Wegovy and Zepbound, the latest forms of GLP-1 receptor agonist weight-loss medications, have generated a flood of media and public attention thanks to the effectiveness of weight management, which promotes rapid and sustainable weight and waistline reductions. Since we added them to our range of medications, we have received a lot of positive feedback from our customers, many of which read like thank-you notes, expressing gratitude for access to a more affordable purchasing option for a medication that has given them powerful, quick, and easy results.
Wegovy’s older sister, Ozempic (generic name: semaglutide), was introduced as a new treatment for type 2 diabetes, but the interest in the drug for this condition was quickly overtaken when many people started reporting a side effect of noticeable weight loss within a few weeks of starting to use Ozempic. The same story occurred with Zepbound’s precursor Mounjaro (generic name: tirzepatide), a later version of GLP-1 diabetes medication that provides dual incretin receptor agonists that mimic GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide), two natural hormones that help regulate appetite and food intake.
Indeed, both semaglutide and tirzepatide have received global praise from many as a safe and effective way to lose excess pounds and inches. Numerous personal success stories of its impact were published on popular websites devoted to sharing the good news. They are personal success stories from people who have battled in the past with many of the supposedly sure-fire weight-loss programs involving radical diet and exercise programs that either failed to produce any meaningful results or whose gains were quickly reversed as soon as the program was stopped.
One story we read was sent to us by a customer, in which she tells of how she had struggled with her weight for years despite trying various diets and exercise regimens. When Ozempic started to pick up steam as more than just a wonder drug for treating type 2 diabetes, she approached her health insurers for approval, but they denied her request. Regulations at that time prohibited the prescription of Ozempic to non-diabetic patients. The cost of buying Ozempic from a US pharmacy was around $1100 monthly, sadly, past her budget. She purchased compounded semaglutide from us, and she experienced a remarkable transformation, losing over 30 pounds (13 kilos) in just a few months. She reported feeling more energized, healthier, and more confident than ever before.
A similar story came from a man who had been overweight his entire life and was deeply skeptical about new weight loss solutions after having been burned so many times by programs and medications that promised wonders but delivered little. Semaglutide changed his life after he lost around 50 pounds (22 kilos) in the first six months, and that meant he was able to discontinue several treatments for obesity-related health issues. He credits this with significantly improving his quality of life.
What’s the relationship between semaglutide, Ozempic, and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, Mounjaro, and Zepbound?
One of the most frequent questions our customer support team gets asked is about the relationship between semaglutide, Ozempic, and Wegovy. We’ll do our best to answer here.
Ozempic and Wegovy are closely related because they are manufactured by the same company (Novo Nordisk) and are based on the same generic drug (semaglutide). The same thing goes for Mounjaro and Zepbound, which are both made by Eli Lilly nd Company and are based on the same generic drug (tirzepatide). However, these medications target specific conditions – type 2 diabetes and obesity, and each requires a doctor’s prescription for that specific use; they are not interchangeable.
To understand the fundamentals of Ozempic/Wegovy and Mounjaro/Zepbound, let’s dive into the details of the drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide.
Semaglutide
Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA). GLP-1 is a hormone that is released in the gut in response to food, prompting the release of insulin from the pancreas and blocking the release of glucagon. Insulin works to control blood sugar levels after eating. If blood glucose levels fall too low, glucagon is released by the pancreas to counter insulin’s effects. It stimulates the conversion of glycogen stored in the liver to glucose, which can be released into the bloodstream and lower any risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). The two hormones work in tandem to stabilize blood glucose levels. GLP-1 receptor agonist molecules mimic the effects of GLP-1 and trigger insulin release while blocking glucagon production.
Ozempic was a major step forward in treating diabetes since it allowed patients to gain better control over their glucose levels with a single weekly injection. In comparison, before Ozempic came out, most people living with type 2 diabetes needed daily insulin injections or oral medication.
What happened after semaglutide reached the market as a diabetes treatment was a revolution. Diabetic patients were reporting significant weight loss almost as soon as they started their course of Ozempic. This led the manufacturer to conduct a randomized placebo-controlled trial – SELECT, which examined the long-term weight loss effects of semaglutide in obesity without diabetes. The last one was performed with a pool of obese people (BMI 30.0 or higher) and overweight people (BMI 27-29.9) with related comorbidities, such as obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure problems. The participants were not diabetic. The placebo group received injections of inactive liquids, and the trial group received weekly injections of full-strength Wegovy (2.4 mg semaglutide). Both groups were placed on controlled diet and exercise programs and were monitored weekly.
