Zepbound vs Wegovy: What the Two FDA Labels Report

Zepbound and Wegovy are two different FDA-approved products from two different companies, with two different active ingredients. Both labels are public, and each one reports its own clinical studies.

This guide puts the two labels side by side. Every fact below comes from the FDA-approved prescribing information on DailyMed, read through FDA's openFDA service on September 29, 2026, or from FDA's Drugs@FDA records read the same day. Quotes are word for word. The labels print brand names in capital letters, and the quotes keep that.

What this guide covers:

• What each label says the product is and what it is approved to treat
• What the main weight study in each label reported, quoted from the label's clinical studies section
• Why the two sets of figures cannot be read as a head-to-head result
• What else each label covers, including the boxed warning
• Who decides which one, if either, is appropriate, and how to read each label yourself

These results describe the FDA-approved product in its trials; they do not describe compounded preparations.

The page does not reprint the amounts or schedules in either label. Those belong to the label itself and to the physician who reads it with you.

What is the difference between Zepbound and Wegovy?

In short: a different active ingredient, a different company, a different list of approved uses, and the same boxed warning title.

Section 11 of the Zepbound label opens: "ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) injection, for subcutaneous use, contains tirzepatide, a GIP receptor and GLP-1 receptor agonist." Section 11 of the Wegovy label opens: "WEGOVY contains semaglutide, a human GLP-1 receptor agonist (or GLP-1 analog)." So the two act on the GLP-1 receptor, and only the Zepbound label adds the GIP receptor. Neither product is a version of the other. For how one ingredient can carry two brand names, see Zepbound vs Mounjaro.

What is each one FDA-approved to treat?

Section 1 of each label lists the approved uses. Both labels pair every use with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Here is each list, quoted from the label.

The Zepbound label lists two uses:

• "to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity or adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition."
• "to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with obesity."

The Wegovy label lists three uses for the injection:

• "to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) in adults with established CV disease and either obesity or overweight."
• to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in "adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with obesity" and in "adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition."
• "for the treatment of noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis" in adults.

The same label says the MASH use "is approved under accelerated approval based on improvement of MASH and fibrosis." It also lists WEGOVY tablets for the cardiovascular use and for weight reduction in adults.

Three plain points follow.

• Both labels list weight reduction and long-term maintenance in adults with obesity, or with overweight and a weight-related condition.
• Only the Zepbound label lists obstructive sleep apnea.
• Only the Wegovy label lists lowering cardiovascular risk, MASH, use in adolescents with obesity, and a tablet form.

What did the main weight study in each label report?

Each label reports several studies. The tables below take the main weight study for adults without type 2 diabetes from each label, then the study in adults with type 2 diabetes. Wegovy's Study 1 is a cardiovascular outcomes study, so its main weight study is Study 2.

Section 14 of the Zepbound label says "Study 1 (NCT04184622) was a 72-week trial that enrolled 2,539 adult patients", and section 14 of the Wegovy label says "Study 2 was a 68-week trial that enrolled 1,961 patients". In both, in the words of each label, "patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were excluded." In both, every group, placebo included, received diet and activity counseling: the Zepbound label says "all patients received a standard lifestyle intervention", and the Wegovy label says "all patients received instruction for a reduced-calorie diet".

The first measure is the average change in body weight from the start of the study, as a percentage. The second is the share of patients who reached the smallest weight-loss threshold that each table reports. Cells are copied from the label as printed.

Section 14 of the Zepbound label states: "After 72 weeks of treatment, ZEPBOUND resulted in a statistically significant reduction in body weight compared with placebo". Section 14 of the Wegovy label states: "After 68 weeks, treatment with WEGOVY injection resulted in a statistically significant reduction in body weight compared with placebo." Each statement compares the product with placebo inside one trial.

The second pair of studies enrolled adults with type 2 diabetes. Section 14 of the Zepbound label says "Study 2 (NCT04657003) was a 72-week trial that enrolled 938 adult patients", and section 14 of the Wegovy label says "Study 3 was a 68-week trial that enrolled 807 patients with type 2 diabetes".

In both Zepbound studies, the label reports each product arm separately. The arms differ in strength, and this page does not reprint strengths; read Table 2 in the label for them.

These figures are averages for trial groups under trial conditions. They do not predict what any one person will experience, and people in the trials also left treatment for various reasons, which each label describes. For each label's full set of studies, see Zepbound results and Wegovy results.

Can the two labels' figures be compared directly?

No. These are two separate trials, and a table that places them next to each other is for reading, not for ranking.

• Two companies. Each label reports studies of its own product, and the two products come from Eli Lilly and Company and from Novo Nordisk.
• Two lengths. Section 14 of the Zepbound label describes Study 1 as "a 72-week trial", and section 14 of the Wegovy label describes Study 2 as "a 68-week trial".
• Different arms. Zepbound Study 1 had three product arms and a placebo group; Wegovy Study 2 had one product group and a placebo group.
• Different people. Each trial enrolled its own group of patients, described separately in each label.
• No cross-reference. A search of both full label texts through openFDA on September 29, 2026 found no mention of the other product by brand name or ingredient, and no head-to-head trial.

A difference between two numbers from two separate trials is not a measured difference between two products. Only a trial that assigns people to one product or the other, under one protocol, measures that.

Such a trial has been registered. ClinicalTrials.gov lists study NCT05822830, sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company, with the official title "A Phase 3b, Randomized Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Tirzepatide Compared to Semaglutide in Adults Who Have Obesity or Overweight With Weight Related Comorbidities". The record shows the study as completed. Its results are not part of either FDA label, and this page reports only what the two labels print.

