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Tirzepatide Brand Names: Mounjaro and Zepbound

Creator: Julian Reyes, Health Writer
Published: 2026-08-17

The two U.S. tirzepatide brand names are Mounjaro and Zepbound, both made by Eli Lilly. They contain the same active ingredient but carry different approved uses; compounded tirzepatide is not a brand.

Julian Reyes, Health Writer August 17, 2026 5 min read

The short version

The two U.S. tirzepatide brand names are Mounjaro and Zepbound; both are made by Eli Lilly and contain the same active ingredient.
Mounjaro's label covers type 2 diabetes in adults and children age 10 and older; Zepbound's covers long-term weight management in qualifying adults and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.
Both 2026 labels include single-dose pens and vials, multidose vials, and single-patient-use KwikPens across six strengths from 2.5 mg to 15 mg.
No generic tirzepatide product has been approved as of August 2026; patent certifications and draft generic-development guidance are steps toward possible applications, not approvals.
Promise's tirzepatide is dispensed as a compounded medication, which is different from an FDA-approved product: the formulation offered here is not FDA-approved.
FDA says tirzepatide is not on its shortage list; 503A compounding therefore turns on patient-specific prescriptions and copy restrictions, including a prescriber-documented significant difference where applicable.

The two tirzepatide brand names in the United States are Mounjaro and Zepbound. Both are prescription injections made by Eli Lilly, and both contain tirzepatide. Mounjaro's label covers type 2 diabetes in adults and children age 10 and older. Zepbound's label covers long-term weight reduction in adults with obesity or qualifying overweight, and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. There is no approved generic tirzepatide as of August 2026. Compounded tirzepatide is not a third brand and is not a generic version of either medicine.

Tirzepatide brand names at a glance

The current U.S. labels for Mounjaro and Zepbound make the dividing line clear. The molecule is the same. The approved uses and product identities are not.

Product	Manufacturer	What FDA has approved it for	How it is supplied
Mounjaro	Eli Lilly and Company	Improving glycemic control, with diet and exercise, in adults and children age 10 and older with type 2 diabetes	Subcutaneous injection in single-dose pens and vials, multidose vials, and single-patient-use KwikPens
Zepbound	Eli Lilly and Company	Long-term weight reduction and maintenance in qualifying adults; moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, alongside the label's diet and activity measures	Subcutaneous injection in single-dose pens and vials, multidose vials, and single-patient-use KwikPens
Compounded tirzepatide	No brand owner; prepared by the dispensing compounding pharmacy	It carries no approved brand indication and is prepared for a named patient under a prescription	A pharmacy-labeled presentation; Promise's formulation with vitamin B12 is supplied in a vial

Mounjaro arrived first, in 2022. Zepbound followed in 2023, with the sleep-apnea indication added in December 2024. These are separate New Drug Applications, not two nicknames chosen by a pharmacy.

Why one molecule has two brand names

Tirzepatide is the nonproprietary name of the active ingredient. It acts at GIP and GLP-1 receptors. A brand name identifies more than that ingredient: it ties a manufacturer, formulation, container, prescribing information, and set of reviewed uses to a specific product.

The clinical programs also asked different questions. In SURPASS-1, adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by diet and exercise were followed for 40 weeks. Mean HbA1c changed by -1.87, -1.89, and -2.07 percentage points across the three tirzepatide groups, versus +0.04 with placebo (Rosenstock et al., The Lancet, 2021; PMID 34186022, DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01324-6).

SURMOUNT-1 enrolled adults with obesity or qualifying overweight without diabetes. At 72 weeks, mean weight changes were -15.0%, -19.5%, and -20.9% across the tirzepatide groups, versus -3.1% with placebo (Jastreboff et al., NEJM, 2022; PMID 35658024, DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2206038). In the two 52-week SURMOUNT-OSA trials, the treatment differences from placebo in apnea-hypopnea index were -20.0 and -23.8 events per hour (Malhotra et al., NEJM, 2024; PMID 38912654, DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2404881).

Those numbers describe trial populations and branded development programs. They are not a prediction for one person, and they do not establish that a compounded preparation performs like either Lilly product. For a molecule-level comparison, tirzepatide versus semaglutide separates the dual-receptor and single-receptor designs.

The package name still matters

Current 2026 labels list six dose strengths, from 2.5 mg through 15 mg, across several presentation types. Both brands now include single-dose pens, single-dose vials, multidose vials, and a single-patient-use KwikPen. The dose range on the market does not mean every strength is a maintenance dose for every indication or age group; the label and prescriber set those boundaries.

