Comparison
Mounjaro vs Ozempic
Mounjaro and Ozempic are both once-weekly type 2 diabetes injections, but they contain different molecules from different makers: Mounjaro is Eli Lilly's tirzepatide, which acts on GIP and GLP-1 receptors, and Ozempic is Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, which selectively acts on GLP-1 receptors.12
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| Mounjaro | Ozempic | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Eli Lilly's once-weekly tirzepatide injection for type 2 diabetes13 | Novo Nordisk's semaglutide medicine for type 2 diabetes, given as a once-weekly injection or, since 2026, a daily pill25 |
| Active ingredient | Tirzepatide, which activates GIP and GLP-1 receptors1 | Semaglutide, which selectively activates GLP-1 receptors2 |
| Maker | Eli Lilly and Company3 | Novo Nordisk2 |
| Form | Single-dose pens and vials, plus 4-dose KwikPens and vials1 | Multi-dose pens for 0.25 to 2 mg doses, single-dose prefilled syringes, and 1.5, 4 and 9 mg tablets25 |
| Approved uses | Two type 2 diabetes uses: blood sugar control from age 10, and reducing heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death risk in high-risk adults1 | Adults with type 2 diabetes: blood sugar control, lower major cardiovascular event risk with established cardiovascular disease, and lower kidney decline and cardiovascular death risk with chronic kidney disease2 |
| Dosing schedule | Begins at 2.5 mg once a week; each 2.5 mg increase comes after at least 4 weeks; ceiling 15 mg, or 10 mg in children1 | 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg, with steps to 1 mg and 2 mg after at least 4 weeks each2 |
| First US approval | May 13, 20223 | December 5, 20174 |
Key differences
One receptor or two
Both drugs act on hormone receptors, but not the same set. Ozempic's semaglutide selectively binds to and activates the GLP-1 receptor.2 Mounjaro's tirzepatide activates the GLP-1 receptor and the receptor for a second hormone, GIP.1 The effects overlap: both raise insulin release and lower glucagon in a glucose-dependent way, and both delay stomach emptying.12 Both last long enough for weekly dosing. Tirzepatide's half-life is about 5 days, and semaglutide's is about 1 week, so semaglutide stays in the blood for about 5 weeks after the last dose.12
Overlapping uses, different details
Both labels cover blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes and lowering the risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death.12 The evidence behind the heart claims differs. Ozempic's cardiovascular indication, added in January 2020, rests on SUSTAIN 6, a placebo-controlled trial of 3,297 adults: events occurred in 6.6% on Ozempic vs 8.9% on placebo, a 26% lower risk.24 Mounjaro's, added in August 2026, rests on SURPASS-CVOT, where it was non-inferior to an active comparator, dulaglutide, but was not shown to be superior.13
Ozempic has a use Mounjaro lacks. Since January 2025, it is approved to lower kidney and heart risks in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.4 In the FLOW trial of 3,533 such adults, Ozempic 1 mg lowered the risk of the main kidney and heart outcome by 24% vs placebo (hazard ratio 0.76).2 Mounjaro has a group Ozempic lacks: its blood sugar use extends to children 10 and older, while Ozempic is not established in anyone under 18.12
Neither is approved for weight loss in the US.12 Each maker sells its molecule for weight under another brand: Zepbound for tirzepatide and Wegovy for semaglutide.89 Weight did fall in the diabetes trials. Adults lost 3.8 to 4.7 kg over 30 weeks on Ozempic 0.5 to 1 mg, vs 1.2 kg on placebo,2 and about 5.4 to 11.3 kg over 40 to 52 weeks on Mounjaro 5 to 15 mg.1 Those numbers come from different trials, so they do not rank the drugs.
