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9 GLP-1 Shots, From Ozempic to Compounded Tirzepatide

Seven brand GLP 1 shots described from their FDA labels, plus compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are not FDA approved. What each treats, how often you inject it and how to choose.

Clinically reviewed
Medically reviewed by Arbor Health TeamMedical Content Team9 min read
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The top three

Prices are Arbor's monthly starting prices
Our pick

01  Ozempic, weekly semaglutide for diabetes

Diabetes with heart or kidney risk

2017FDA approval, December 5

02  Wegovy, weekly semaglutide for weight

FDA-approved semaglutide for weight

14.9%mean loss vs 2.4% on placebo, 68 weeks

03  Mounjaro, weekly tirzepatide for diabetes

Dual-receptor diabetes option

2022FDA approval, May 13

Compounded is not FDA approved. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide contain the same active molecules as the brands, but the FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold.

GLP-1 shots at a glance

GLP 1 shots are prescription injections that act like GLP-1, a hormone your gut releases after a meal. It slows stomach emptying, quiets appetite signals and helps the pancreas release insulin. Mounjaro and Zepbound also act on a second receptor, GIP.

The seven brand shots on this list carry FDA approval, four for type 2 diabetes and three for weight management. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide make nine, and neither is FDA approved.

  • Ozempic: semaglutide, FDA approved for type 2 diabetes, weekly
  • Wegovy: semaglutide, FDA approved for weight management, weekly
  • Mounjaro: tirzepatide, FDA approved for type 2 diabetes, weekly
  • Zepbound: tirzepatide, FDA approved for weight management and sleep apnea, weekly
  • Saxenda: liraglutide, FDA approved for weight management, daily
  • Victoza: liraglutide, FDA approved for type 2 diabetes, daily
  • Trulicity: dulaglutide, FDA approved for type 2 diabetes, weekly
  • Compounded semaglutide: semaglutide, not FDA approved, weekly, as prescribed
  • Compounded tirzepatide: tirzepatide, not FDA approved, weekly, as prescribed

Indications and schedules from each current FDA label on DailyMed. Several labels also cover heart, kidney, liver or sleep apnea outcomes, listed under each entry below.

This is a GLP 1 medications list, not a ranking. Pills and other drug classes for weight are in the FDA-approved weight loss medications guide.

GLP-1 injections, brand & compounded

The first seven GLP 1 injections below are brand products, described from their FDA labels. Label approvals are specific. A shot approved for type 2 diabetes is not approved for weight management, even when a weight shot shares its molecule.

The last two, compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide, are prepared by a state-licensed pharmacy for one patient’s prescription. Neither is FDA approved. The FDA page on FDA concerns on unapproved GLP-1s

01

Ozempic, weekly semaglutide for diabetes

Semaglutide injection, approved 2017

2017FDA approval, December 5

Ozempic is semaglutide for adults with type 2 diabetes. Its label covers blood sugar control, major heart event risk in people with heart disease, and kidney decline in people with chronic kidney disease.

Where it wins

  • Once weekly, with or without meals
  • Three type 2 diabetes indications, including heart and kidney outcomes
  • Doses step up from 0.25 mg to a 2 mg maximum

What it costs you

  • Not approved for weight management
  • Not for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or MEN 2
  • Brand cost depends on your coverage

Diabetes with heart or kidney risk

02

Wegovy, weekly semaglutide for weight

Semaglutide 2.4 mg, approved 2021

14.9%mean loss vs 2.4% on placebo, 68 weeks

Wegovy is semaglutide for chronic weight management, approved in June 2021. Its label adds heart event risk reduction in adults with heart disease and excess weight and, under accelerated approval, MASH, a fatty liver disease with moderate to advanced scarring.

Where it wins

  • Weight management in adults and in teens 12 and older with obesity
  • Heart event risk reduction in adults with heart disease
  • Usual dose 2.4 mg weekly, up to 7.2 mg on the current label

What it costs you

  • Not for people with a personal or family history of MTC or MEN 2
  • Dose climbs every 4 weeks before maintenance
  • Brand cost and coverage vary

FDA-approved semaglutide for weight

03

Mounjaro, weekly tirzepatide for diabetes

Tirzepatide injection, approved 2022

2022FDA approval, May 13

Mounjaro is tirzepatide, which acts on two receptors, GIP and GLP-1. It is approved for blood sugar control in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes, and for lowering major heart event risk in high-risk adults with the disease.

