Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide; Mounjaro and Zepbound contain tirzepatide. Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved for type 2 diabetes, Wegovy and Zepbound for chronic weight management. Compounded versions are not FDA-approved.
The four best-known names in this category are really two medicines sold under different brands. Ozempic and Wegovy both contain semaglutide; Mounjaro and Zepbound both contain tirzepatide. The difference between each pair is mainly what the FDA approved them to treat: Ozempic and Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, Wegovy and Zepbound for chronic weight management. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are a separate category, made by pharmacies, and they are not FDA-approved.
Each brand is a separately approved product with its own label, even when it shares an active ingredient with another brand. The table summarizes what each current label says.
| Brand | Active ingredient | Form | What the label says it is indicated for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic injection | Semaglutide | Weekly injection | Type 2 diabetes in adults (glycemic control, cardiovascular risk reduction, kidney outcomes) |
| Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets | Semaglutide | Daily tablet | Type 2 diabetes in adults (glycemic control, cardiovascular risk reduction) |
| Wegovy injection | Semaglutide | Weekly injection | Weight reduction (adults and children 12 and older with obesity), cardiovascular risk reduction, a form of fatty liver disease |
| Wegovy tablets | Semaglutide | Daily tablet | Weight reduction in adults, cardiovascular risk reduction |
| Mounjaro | Tirzepatide | Weekly injection | Type 2 diabetes (adults and children 10 and older), cardiovascular risk reduction |
| Zepbound | Tirzepatide | Weekly injection | Weight reduction in adults, moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity |
Semaglutide acts on the GLP-1 receptor. Tirzepatide acts on both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors, which is why its labels describe it as a dual receptor agonist. For a deeper look at how the two compare, see Semaglutide vs. Tirzepatide.
According to its current prescribing information, Ozempic injection is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is also indicated to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes and established heart or blood vessel disease, and to reduce the risk of sustained kidney function decline, end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. The label reports weight changes from its trials, but weight management is not one of its indications.
Mounjaro's label lists two indications: improving blood sugar control in adults and children 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes, and reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for those events. The pediatric and cardiovascular additions were both made in the last year, which is a good reminder that these labels keep evolving.
When either of these products is prescribed for weight alone in someone without type 2 diabetes, that is an off-label use. The FDA explains that clinicians generally may prescribe an approved drug for an unapproved use when they judge it medically appropriate, but that the agency has not determined the drug is safe and effective for that use. Off-Label Prescribing Explained covers this in more detail.
Wegovy injection is indicated, together with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults and pediatric patients aged 12 and older with obesity, and in adults with overweight who have at least one weight-related condition. It is also indicated to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight. A third indication, for noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis in adults, was granted under accelerated approval, which means continued approval may depend on a confirmatory trial.
Zepbound is indicated, with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity, or adults with overweight and at least one weight-related condition. It is also approved to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.
Both labels include a similar limitation: using them together with other products containing the same ingredient, or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist, is not recommended.
Semaglutide also comes as a tablet. Rybelsus, and a newer product called Ozempic tablets, share one label and are indicated for adults with type 2 diabetes. The label notes the two tablet products are not interchangeable on a milligram basis.
Wegovy now comes in tablet form as well. The current Wegovy label covers both the injection and the tablets. The tablets are indicated for weight reduction in adults (not children) and for cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight. The MASH indication applies to the injection only. Oral and injectable semaglutide are explained further in Oral and Injectable Semaglutide: What Is Different.
A compounded medication is prepared by a pharmacy, usually for an individual prescription, rather than manufactured as an approved product. The FDA states plainly that compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and that it does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed.
Both medications were on the FDA's shortage list for a period. The FDA later determined that the tirzepatide injection shortage was resolved (final determination in December 2024) and that the semaglutide injection shortage was resolved (February 2025). After a shortage ends, the agency's policy is that compounders generally should not make products that are essentially copies of an approved drug, unless a prescriber determines and documents that a change produces a significant difference for a specific patient.
The FDA has also flagged specific safety issues: dosing errors when patients measured and self-administered incorrect amounts, and the use of salt forms such as semaglutide sodium and semaglutide acetate, which it describes as different active ingredients from those in the approved drugs.
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide available through NewDay Wellness are in this compounded category. They are not FDA-approved, and they are not Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound, even though they contain the same named active ingredient.
They contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, but they are separate products with separate labels. Ozempic injection is approved for type 2 diabetes and related heart and kidney risk reduction. Wegovy is approved for chronic weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction, and the injection also for a form of fatty liver disease.
No. Mounjaro's label lists type 2 diabetes blood sugar control and cardiovascular risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes. The tirzepatide product approved for chronic weight management is Zepbound. Using Mounjaro for weight alone is off-label.
No. Compounded semaglutide is prepared by a pharmacy and is not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded products for safety, effectiveness or quality before they reach patients, and formulations can differ from the approved product.
Yes. Each label lists recent major changes with dates. Mounjaro's label, for example, added children 10 and older in December 2025 and a cardiovascular indication in August 2026, and the indications section of the Wegovy label, which now includes the tablets, was updated in August and December 2025. Checking the current label on DailyMed is the most reliable way to confirm what a product is approved for.
Brand names are useful shorthand, but the right question is which product, approved or compounded, fits your health history, and what the evidence behind it actually covers. A licensed provider can review your medications, conditions and goals and explain the options, including what is and is not FDA-approved. This article is educational and does not determine eligibility for any treatment.
Written by the NewDay Wellness editorial team from the sources above and checked against them before publication, and medically reviewed by Dr. Sean Arora and Dr. Shannon Arora of Arora Health & Aesthetics; see our editorial standards. This article is educational and does not diagnose conditions, establish eligibility for any medication, or replace care from a licensed provider. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved.
GLP-1 results vary widely. In trials, most people reached at least 5 percent weight loss while a minority did not. Medication and dose, type 2 diabetes, staying on treatment and early response all help explain the spread.
Read article
You can travel, celebrate and eat out on a GLP-1 medication with some planning: keep medication in your carry-on and follow your pharmacy's storage instructions, order smaller portions, keep fluids up, and ask your prescriber how to handle timing changes.
Read article
An underactive thyroid can add modest weight and fatigue, so a TSH test is a sensible check if you have symptoms. Separately, GLP-1 labels warn against use with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2, so share your full thyroid history.
Read article