the company. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) activates two gut hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1. These hormones are released after eating; they help the pancreas release insulin when blood sugar is high, slow how quickly the stomach empties, and reduce appetite. Wegovy (semaglutide) activates only the GLP-1 receptor. That is why tirzepatide is sometimes called a 'dual agonist'. Our article on how Zepbound works explains this in more detail.

The approved uses also differ. In the US, Mounjaro is approved only for type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is approved for weight management, heart risk reduction and MASH. The fairer weight-loss comparison is therefore Zepbound against Wegovy, since both are approved for chronic weight management. For a broader look at the two ingredients, see tirzepatide vs semaglutide.

The only head-to-head trial so far is SURMOUNT-5, run by Eli Lilly and published in the New England Journal of Medicine after being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in May 2025. It was an open-label trial, meaning participants and doctors knew which drug was being given, in 751 adults with obesity or overweight but without diabetes, followed for 72 weeks. Participants took the highest dose they could tolerate: 10 or 15 mg of Zepbound, or 1.7 or 2.4 mg of Wegovy.

According to Lilly, this was 47% more relative weight loss with Zepbound. A few caveats apply: the trial was sponsored by Lilly, it was open-label, and it was not designed to compare safety. It also compared Zepbound with the 2.4 mg Wegovy dose, not the newer 7.2 mg Wegovy HD, which had not been approved when the trial ran. Individual results vary widely.

If you read UK news or forums, you will often see Mounjaro described as a weight-loss injection. That is because the UK's medicines regulator, the MHRA, authorised Mounjaro for weight management on November 8, 2023, for adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to 30 with a weight-related condition. In the UK, the tirzepatide weight-loss brand is Mounjaro, not Zepbound. In the US, Mounjaro remains a diabetes brand, and the weight-management version is Zepbound. This is a common source of confusion when people compare advice from different countries.

Not as of November 2026. Every tirzepatide product is an injection. The pills on the market are different drugs: the Wegovy pill and Rybelsus contain semaglutide, and Foundayo, approved on April 1, 2026, contains orforglipron. Foundayo is made by Lilly, the same company that makes tirzepatide, which is why some people assume it is a tirzepatide tablet. It is not; it is a separate molecule taken once a day, with or without food. Our tirzepatide pill guide covers what is and is not available.

There is no FDA-approved generic tirzepatide or semaglutide available in the US, according to Drugs.com's comparison data updated November 1, 2026. On April 10, 2026, Apotex and its partner Orbicular received the first FDA tentative approval for a generic version of Ozempic (semaglutide). A tentative approval means the FDA found the product meets its standards, but it cannot be sold until patents or other barriers allow a final approval. The main US semaglutide compound patent is expected to expire in 2032, according to a June 2026 news report. Canada approved generic semaglutide from Dr. Reddy's and Apotex in May 2026. For tirzepatide specifically, see is there a generic Zepbound.

Compounded versions are a separate issue. During the shortages, the FDA allowed pharmacies to make copies of these drugs. According to the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the FDA ended that enforcement discretion for tirzepatide in 2025 (with the outsourcing-facility deadline on March 19, 2025), and for semaglutide on April 22, 2025, for traditional compounding pharmacies and May 22, 2025, for outsourcing facilities. Compounded products are not FDA-approved, and in July 2024 the FDA warned about dosing errors with compounded semaglutide, including overdoses, some leading to hospital stays, linked to wrong syringes and miscalculated doses. Compounded tirzepatide is not the same as Zepbound or Mounjaro.

Wegovy is not tirzepatide. It is semaglutide from Novo Nordisk, the same ingredient as Ozempic and Rybelsus. Tirzepatide is Eli Lilly's drug, sold as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for weight management and sleep apnea in the US, while in the UK Mounjaro is also approved for weight management. Lilly's Foundayo pill is a different molecule again. In the one head-to-head trial, Zepbound led to more weight loss than Wegovy, but the right choice depends on your health, your prescriber's advice and what your coverage allows.

This article summarizes drug labels, regulatory announcements and published research for general information and is not medical advice. The SURMOUNT-5 trial was funded by Eli Lilly, the maker of Zepbound and Mounjaro.