Eli Lilly is the pharmaceutical company that developed tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Tirzepatide is a medicine that activates receptors for two gut hormones, GIP and GLP-1. Eli Lilly first marketed it as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes after U.S. approval in 2022. The company later received U.S. approval for obesity treatment under the brand name Zepbound in 2023.
The medicine belongs to a fast-growing class of treatments that can improve blood-sugar control and produce substantial weight loss. Its development helped make Eli Lilly one of the most valuable pharmaceutical companies by market capitalization.
A common mix-up is confusing tirzepatide with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. Both treatments involve GLP-1 biology, but tirzepatide also targets the GIP receptor and is made by Eli Lilly.