Ozempic vs Mounjaro: how the two brands compare

What each is

Ozempic and Mounjaro are different medicines from different molecules, both injected under the skin once a week.

Ozempic contains semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. The Ozempic US label describes it as a GLP-1 analogue with 94% sequence homology to human GLP-1. It lowers blood sugar by increasing insulin release and lowering glucagon release, both only when blood sugar is raised, with a small delay in stomach emptying after meals also contributing.

Mounjaro contains tirzepatide. The US Zepbound label, which covers the same molecule, says tirzepatide activates both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors, the targets of two of the body's own hormones. The Mounjaro US label says it increases first- and second-phase insulin release and lowers glucagon, both in a glucose-dependent way.

Semaglutide is also sold as Wegovy, and tirzepatide as Zepbound. Those are separate brands with their own approved uses and labels, and this page names them only where a fact comes from them.

Approved uses by regulator

Both Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved for type 2 diabetes. Their approved uses differ by regulator.

Weight management is not among the US approved uses of either brand. In the US, the semaglutide brand for weight is Wegovy and the tirzepatide brand for weight is Zepbound. The US FDA says Zepbound should not be used together with Mounjaro or a GLP-1 receptor agonist. In the Philippines, the package insert for Mounjaro KwikPen does include weight management in adults.

Head-to-head trial: SURPASS-2

The only trial recorded here that compared the two molecules at diabetes doses is SURPASS-2. It was an open-label, 40-week trial in 1,879 people with type 2 diabetes, comparing tirzepatide 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg with semaglutide 1 mg once weekly. Semaglutide 1 mg is one of the maintenance doses on the Ozempic US label.

All four groups lowered HbA1c. This is one trial in people with type 2 diabetes, it was open-label, and it did not test semaglutide 2 mg, the highest Ozempic dose on the US label. Its results may not apply to other groups.

Heart and kidney outcomes

Both brands carry a US heart indication in type 2 diabetes, but they were tested in different trials against different comparators.

In SUSTAIN-6, diabetic eye complications were more frequent with semaglutide (hazard ratio 1.76). In SURPASS-CVOT, tirzepatide met the test for noninferiority to dulaglutide. The test for a lower event rate was not met (P = 0.09), and more stomach side effects occurred with tirzepatide.

Because one trial used placebo and the other used an active medicine, their numbers cannot be compared with each other.

Related trials that are not Ozempic or Mounjaro trials. SELECT tested semaglutide 2.4 mg, a Wegovy dose, in 17,604 people with heart disease and overweight but no diabetes: heart events occurred in 6.5% vs 8.0% on placebo (hazard ratio 0.80). SUMMIT tested tirzepatide in 731 people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity: heart death or worsening heart failure occurred in 9.9% vs 15.3% on placebo (hazard ratio 0.62). Heart death alone was 2.2% vs 1.4% (hazard ratio 1.58, with a wide confidence interval). The 08/2026 US Zepbound label does not list a heart failure indication.

Kidney. The Ozempic US label includes reducing the risk of sustained kidney decline, end-stage kidney disease and heart death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. The US label presents the FLOW trial for this use: in 3,533 adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease followed for a median of 3.4 years, major kidney disease events were 24% lower with semaglutide 1 mg than with placebo (hazard ratio 0.76). For that group, the Ozempic US label's maintenance dose is 1 mg once weekly. Your doctor sets your dose. The Philippine package insert for Ozempic has no kidney indication. No kidney indication is recorded for Mounjaro on its US label. The US Wegovy and Zepbound labels, which cover the same two molecules, warn about acute kidney injury linked to dehydration (see Serious warnings).

Weight trials are a different question

The large weight trials did not test Ozempic or Mounjaro for diabetes. They tested semaglutide at Wegovy doses and tirzepatide at doses that match the Zepbound US label, mostly in people without diabetes.

Semaglutide 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg are maintenance doses on the US Wegovy label. They are not Ozempic doses: the Ozempic US label's highest dose is 2 mg. So none of these results describes Ozempic.

Tirzepatide 5, 10 and 15 mg are maintenance doses on the US Zepbound label. In the EU, Mounjaro itself is also authorised for weight management.

Dose schedules on the US labels

Both US labels start low and step up, to reduce the risk of stomach side effects. These schedules are quoted from the labels and are not personal dosing advice. Your doctor sets your dose.

These are label schedules, not instructions for you. Your doctor sets your dose.

Pens and storage

Both come as injections under the skin, but the pens and storage rules differ. The Philippine package inserts come first, because they apply to products registered in the Philippines. The US label points follow, and they differ on time after first use.

Philippine package inserts.

• Ozempic pen (insert for record BR-1326): before first use, "Store in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C)." After first use, it "may be stored for a maximum of 6 weeks. Store below 30°C or in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C)." Do not freeze or use if frozen. The US label allows 56 days.
• Mounjaro KwikPen (insert for record DR-XY49504): "Each pre-filled KwikPen contains 2.4 ml of solution for injection (4 doses of 0.6 ml)." Before first use, store in a refrigerator at 2 to 8 C and do not freeze. After first use, "Store unrefrigerated at room temperature below 30 ºC. The pre-filled KwikPen must be discarded 30 days after first use."