A Lilly carton or device carries Mounjaro or Zepbound, its National Drug Code, and manufacturer labeling. A compounded vial carries the dispensing pharmacy's label, concentration, patient, and prescriber information. The fact that all three may contain tirzepatide does not make the containers interchangeable.

There is no approved tirzepatide generic yet

A generic name and a generic drug are different things. Tirzepatide is the generic, or nonproprietary, name printed beneath both brands. A generic drug product would need its own approved Abbreviated New Drug Application and a listing in FDA's drug databases.

As of August 2026, that product does not exist. FDA's Paragraph IV certification table records May 13, 2026 submissions involving proposed tirzepatide generics, and FDA published draft product-specific guidance for tirzepatide developers on July 28, 2026. A patent certification, application step, or draft guidance is not an approval. Compounded tirzepatide therefore should not be described as generic Mounjaro or generic Zepbound.

Where compounded tirzepatide fits

Through Promise, tirzepatide is dispensed as a compounded medication, which is different from an FDA-approved product: the formulation offered here — tirzepatide with vitamin B12 — is not FDA-approved. Compounded medications are not reviewed by FDA for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are dispensed.

The formulation is prepared for an individual patient by a licensed U.S. compounding pharmacy after a prescription. It does not come from Lilly, does not carry the Mounjaro or Zepbound brand, and is not automatically substitutable for either. How compounded medications are made explains the pharmacy process and its separate oversight framework.

What the shortage decision changed

FDA determined in December 2024 that the tirzepatide injection shortage was resolved. In its April 1, 2026 compounding update, the agency said tirzepatide was not on its shortage list or the 503B bulks list. For 503A compounding, FDA emphasizes an individual-patient prescription and restrictions on making copies regularly or in inordinate amounts. Its guidance also describes a route when a prescriber determines and documents that a change produces a significant difference for an identified patient.

That status is a regulatory fact, not a marketing gate or a warning. A licensed provider may still prescribe a compounded formulation when the applicable conditions are met; that decision is between the patient and the doctor.

Read the product identity before the promise

The useful question is not simply, "Is this tirzepatide?" It is, "Which product is this?" Mounjaro, Zepbound, and a compounded preparation can share an active ingredient while differing in indication, manufacturer, presentation, federal review, and pharmacy labeling. The tirzepatide cost breakdown compares the financial routes after that identity question is settled.

At Promise, a licensed provider reviews every request and decides whether the compounded formulation is appropriate. Not everyone qualifies. If prescribed, the partner pharmacy compounds and dispenses the medication under that prescription; if the provider declines, no prescription is written.

Common questions

What are the brand names for tirzepatide?

Mounjaro and Zepbound are the two tirzepatide brands in the United States. Eli Lilly makes both. Mounjaro's label covers type 2 diabetes in adults and children age 10 and older, while Zepbound's label covers long-term weight management in qualifying adults and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

Are Mounjaro and Zepbound the same medication?

They contain the same active ingredient, tirzepatide, but they are separate branded products with different approved uses. They also have separate New Drug Applications and product labeling. A prescriber considers the diagnosis, label, coverage, presentation, and individual medical history; sharing a molecule does not make the brand names or prescriptions interchangeable.

Is there a generic version of Mounjaro or Zepbound?

No. As of August 2026, FDA has not approved a generic tirzepatide product. Generic-development steps began in 2026, including Paragraph IV certifications and draft product-specific guidance, but neither an application step nor guidance is an approval. Tirzepatide is the nonproprietary ingredient name; that does not make an unbranded or compounded vial an approved generic.

Is Promise's compounded tirzepatide an approved product?

No. FDA-approved versions of these molecules exist, but the compounded formulations offered here are not FDA-approved. Promise's tirzepatide with vitamin B12 is prepared by a licensed U.S. compounding pharmacy for an individual patient under a prescription. It is not Mounjaro, Zepbound, or an approved generic, and FDA does not review compounded medications before dispensing for safety, effectiveness, or quality.

Which tirzepatide brand is used for weight loss?

Zepbound is the tirzepatide brand whose label covers long-term weight reduction and maintenance in adults with obesity or adults with overweight plus at least one weight-related condition. Mounjaro's label covers type 2 diabetes in adults and children age 10 and older. A licensed prescriber decides which product, if any, fits the individual patient.

Why can compounded tirzepatide still be prescribed after the shortage ended?

Shortage resolution did not erase all patient-specific compounding pathways. FDA's 503A framework centers on a prescription for an identified patient and restricts regular or inordinate copying of a commercially available product. The agency's guidance also addresses a prescriber-documented significant difference for an individual patient. Whether those conditions and the clinical facts support prescribing is a patient–doctor decision.