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Wegovy vs Mounjaro

Wegovy and Mounjaro contain different drugs. Wegovy has a weight-management use; Mounjaro treats type 2 diabetes. Both also have heart-risk uses, with different patient groups covered.

Source for this answer

Source: Read from both FDA labels on DailyMed

Source: Read from both FDA labels on DailyMed

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Montecillo, MD · non-practicing medical reviewerReviewed 2026-08-13every number here is sourced

Wegovy and Mounjaro, line by line

Compare 14 details from the two labels. Side-effect figures from separate trials do not establish which medicine is safer.

Wegovy and Mounjaro compared line by line, from both FDA labels
QuestionWegovyMounjaro
What is in itSemaglutide, which acts on one gut hormone receptor, GLP-1Tirzepatide, which acts on two, GIP and GLP-1
Who makes itNovo NordiskEli Lilly and Company
Approved usesWeight management in eligible adults and adolescents aged 12 and older; heart-risk reduction and certain MASH liver disease in eligible adultsBlood sugar control in type 2 diabetes; heart-risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk
Is it approved for weightYesNo
Is it approved for blood sugar in type 2 diabetesNoYes
How oftenSame on both labelsOnce a weekOnce a week
When it was approved2021-06-04, under NDA 2152562022-05-13, under NDA 215866
Starting dose0.25 mg once a week2.5 mg once a week; increase only if more blood sugar control is needed, after at least 4 weeks
Highest dose2.4 mg, or 7.2 mg for weight reduction in adults15 mg a week for adults, 10 mg from age 10
Maintenance doses1.7, 2.4 or 7.2 mgNo separate maintenance-dose list; further increases depend on blood sugar control
How a missed week is handledTake it if the next dose is more than 2 days off, otherwise skipTake within 4 days of the missed dose; otherwise skip it
Youngest patient coveredAge 12Age 10, added in December 2025
Is there a pillYes, a tablet at 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg, under a separate applicationNo. Injection only
What the label reports for nausea44 in 100 at 2.4 mg, against 16 on placebo12, 15 and 18 in 100 at 5, 10 and 15 mg, against 4 on placebo

Product comparison at a glance

Wegovy
Semaglutide
Mounjaro
Tirzepatide
Label differences
13 of 14 comparison rows differ
Direct trial
None published

Has anyone tested Wegovy against Mounjaro directly?

No. Two trials have compared the two ingredients, and each of them lines up with one of these products and not the other.

SURMOUNT-5 ran 72 weeks in 751 adults with obesity and without type 2 diabetes. Its semaglutide arm reached 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg, which is Wegovy’s own maintenance range, and its tirzepatide arm reached 10 mg or 15 mg, which is inside Mounjaro’s range too. But the people in it were being treated for obesity — Wegovy’s approved use, and not one the Mounjaro label carries.

SURPASS-2 ran 40 weeks in 1,879 adults with type 2 diabetes, which is Mounjaro’s use. Its semaglutide arm was 1 mg. That is below Wegovy’s listed maintenance doses, so it does not compare Wegovy at a maintenance dose.

So the trials bracket this pair without landing on it: right population and the wrong semaglutide dose, or right semaglutide dose and the wrong population.

Different approved uses do not prevent researchers from comparing two drugs. They do limit what can be concluded from trials conducted for those uses.

5Comparison detailsWhat the differences mean and where to find more detail

Which comparison matches the condition being treated?

Wegovy is approved for weight and Mounjaro is approved for blood sugar. If somebody is being treated for weight, Mounjaro is not the label-covered option; if for type 2 diabetes, Wegovy is not.

What makes that easy to miss is that each has a twin under a different name. Mounjaro’s twin is Zepbound: the same tirzepatide, the same maker, the same devices, the same 2.5 mg steps, and a label that covers weight. Wegovy’s twin is Ozempic: the same semaglutide, the same maker, and a label that covers type 2 diabetes.

So the comparison that answers a weight question is Wegovy against Zepbound, and the one that answers a diabetes question is Ozempic against Mounjaro. Those trials match the approved uses and studied doses more closely. They do not establish a direct result for this pair.

Why an off-label prescription needs its own discussion

Use for a condition outside the approved label is called off-label use. The comparisons here describe approved uses; they do not decide whether an off-label prescription suits someone.

What the labels do settle is what happens around it. An approved use brings a printed dose schedule for that use, a reaction table drawn from trials in those patients, and an age range. Mounjaro’s reaction table comes from diabetes trials in people mostly already on other diabetes medicines. Wegovy’s comes from weight trials carried to 2.4 mg.

The nausea figures — 44 in 100 against 12 to 18 in 100 — come from different trial groups. They cannot establish a difference in nausea risk between the two medicines.

Only one of the two has a tablet, and only one has an age-10 approval

Wegovy also exists as a tablet, at 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg, under a separate application. Mounjaro is injection only.

Mounjaro reaches further down in age: from 10 years old, added in December 2025, with the ceiling set at 10 mg rather than 15 for those patients. Wegovy covers age 12 and up.

These approvals belong to the named product and dosage form. They do not automatically extend to another product containing the same ingredient.

What about “Mounjaro vs Wegovy”?

Reversing the names does not change the product details or trial results.

Read each result with its own dose, study group and limits, whichever name comes first.

The full label for each

Choose a product below to see its full dose schedule, side effects and storage rules.

Wegovy

The Wegovy dose schedule in fullWegovy side effects, dose by doseStoring Wegovy safely

Mounjaro

The Mounjaro dose schedule in fullMounjaro side effects, dose by doseStoring Mounjaro safely

17primary sources, each with the day we read it — open the documents used on this page

Wegovy and Mounjaro are registered trademarks of their makers. Neither maker wrote, reviewed or endorsed this guide. It draws on public FDA labels and cited studies. A clinician can advise on your care. For prices and insurance, see our cost and coverage guide.