The head-to-head trial: SURPASS-2
One trial tested the two molecules side by side. SURPASS-2 was an open-label, 40-week trial in 1,879 adults with type 2 diabetes. HbA1c fell 2.01, 2.24 and 2.30 percentage points on tirzepatide 5, 10 and 15 mg vs 1.86 on semaglutide 1 mg. Weight loss was 1.9, 3.6 and 5.5 kg greater with tirzepatide.7
Common side effects were similar. Stomach and gut effects led in both groups: nausea 17% to 22% on tirzepatide vs 18% on semaglutide, diarrhea 13% to 16% vs 12%, and vomiting 6% to 10% vs 8%. Serious adverse events occurred in 5% to 7% on tirzepatide vs 3% on semaglutide.7 Two limits matter. The trial was funded by Eli Lilly, Mounjaro's maker, and it did not test semaglutide 2 mg, a dose FDA approved for Ozempic on March 28, 2022.74
Safety on the two labels
The labels share most of their warnings. Both carry a boxed warning: the drug caused thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents, and it is unknown whether it does in humans. Neither may be used with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or with MEN 2.12 Both warn about pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney injury from dehydration, low blood sugar with insulin or a sulfonylurea, and food entering the lungs during anesthesia.12
The label trial rates look alike but are not directly comparable. On Mounjaro 5 to 15 mg, nausea affected 12% to 18% of people vs 4% on placebo.1 On Ozempic 0.5 mg and 1 mg, it affected 15.8% and 20.3% vs 6.1%.2 Each label also has its own points. Mounjaro's warns that birth control pills may work less well for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose increase.1 Ozempic's reports diabetic eye complications in 3.0% vs 1.8% on placebo in SUSTAIN 6, with a larger increase in people who already had retinopathy (8.2% vs 5.2%) than in those without (0.7% vs 0.4%).2
Day-to-day label differences
| Mounjaro | Ozempic | |
|---|---|---|
| Missed dose | Take within 4 days, or skip it1 | Take within 5 days, or skip it2 |
| Changing the weekly day | At least 3 days between doses1 | At least 2 days between doses2 |
| Storage once in use | Single-dose pen or vial: up to 86°F for 21 days in total; KwikPen: 30 days after first use1 | Pen: 56 days after first use, at 59 to 86°F or refrigerated2 |
| Tablet form | None1 | Ozempic tablets, 1.5, 4 or 9 mg once daily5 |
On both labels the dose starts low and rises in steps to limit stomach side effects, and the prescriber decides each step.12
Which page to read next
For each brand's full label, read What is Mounjaro? and What is Ozempic?. Side effect detail is on Mounjaro side effects and Ozempic side effects, and the diabetes evidence is on Mounjaro and blood sugar and Ozempic and blood sugar. Related pairs: Ozempic vs tirzepatide and Mounjaro vs semaglutide. The full set of pairings is on Compare GLP-1 medicines.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mounjaro the same as Ozempic?
No. They contain different active ingredients from different makers. Mounjaro is Eli Lilly's tirzepatide, which acts on GIP and GLP-1 receptors; Ozempic is Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, which acts on GLP-1 receptors only.12 Both are once-weekly injections for adults with type 2 diabetes, and both labels include a cardiovascular use. Ozempic also has a kidney indication and a tablet form, while Mounjaro's diabetes use extends to children 10 and older.251
Which is safer, Ozempic or Mounjaro?
Neither label ranks them against each other. Both carry the same boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents and share warnings on pancreatitis, gallbladder disease and low blood sugar with insulin or a sulfonylurea.12 In the SURPASS-2 head-to-head trial, nausea was similar (17% to 22% on tirzepatide vs 18% on semaglutide 1 mg), but serious adverse events were 5% to 7% vs 3%.7 The prescriber weighs these for each patient.
Is tirzepatide stronger than Ozempic?
In one head-to-head trial it lowered blood sugar and weight more. In SURPASS-2, 1,879 adults with type 2 diabetes took tirzepatide 5, 10 or 15 mg or semaglutide 1 mg for 40 weeks. HbA1c fell 2.01 to 2.30 percentage points vs 1.86, and weight loss was 1.9 to 5.5 kg greater with tirzepatide.7 The trial was funded by Eli Lilly and did not test the 2 mg Ozempic dose, which FDA approved in March 2022.74
Can Mounjaro or Ozempic be used for weight loss?
Neither is approved for weight loss in the US. Both labels cover type 2 diabetes uses only.12 Each maker sells the same molecule for weight under another name: Zepbound is Lilly's tirzepatide for weight reduction,8 and Wegovy is Novo Nordisk's semaglutide for weight reduction.9 Weight did fall in the diabetes trials, for example by 3.8 to 4.7 kg over 30 weeks on Ozempic 0.5 to 1 mg, vs 1.2 kg on placebo.2
Is there an Ozempic pill or a Mounjaro pill?
There is an Ozempic pill. On January 30, 2026, FDA approved renaming a once-daily semaglutide tablet from Rybelsus formulation R2 to Ozempic tablets.6 It comes in 1.5, 4 and 9 mg and has its own dosing, separate from the weekly pen.5 Mounjaro comes only as an injection, in single-dose pens and vials and in 4-dose KwikPens and vials.1
Written by D2C Peptides Editorial Team.
Pending qualified review.
Updated .
Sources
- MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) injection Prescribing Information, Medication Guide and Instructions for Use, revised 08/2026 (NDA 215866/S-044, S-045). U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Drugs@FDA), 2026.
- OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection, solution: prescribing information, Medication Guide and Instructions for Use (Revised 5/2026, SPL version 20). U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed (label from Novo Nordisk), 2026.
- Drugs@FDA: NDA 215866, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) application overview. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
- Drugs@FDA: NDA 209637 OZEMPIC product and approval history. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
- OZEMPIC (oral semaglutide) tablet; RYBELSUS (oral semaglutide) tablet: prescribing information (Revised 1/2026). U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed (label from Novo Nordisk), 2026.
- Supplement approval letter, NDA 213051/S-030 (Ozempic tablets and Rybelsus tablets). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
- Frias JP et al. Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (SURPASS-2). N Engl J Med 2021;385(6):503-515. PubMed (NCBI, NLM), 2021.
- Zepbound Prescribing Information, revised 08/2026 (NDA 217806/S-041): Section 1 Indications and Usage. Eli Lilly and Company; posted by U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
- WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and tablets: prescribing information (Revised 6/2026). U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed (label from Novo Nordisk), 2026.