Where it wins

  • Once weekly, with or without meals
  • Approved for ages 10 and up with type 2 diabetes
  • Starts at 2.5 mg and rises in 2.5 mg steps to a 15 mg adult maximum

What it costs you

  • Not approved for weight management
  • Not for people with a personal or family history of MTC or MEN 2
  • Brand cost depends on your coverage

Dual-receptor diabetes option

04

Zepbound, weekly tirzepatide for weight

Tirzepatide injection, approved 2023

20.9%mean loss at 15 mg vs 3.1% on placebo, 72 weeks

Zepbound is tirzepatide for chronic weight management in adults, approved November 2023. The FDA added moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity in December 2024.

Where it wins

  • Largest mean loss on a weight label here, across separate trials
  • Sleep apnea indication
  • Available as pens and vials

What it costs you

  • Adults only
  • Not for people with a personal or family history of MTC or MEN 2
  • Brand cost and coverage vary

Highest weight result on an FDA label here

05

Saxenda, daily liraglutide for weight

Liraglutide 3 mg, approved 2014

7.4%mean loss vs 3.0% on placebo, 56 weeks

Saxenda is liraglutide, approved in December 2014 for chronic weight management in adults and in teens 12 and older who weigh more than 60 kg and have obesity.

Where it wins

  • Dose steps up each week to 3 mg a day
  • FDA approved for weight since 2014
  • Same molecule as Victoza, at a higher dose

What it costs you

  • A shot every day
  • Smaller mean loss than the weekly weight labels
  • Not for people with a personal or family history of MTC or MEN 2

Daily option with the longest weight record

06

Victoza, daily liraglutide for diabetes

Liraglutide injection, approved 2010

2010FDA approval, January 25

Victoza is liraglutide for type 2 diabetes and the oldest approval on this list. It treats blood sugar in adults and children 10 and older and lowers major heart event risk in adults with heart disease.

Where it wins

  • Any time of day, independent of meals
  • Heart event risk reduction on the label
  • Doses run from 0.6 mg to 1.8 mg a day

What it costs you

  • A shot every day
  • Not approved for weight management
  • Not for people with a personal or family history of MTC or MEN 2

Longest track record on the list

07

Trulicity, weekly dulaglutide for diabetes

Dulaglutide injection, approved 2014

2014FDA approval, September 18

Trulicity is dulaglutide for type 2 diabetes, covering blood sugar control in adults and children 10 and older and major heart event risk in adults with heart disease or several heart risk factors.

Where it wins

  • Weekly, any time of day, with or without food
  • Heart label covers risk factors, not just heart disease
  • Doses from 0.75 mg up to 4.5 mg

What it costs you

  • Not approved for weight management
  • Not for people with a personal or family history of MTC or MEN 2
  • Brand cost depends on your coverage

Weekly diabetes shot with a broad heart label

08

Compounded semaglutide, not FDA approved

Semaglutide, prepared by a licensed pharmacy

$89a month, starting price

Compounded semaglutide contains the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, made by a state-licensed pharmacy for one patient's prescription. It is not FDA approved, and the brand trials did not test compounded products.

Where it wins

  • Contains semaglutide, the molecule in Ozempic and Wegovy
  • Weekly injection
  • One monthly price as the dose changes

What it costs you

  • Not FDA approved, and not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality
  • Usually drawn from a vial, so measuring units correctly matters
  • Ask which form the pharmacy uses, since salt forms should not be used

Semaglutide at one monthly price

09

Compounded tirzepatide, not FDA approved

Tirzepatide, prepared by a licensed pharmacy

$149a month, starting price

Compounded tirzepatide contains the molecule in Mounjaro and Zepbound, prepared the same way as compounded semaglutide. It is not FDA approved.

Where it wins

  • Contains tirzepatide, the molecule in Mounjaro and Zepbound
  • Weekly injection that acts on GIP and GLP-1 receptors
  • One monthly price as the dose changes

What it costs you

  • Not FDA approved
  • Costs more than compounded semaglutide
  • Quality rests on the pharmacy that prepares it

Dual-receptor molecule at one monthly price

Weekly vs daily GLP-1 shots

Five brand shots here are weekly: Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound and Trulicity. Saxenda and Victoza, both liraglutide, are daily because liraglutide’s half-life is about 13 hours. Semaglutide’s is about a week, and tirzepatide’s and dulaglutide’s about 5 days.

