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Semaglutide and tirzepatide: the brands, the prices, and what your plan does

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are the generic names of two different molecules, and neither is sold to patients under those names by its manufacturer. Novo Nordisk sells semaglutide as Wegovy for chronic weight management, Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Rybelsus as a tablet.

What that is based on

Eli Lilly sells tirzepatide as Zepbound for chronic weight management and Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes. Paying cash, Wegovy runs $149 a month for the 1.5 mg pill and $199 to $349 for the pen, and Zepbound runs $299 at the starting dose and $399 to $699 at maintenance, or $449 at 7.5 mg and above on Lilly’s purchase offer. Across the 51 US Medicaid jurisdictions this site has read, semaglutide is covered subject to prior authorization in 13 and refused in 12, and tirzepatide in 11 and refused in 11. Compounded versions sold under the generic names are a separate question: the shortages that permitted large-scale compounding were declared over, semaglutide in early 2025 and tirzepatide in October 2024, and on 30 April 2026 the FDA proposed removing both from the 503B bulks list.

By John Weeks Updated September 4, 2026

What you can actually buy, by molecule

Semaglutide
3 brands Wegovy for weight management, Ozempic for type 2 diabetes, Rybelsus as a tablet. All Novo Nordisk
Tirzepatide
2 brands Zepbound for weight management, Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes. Both Eli Lilly

Neither molecule is sold to patients under its generic name by the company that makes it. A product offered as "semaglutide" or "tirzepatide" rather than by a brand name is a compounded preparation, which is a different regulatory category and is not an FDA-approved product.

Cash price · per month

$149 to $699

Cash prices for the FDA-approved brands, from the manufacturers. Compounded versions are priced separately and are not approved products.

The short version

Semaglutide, approved brands
Wegovy (weight management, cardiovascular risk reduction), Ozempic and Rybelsus (type 2 diabetes)
Tirzepatide, approved brands
Zepbound (weight management, obstructive sleep apnea), Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes)
Wegovy, cash
$149 a month for the 1.5 mg pill, $199 to $349 for the pen
Zepbound, cash
$399 to $699 at maintenance, or $449 at 7.5 mg and above while every refill is on time
State Medicaid, side by side
Semaglutide is covered with prior authorization in 13 of 51 jurisdictions and refused in 12. Tirzepatide is covered in 11 and refused in 11. Both are diabetes-only in 22
Where compounding stands
Both shortages were declared resolved, semaglutide in early 2025 and tirzepatide in October 2024, and the FDA proposed removing both from the 503B bulks list on 30 April 2026
What this page does not tell you
Which molecule is more effective, and which one to ask a prescriber about. Both are matters for a prescriber and the label, and nothing on this site answers either

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Providers offering this medication

More on Semaglutide

Sources

Every claim above is checked against the primary text, and the date is the day we last opened it.

  1. 1
    Zepbound savings and self-pay pricing

    Eli Lilly and Company Primary text read and checked Checked August 25, 2026

  2. 2
    Wegovy cost, coverage and savings

    Novo Nordisk (NovoCare) Primary text read and checked Checked September 3, 2026