Tirzepatide
Also called Mounjaro, Zepbound, LY3298176
Research and education only. Not medical advice. Talk to a doctor.
In 30 seconds
One lab-made peptide that switches on two hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1.[1]
Tested in large trials; SURMOUNT-1 enrolled 2,539 adults.[8]
FDA-approved as Mounjaro since 2022 and as Zepbound since 2023.[3][4]
How far has the research gotten?
People in its biggest studies
How many people each study enrolled, as reported.Research over time
Papers on PubMed each year that mention Tirzepatide.909 papers in 2025Mounjaro and Zepbound both contain tirzepatide; their labels cover different uses.[1][2]
What studies used
What each paper reports. A record of published research, not a recommendation.The SURMOUNT-1 trial compared tirzepatide with placebo for body-weight change in 2539 adults with obesity or overweight without diabetes.
N Engl J Med · 2022 · PubMed 35658024What the paper reports
5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg once weekly subcutaneously for 72 weeks, including a 20-week dose-escalation period
Who: humanThe SURPASS-1 trial compared tirzepatide alone with placebo for change in HbA1c in 478 adults with type 2 diabetes not controlled by diet and exercise.
Lancet · 2021 · PubMed 34186022What the paper reports
5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg once a week for 40 weeks
Who: humanThis phase 2 trial compared several doses of LY3298176 (tirzepatide) with dulaglutide and placebo for HbA1c and body-weight change in 318 people with type 2 diabetes.
Lancet · 2018 · PubMed 30293770What the paper reports
1 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg once weekly subcutaneously for 26 weeks (compared with dulaglutide 1.5 mg and placebo)
Who: humanWhat the FDA label says
The label’s own dosing, so you can read the source. Not advice for you.Mounjaro (tirzepatide) injection
The label starts at 2.5 mg injected under the skin once weekly. If more glucose control is needed, the dose is raised in 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks at the current dose. The stated maximum is 15 mg once weekly for adults and 10 mg once weekly for children 10 and older. It is given once weekly at any time of day with or without food, into the abdomen or thigh, or into the back of the upper arm by another person, rotating sites; a missed dose may be taken within 4 days (96 hours).
Read the label on DailyMed (effective 2026-08-27) ›Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection
For all indications the label starts at 2.5 mg injected under the skin once weekly for 4 weeks, noting that 2.5 mg is only a starting dose and not a maintenance dose, then raises it to 5 mg once weekly, with further 2.5 mg increases allowed after at least 4 weeks at each dose. Maintenance is 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg weekly for weight reduction and 10 mg or 15 mg weekly for obstructive sleep apnea, with 15 mg once weekly as the stated maximum. It is given once weekly at any time of day with or without food, into the abdomen or thigh, or the back of the upper arm by another person; a missed dose may be taken within 4 days (96 hours).
Read the label on DailyMed (effective 2026-08-28) ›What it is, in full 4
Tirzepatide is a single lab-made peptide that switches on two hormone receptors at once, the GIP receptor and the GLP-1 receptor[1].
Its amino-acid chain is built on the GIP sequence, and a C20 fatty diacid attached at lysine 20 lets it bind albumin, which lengthens its half-life for once-weekly injection[1].
Eli Lilly developed it under the code name LY3298176, and Lilly researchers published its discovery and first human results in 2018[9][10].
Eli Lilly is the labeler for both FDA-approved products, Mounjaro and Zepbound[1][2].
Regulatory details 4
Mounjaro (NDA 215866, original approval May 2022) is labeled for blood-sugar control in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes, and for lowering major cardiovascular event risk in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk of such events (labeled uses per source[1]).[3]
Checked 2026-10-06Zepbound (NDA 217806, original approval November 2023) is labeled, alongside diet and activity, for long-term weight reduction in adults with obesity or with overweight plus a weight-related condition, and for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity (labeled uses per source[2]).[4]
Checked 2026-10-06Tirzepatide does not appear in Category 1, 2 or 3 of FDA's list of bulk drug substances nominated for 503A compounding (version updated May 14, 2026).[7]
Checked 2026-10-06Tirzepatide is not named on the 2026 Prohibited List, but WADA's 2026 Monitoring Program includes markers of tirzepatide in and out of competition, which means WADA is tracking use rather than prohibiting it (List checked at source[5]).[6]
Checked 2026-10-06Human trials on ClinicalTrials.gov
An intervention search for tirzepatide on ClinicalTrials.gov returned 296 registered studies, the most advanced being phase 4 (48 studies tagged phase 4)[11].
All sources 13
- MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) injection labelDailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) injection labelDailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- Drugs@FDA record, NDA 215866 (Mounjaro)U.S. FDA (openFDA)
- Drugs@FDA record, NDA 217806 (Zepbound)U.S. FDA (openFDA)
- World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency
- The 2026 Monitoring ProgramWorld Anti-Doping Agency
- Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A (updated May 14, 2026)U.S. FDA
- Jastreboff AM et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med 2022PubMed
- Coskun T et al. LY3298176, a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: From discovery to clinical proof of concept. Mol Metab 2018PubMed
- NCT04184622: A Study of Tirzepatide (LY3298176) in Participants With Obesity or Overweight (SURMOUNT-1)ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- ClinicalTrials.gov intervention search: tirzepatideClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- Rosenstock J et al. SURPASS-1. Lancet 2021PubMed
- Frias JP et al. Efficacy and safety of LY3298176 ... phase 2 trial. Lancet 2018PubMed
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