Weight loss

Wegovy vs Zepbound

Two FDA-approved brands with different medicines inside. Picking one really means picking semaglutide or tirzepatide, at brand-name prices.

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$0 until a clinician approves. Your clinician helps you choose.

Wegovy®
Novo Nordisk · Semaglutide
GLP-1 receptor agonist
vs
Zepbound®
Eli Lilly · Tirzepatide
Dual GLP-1 / GIP agonist

Wegovy (made by Novo Nordisk) and Zepbound (made by Eli Lilly) are the FDA-approved brand-name weight-loss medicines. Wegovy contains semaglutide. Zepbound contains tirzepatide. So when you choose a brand, you're really choosing between these two medicines, at brand-name prices.

Side by side.

 
Wegovy®
Zepbound®
Price
From $199/mo + membership
From $299/mo + membership
Manufacturer
Novo Nordisk
Eli Lilly
Active ingredient
Semaglutide 2.4 mg
Tirzepatide up to 15 mg
Average weight loss
~14.9% peak trial
~20.9% peak trial
Cardiovascular outcome data
SELECT: 20% MACE reduction
Trials ongoing
Direct-pay program
NovoCare® Pharmacy
LillyDirect

Who picks which.

Wegovy®
  • You want the FDA-approved brand, and your insurance covers it
  • You have heart disease. Only Wegovy has heart outcome data from the SELECT trial
  • You're already doing well on Wegovy or Ozempic
View Wegovy®
Zepbound®
  • You want the FDA-approved brand with the strongest weight-loss data
  • Your insurance covers Zepbound but not Wegovy
  • You have insulin resistance or prediabetes
View Zepbound®
Our verdict

Both are FDA-approved and both work. Wegovy has the heart outcome data. Zepbound has the higher weight-loss numbers. Your clinician can tell you which one fits you.

See if I qualify

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Prescription treatments need an online visit. A U.S.-licensed provider reviews it and decides if a treatment is medically right for you. Individual results vary.

Common questions.

What do these cost without insurance?
Both makers run direct-pay programs for people paying cash. For Wegovy it's NovoCare® Pharmacy. For Zepbound it's LillyDirect. Their prices are well below the regular pharmacy counter. Current prices are on each treatment page.
How does the compounded version differ from the brand?
Compounded versions are made by 503A pharmacies, with a physician overseeing your care. They are not FDA-approved. The FDA-approved brand has been through the FDA's review of the finished product. It also comes with extra sterility and supply-chain guarantees. Compounded medicines are not FDA-approved generics or equivalents of the brand.

Related comparisons

All compares
Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide

Both are GLP-1 medicines. Tirzepatide also acts on a second hormone, GIP. Here's how to choose between them.

Read the comparison →
Compounded vs Branded

One is FDA-approved. The other is made by a 503A compounding pharmacy. Here's what's different between them, and what to weigh.

Read the comparison →
Zepbound® vs Ozempic®

Two different medicines from two different makers. Zepbound is tirzepatide. Ozempic is semaglutide.

Read the comparison →