From each FDA label. If more than 3 days of liraglutide are missed, the labels say to restart at the lowest dose.
MoleculeHalf-life (label)ScheduleMissed dose (label)
Semaglutide (Ozempic)About 1 weekWeeklyTake within 5 days of the missed dose
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)About 5 daysWeeklyTake within 4 days, or skip it
Dulaglutide (Trulicity)About 5 daysWeeklyTake if at least 3 days remain before the next dose
Liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza)About 13 hoursDailySkip it and resume the next day, no extra dose

A daily GLP 1 injection means about 365 shots a year instead of 52.

GLP-1 pill vs shot

The FDA has also approved GLP-1 pills, each taken once a day.

  • Oral semaglutide for type 2 diabetes, approved in 2019 as Rybelsus. The same application now also covers Ozempic tablets, in different strengths.
  • The Wegovy pill, a semaglutide tablet for weight management and heart risk reduction, approved December 22, 2025, with a 25 mg maintenance dose.
  • Foundayo (orforglipron), a pill for weight management, approved April 1, 2026.

The GLP 1 pill vs shot choice trades routine against effect. Semaglutide pills are taken on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of water, then a 30 minute wait before food, drink or other pills. Foundayo can be taken with or without food. Its 17.2 mg dose produced 11.1% mean loss vs 2.1% on placebo over 72 weeks, below the 20.9% on the Zepbound label, in a different trial population.

For the semaglutide version of this decision, see oral vs injected semaglutide.

How to choose among GLP-1 medications

No trial names a best GLP 1 for weight loss for everyone. SURMOUNT-5, the head-to-head trial of tirzepatide and semaglutide in adults with obesity, favored tirzepatide. It was open-label and funded by tirzepatide’s maker, and an average does not predict one person’s result.

  1. Your diagnosis. Diabetes labels and weight labels differ, so your diagnosis narrows the list first.
  2. Your history. Some histories rule a GLP-1 out, as the note below explains.
  3. Your routine. Weekly or daily, pen or vial, shot or pill.
  4. Your budget over a year. The weight-management GLP 1 medications are labeled for long-term use, so yearly cost matters more than the first month.

If you are paying cash, Arbor compounded semaglutide starts at $89 a month and Arbor’s tirzepatide program at $149. Both are compounded and not FDA approved. A licensed clinician reviews your history first, and if it is not the right fit, it is not prescribed.

Who should not take a GLP-1 shot

Every brand shot here carries a boxed warning and is not for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2. A clinician checks this, and pregnancy plans, before prescribing. For anything about your own history, message your Arbor clinician.

Frequently asked questions

No single GLP 1 shot is best for everyone. In SURMOUNT-5, tirzepatide averaged 20.2% weight loss and semaglutide 13.7% at 72 weeks. A clinician weighs that against your history.

Under the skin of the abdomen, thigh or upper arm, per every brand label here. The Mounjaro and Zepbound labels add that another person should inject the back of the upper arm, and every label says to rotate GLP 1 injection sites. Compounded shots follow your prescriber's instructions.

No. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold. The shortages ended for tirzepatide on December 19, 2024 and for semaglutide on February 21, 2025, and compounding now runs under patient-specific rules. Only the brand GLP 1 shots are FDA approved.

Sources

  1. Ozempic (semaglutide) injection label, DailyMed.
  2. Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets label, DailyMed.
  3. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) label, DailyMed.
  4. Zepbound (tirzepatide) label, DailyMed.
  5. Saxenda (liraglutide) label, DailyMed.
  6. Victoza (liraglutide) label, DailyMed.
  7. Trulicity (dulaglutide) label, DailyMed.
  8. Rybelsus and Ozempic (oral semaglutide) tablets label, DailyMed.
  9. Foundayo (orforglipron) label, DailyMed.
  10. Ozempic NDA 209637 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  11. Wegovy NDA 215256 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  12. Mounjaro NDA 215866 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  13. Zepbound NDA 217806 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  14. Saxenda NDA 206321 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  15. Victoza NDA 022341 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  16. Trulicity BLA 125469 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  17. Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets NDA 213051 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  18. Wegovy tablets NDA 218316 approval history, Drugs@FDA.
  19. FDA approves Foundayo (orforglipron), April 1, 2026.
  20. FDA approves first medication for obstructive sleep apnea, December 20, 2024.
  21. Aronne LJ et al. Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-5). N Engl J Med. 2025.
  22. FDA's concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss.
  23. FDA clarifies policies for compounders as national GLP-1 supply begins to stabilize.

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