Tirzepatide / A care guide

A name. A check. A conversation.

What did the studies find?

For tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), read who took part and what happened. Ask how those people compare with your own situation.

What did weight studies find?

SURMOUNT-1: weight change during treatment

In SURMOUNT-1, adults had obesity, or overweight with a related health problem, and did not have diabetes.

About 15%–21%

The study compared three groups taking different amounts of tirzepatide. Here, mg means milligrams, a unit for measuring an amount of medicine. After 72 weeks, the groups had these average losses of starting body weight:

  • 5 mg group: 15.0% weight loss.
  • 10 mg group: 19.5% weight loss.
  • 15 mg group: 20.9% weight loss.

These amounts describe the study groups. They are not a plan for choosing or changing your medicine.

The dummy-injection group lost an average of 3.1% over those 72 weeks.

The medicine’s maker supported this trial. Participants had visits on a regular schedule and received help changing their food and activity.

These are group averages, not a forecast of your own weight change.

Read the SURMOUNT-1 study

SURMOUNT-4: weight after a switch

In SURMOUNT-4, adults who finished the first part of the study either continued tirzepatide or switched to a dummy shot, which contained no study medicine.

After the switch, the dummy-shot group gained 14% on average over the following year.

That 14% was measured from the weight at switching, rather than the weight at the start of the trial.

Ask how a plan would change if treatment stops. This result cannot decide the length of treatment for you.

Read the SURMOUNT-4 study

Find a word in plain language.

All words are shown.

Prescriber
The health professional who reviews your health and writes a medicine order.
Telehealth
Care discussed remotely by screen, by phone or through an online form.
Licence
Permission from the state to practise a health profession.
Compounding
Making medicine to order for a particular patient need.
Formulary
The medicines listed as ones your insurance plan may cover.
Prior approval
Before it agrees to pay for a medicine, the insurance plan checks the request.
Placebo
A dummy treatment without the study medicine, used to compare results.
Boxed warning
The strongest alert placed on a medicine label.

Open the source for your question.

What is each brand approved for?

Mounjaro’s approvals as of September 26, 2026 covered treatment of type 2 diabetes. It was also approved to reduce the risk of a heart attack, a stroke or death due to heart or blood-vessel disease. This second use was for adults who had type 2 diabetes and were at high risk of these problems.

On that date, Zepbound was approved for weight care in qualifying adults. Another approved use was treating adults who have obesity and moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Here, both names refer to tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). Sleep apnea involves repeated pauses or shallow breathing during sleep; obstructive means the airway is blocked.

The Zepbound weight use is for adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related health problem, alongside changes to food intake and physical activity.

Open the Zepbound labelOpen the Mounjaro label

What do the price figures describe?

The cost chapter’s cash figures are prices published by the medicine’s maker and recorded on September 26, 2026. They depend on the medicine container, the strength and when the next supply is bought.

Ask for an exact quote that includes the care charges. For Medicare’s temporary weight programme, read the agency’s terms and the consumer explanation together.

CMS programme termsMedicare’s consumer explanation
Overlapping white and lime paper pieces with an orange fold on black.
Ask how the study fits your health.

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