It established clearly that participants getting semaglutide achieved an average weight loss of 17-18% of their body weight by the end of the 68-week trial. Just as impressive was that the weight was being shed in an almost straight line for more than three years, showing none of the classic plateaus characteristic of almost every other weight-loss program. On average, people on the program had lost 8% of their starting weight after one year, 12% after two years, and 16% after three years.
These studies underscored semaglutide’s potential as a transformative tool for weight management. The news of this flooded the media, and the race was on for obese people to get their hands on Ozempic. Unhappily, Ozempic became almost a fashion statement. It seemed to become a matter of personal pride for many celebrities to announce to the world that they were getting their bodies “into shape” thanks to Ozempic, even though, by classic standards, most wouldn’t have thought of them as being out of shape, to begin with.
Tirzepatide
The story of Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide) closely follows the one of Ozempic and Wegovy. First came Mounjaro, based on both GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists. Mounjaro was approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and quickly showed the same result of considerable weight loss in almost all patients. In fact, the losses were consistently higher than those shown by patients on Ozempic. In 2023, Eli Lilly and Company released a version of tirzepatide called Zepbound, which is exclusively for the treatment of obese or overweight people with weight-related conditions like heart or kidney failure. Studies have shown that patients on tirzepatide generally lose at least 25% more weight than those on semaglutide, when all other factors like adherence to diet and exercise are equal.
Why were there worldwide shortages of these medications?
The demand for Ozempic quickly overwhelmed the manufacturer’s production capacity, which had based output capacity on the demand likely to come from a pool of diabetes patients amounting to 9-10% percent of the adult population in Western countries. Instead, the company was facing demand from 40-50% of the population of the advanced countries, who are now clinically overweight or obese. Diabetic patients all over the world were unable to get supplies of their essential Ozempic medications, and this was creating serious health consequences for millions of people.
All of this led to the need for a split between drugs based on semaglutide as a treatment for diabetes (Ozempic with a maximum strength of 1 mg) and a separate one for treating obesity (Wegovy with a maximum strength of 2.4 mg). Weight management with Wegovy was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in combination with a healthy diet and moderate exercise for people who are overweight (body mass index between 27.0 and 29.9) and have one or more comorbidities or people who are obese (body mass index 30.0 or more).
Questions people ask about Wegovy and Zepbound
How do semaglutide and tirzepatide work to help manage weight?
The primary mechanism by which weight management with Wegovy works is through appetite suppression. By activating GLP-1 and GIP receptors in the brain, semaglutide and tirzepatide increase feelings of fullness and reduce hunger, which leads to an overall decrease in caloric intake. Additionally, they slow gastric emptying, which prolongs the sensation of fullness after eating, and this can help control portion sizes and eating habits.
What are the main side effects of Wegovy and Zepbound?
Are there any significant differences between the side effects of Wegovy and Ozempic, since both are based on GLP-1?
The most common side effects of both are:
- Headaches
- Stomach problems such as diarrhea or constipation, nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain or bloating, gastritis, indigestion, upset stomach and gas (burping), flatulence, reflux or heartburn
- Feeling dizzy, weak, or tired
- Gallstones
- Hair loss
- Injection site reactions.
These effects mainly occur in the early stages of starting treatment and when increasing the dose.
What are the main risks vs benefits of weight management with Wegovy or Zepbound?
Generally, doctors will recommend weight management with Wegovy or Zepbound despite any side effects because, in almost every case, the benefits gained from sustained weight loss outweigh any inherent risks from the medication. Losing weight brings with it multiple benefits because it can reduce the risk inherent in the most prevalent problems that come with obesity, which include heart problems, diabetes, stroke, gallstones, osteoarthritis, and high blood pressure. Some of these are life-threatening.
What pre-existing conditions will prohibit the use of Wegovy or Zepbound?
There are a few conditions that restrict the use of weight management with Wegovy or Zepbound. These include a family history of a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if the patient has an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
Certain medical conditions make them unsuitable for everyone. The treating doctor will consider these factors along with overall health before prescribing it. These include problems with the pancreas or kidney, type 2 diabetes, and a history of diabetic retinopathy, severe clinical depression, and planned pregnancy or breastfeeding during the period of use.