Which is better, Zepbound or Wegovy?

The labels do not say which one is better, and this page does not either. That is a real answer, not a dodge. Each label compares its product with placebo, and FDA approved each one for the uses its own label lists.

What the labels do show is how the two differ:

• the active ingredient and the receptors it acts on;
• the approved uses, including sleep apnea on one label and cardiovascular risk and MASH on the other;
• the forms, since only the Wegovy label lists a tablet;
• the age groups each label covers.

Which of those differences matters depends on the person: their diagnoses, their health history, their family history, the other medicines they take and what their health plan covers. That weighing is clinical work. For some people, the answer is neither product.

What else is each one approved for?

Beyond weight reduction, each label lists uses the other does not.

• Wegovy and cardiovascular risk. Section 1 lists lowering the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight. Section 14.1 of the Wegovy label describes the cardiovascular outcomes study behind that use.
• Wegovy and MASH. Section 1 lists the treatment of MASH with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis in adults, for the injection only. The label adds: "Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon the verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial."
• Wegovy in adolescents. Section 1 lists the injection for weight reduction in pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with obesity.
• Zepbound and sleep apnea. Section 1 lists the treatment of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, and section 14.2 of the Zepbound label describes the sleep apnea studies.

For how another Wegovy comparison reads the same way, see Saxenda vs Wegovy.

Do the two labels carry the same boxed warning?

Yes. A boxed warning is the prominent warning at the top of a prescription label. Both labels carry one with the same title: "WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS".

The Zepbound box, in its highlights form, begins: "In rats, tirzepatide causes thyroid C-cell tumors." The Wegovy box, in its highlights form, begins: "In rodents, semaglutide causes thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures."

Both boxes then state that the product "is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)." Both tell prescribers to inform patients "of symptoms of thyroid tumors (e.g., a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness)."

Each label also carries a Limitations of Use line in section 1. The Zepbound label: "Coadministration with other tirzepatide-containing products or with any glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist is not recommended." The Wegovy label: "Concomitant use of WEGOVY (semaglutide) tablets or WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection with other semaglutide-containing products or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist is not recommended."

The warnings on the Zepbound label are covered in more depth in Zepbound side effects.

Who decides which one, if either, is appropriate?

A licensed physician does. The prescribing information is written for health care professionals, and each product also comes with a Medication Guide written for patients. Medication is prescribed only if a licensed physician determines it is appropriate, and the answer can be neither product.

Useful questions for that conversation:

1. Which of my diagnoses matches section 1 of either label?
2. Does anything in the boxed warning or in section 4 apply to me or my family history?
3. Which warnings in section 5 matter for my health history?
4. I take other medicines. Does the Limitations of Use line on either label apply to them?
5. Which form would I use, and who will show me how to use it?

Where can you read each label yourself?

Both labels are public and free to read.

1. Open DailyMed, the National Library of Medicine's label library, and search for the brand name.
2. Check the set id. Zepbound is 487cd7e7-434c-4925-99fa-aa80b1cc776b. Wegovy is ee06186f-2aa3-4990-a760-757579d8f77b.
3. Note the "Updated" date on the page. On September 29, 2026, DailyMed showed August 28, 2026 for Zepbound and June 18, 2026 for Wegovy.
4. Read section 1 for the approved uses, the boxed warning at the top, section 4 for contraindications, section 5 for warnings and section 14 for the clinical studies.
5. For the approval history, open Drugs@FDA and search NDA 217806 for Zepbound, or NDA 215256 and NDA 218316 for Wegovy.

For help with the layout of a label, see how to read a prescription label.

What the primary sources say

• Eli Lilly and Company via DailyMed, Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information, set id 487cd7e7-434c-4925-99fa-aa80b1cc776b, updated August 28, 2026 (accessed September 29, 2026): "to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity or adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition"; "to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with obesity"; "In rats, tirzepatide causes thyroid C-cell tumors."; label, section 14.1: "After 72 weeks of treatment, ZEPBOUND resulted in a statistically significant reduction in body weight compared with placebo"
• Novo Nordisk via DailyMed, Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information, set id ee06186f-2aa3-4990-a760-757579d8f77b, updated June 18, 2026 (accessed September 29, 2026): "to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) in adults with established CV disease and either obesity or overweight"; "In rodents, semaglutide causes thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures."; label, section 14.2: "After 68 weeks, treatment with WEGOVY injection resulted in a statistically significant reduction in body weight compared with placebo."
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA drug label data for both set ids (accessed September 29, 2026): Wegovy label version 19, effective June 18, 2026; Zepbound label version 40, effective August 28, 2026; neither full text names the other product or its ingredient
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Drugs@FDA and openFDA application data, NDA 217806, NDA 215256 and NDA 218316 (accessed September 29, 2026): Zepbound original approval 11/08/2023; Wegovy injection original approval 06/04/2021; Wegovy tablet original approval 12/22/2025
• U.S. National Library of Medicine, ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05822830 (accessed September 29, 2026): "A Phase 3b, Randomized Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Tirzepatide Compared to Semaglutide in Adults Who Have Obesity or Overweight With Weight Related Comorbidities"; overall status "COMPLETED"

Every source is listed with its address below.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Medication is prescribed only if a licensed physician determines it is appropriate. Label sentences and figures are quoted word for word from the FDA-approved prescribing information named above, as published on DailyMed on the dates shown. Labels change, so read the current label and the Medication Guide that came with your own medicine.

Telehealth prescribing rules differ by state. Read the state-by-state guide.