Zepbound is the brand name for tirzepatide dosed for weight management — it carries its own FDA approval for chronic weight loss in adults with obesity, or who are overweight with a weight-related condition, when combined with diet and exercise. It shares its active ingredient with
Mounjaro, but Mounjaro's approval is limited to type 2 diabetes; Zepbound is the version built and approved specifically for weight loss.
What sets
tirzepatide apart from single-hormone GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) is that it acts on two separate receptors — GLP-1 and GIP — rather than one. In head-to-head-style trial comparisons, this dual mechanism has been associated with somewhat greater average weight loss than semaglutide-based medications, though individual results vary widely and depend on dose, adherence, and lifestyle factors.