Eli Lilly created Mounjaro and Zepbound, medicines based on tirzepatide.
Tirzepatide is a medicine developed by the American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company. Mounjaro received U.S. approval in 2022 for improving blood-sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, alongside diet and exercise. Zepbound received U.S. approval in 2023 for chronic weight management in eligible adults.
The two products contain the same active ingredient but were approved and marketed for different primary indications. Tirzepatide activates receptors for GIP and GLP-1, hormones involved in glucose regulation and appetite. It is administered by weekly injection.
A frequent mix-up is confusing Eli Lilly’s medicines with Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide products Ozempic and Wegovy. Those products use semaglutide, not tirzepatide. Pharmaceutical approvals and indications can differ by country, so product labeling remains jurisdiction-specific.