Ozempic (US Ozempic label).

• Injected once weekly in the abdomen, thigh or upper arm, using a different spot each week when injecting in the same area. It should look clear and colorless.
• Comes as single-patient-use pens holding several weekly doses (used with NovoFine Plus needles) or as single-dose prefilled syringes.
• An Ozempic pen must never be shared, even if the needle is changed.
• Pen before first use: refrigerator at 2 to 8 C, in the original carton. After first use: up to 56 days at 15 to 30 C or in the refrigerator. Keep the cap on, store without a needle attached, and use a new needle for each injection.
• Single-dose syringe: refrigerator at 2 to 8 C. If needed, up to 28 days at 8 to 30 C. Discard after use.
• Do not freeze or use if frozen. Protect from excessive heat and sunlight.

Mounjaro (US Mounjaro label unless stated).

• Injected once weekly in the abdomen or thigh, or another person can inject in the back of the upper arm. Rotate injection sites with each dose.
• The Mounjaro Medication Guide says not to share a Mounjaro KwikPen or needles with other people, even if the needle has been changed, because of the risk of serious infection.
• Single-dose pen or single-dose vial: refrigerator at 2 to 8 C. If needed, unrefrigerated at up to 30 C for a total of 21 days, then discarded.
• KwikPen (from the US Zepbound label, not the Mounjaro label): holds 4 doses. Unopened, keep in the refrigerator until the expiry date, or discard after 30 days at room temperature (up to 30 C). Once opened, throw it away after 30 days at room temperature, 30 days after first use, or after 4 weekly doses, even if medicine is left.
• From the US Zepbound label: do not freeze or use if frozen, protect from heat and light, and keep in the original carton.

Side effects compared

Stomach and gut side effects are the most common with both, according to each brand's own US label.

How often in trials. In STEP 2 (adults with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes), stomach side effects, mostly mild to moderate, were reported in 57.5% with semaglutide 1 mg, 63.5% with semaglutide 2.4 mg and 34.3% with placebo. The US Zepbound label (not the Mounjaro label) reports, in its weight trials of tirzepatide 5, 10 and 15 mg, nausea in 25% to 29% vs 8% on placebo, diarrhea in 19% to 23% vs 8%, vomiting in 8% to 13% vs 2%, and constipation in 11% to 17% vs 5%. It says most nausea, vomiting and diarrhea happened during dose increases and decreased over time.

Serious warnings

The US Wegovy and Zepbound labels carry a boxed warning about thyroid tumors in rodents, and the labels recorded here share several other warnings. The table names the US label each warning was recorded from. Wegovy and Zepbound contain the same molecules as Ozempic and Mounjaro, but they are separate labels.

Other label points.

• The Ozempic US label says semaglutide delays stomach emptying and may affect the absorption of oral medicines taken at the same time. It also says to tell your healthcare provider about any planned surgery or procedure.
• The US Zepbound label says tirzepatide may make oral birth control pills less effective, and advises a non-oral method, or adding a barrier method, for 4 weeks after starting and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.
• Pregnancy: the US Wegovy label says semaglutide may cause harm to an unborn baby and should be stopped at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy. The US Zepbound label says tirzepatide may cause fetal harm and advises stopping it when a pregnancy is recognized.

PH status compared

Both brands are listed as registered prescription drugs in the FDA Philippines Verification Portal (checked October 7, 2026).

You can check the current status on the FDA Philippines verification portal yourself.

Online selling. In February 2024, FDA Philippines said it was concerned about Ozempic being sold online without a prescription, was investigating online sellers, and asked the public to report illegal online sales of prescription drugs to ereport@fda.gov.ph.

Advisories. FDA Philippines has warned the public against unregistered tirzepatide products that are not Mounjaro: Advisory No. 2026-0814 (July 30, 2026), on a product sold as "Tirz Laine Tirzepatide 30mg/3 mL", and Advisory No. 2026-1020 (September 1, 2026), on an unregistered 30 mg multi-use tirzepatide vial product. Both products had no Certificate of Product Registration. No FDA Philippines advisory naming Ozempic or Mounjaro was found in searches of the FDA Philippines website on October 7, 2026.

Who can dispense them. Under the Philippine Pharmacy Act (RA 10918), prescription medicines may be dispensed only by a licensed pharmacist with a valid prescription, and only through a retail drug outlet licensed by the FDA.

Who decides

A doctor decides whether Ozempic, Mounjaro or neither suits a patient. This page does not rank them.

The two brands differ in their molecule, their approved uses on each regulator's label, their dose schedules, their pens and their side effect lists. The evidence above comes from separate trials, apart from one head-to-head diabetes trial. Bring your questions about blood sugar, heart and kidney health, side effects and cost to a licensed doctor, who sets your dose if a medicine is prescribed.