Zepbound Or Wegovy: Which Is Better?

Zepbound or Wegovy: Which is better?

Zepbound and Wegovy are two popular weight loss drugs. Both drugs are more effective than exercise and diet alone, but of the two, which is better?

In this guide, we’ll compare the effectiveness, cost and benefits to help you decide which treatment is most suitable for you.

Medically reviewed by

Alexandra Cristina Cowell, Writer & Clinical Content Reviewer

	Wegovy	Zepbound
Active ingredient	Semaglutide	Tirzepatide
How it works	Mimics GLP-1 hormone to induce satiety, slow digestion and reduce hunger.	Mimics GLP-1 and GIP hormones to increase feelings of fullness, slow digestion and reduce hunger.
Administration	Weekly injections	Weekly injections
Doses	0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg, and 2.4mg.	2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, and 10mg.
Effectiveness	Mean weight loss achieved by month 12: 8.3%.	Mean weight loss achieved by month 12: 15.3%.
Cost per month	$2104.95	$1,813.95
Cost over a year	Approximately $25,000	Approximately $21,000
Common side effects	Headache; Nausea; Vomiting; Diarrhoea; Constipation; Stomach pain; Feeling weak; Changes in vision especially for people with diabetes;	Hypoglycemia; Nausea; Vomiting; Diarrhoea; Stomach pain; Constipation;

Wegovy

Zepbound

Active ingredient

Semaglutide

Tirzepatide

How it works

Mimics GLP-1 hormone to induce satiety, slow digestion and reduce hunger.

Mimics GLP-1 and GIP hormones to increase feelings of fullness, slow digestion and reduce hunger.

Administration

Weekly injections

Doses

0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg, and 2.4mg.

2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, and 10mg.

Effectiveness

Mean weight loss achieved by month 12: 8.3%.

Mean weight loss achieved by month 12: 15.3%.

Cost per month

$2104.95

$1,813.95

Cost over a year

Approximately $25,000

Approximately $21,000

Common side effects

Headache; Nausea; Vomiting; Diarrhoea; Constipation; Stomach pain; Feeling weak; Changes in vision especially for people with diabetes;

Hypoglycemia; Nausea; Vomiting; Diarrhoea; Stomach pain; Constipation;

Effectiveness of Wegovy

In one study with 1961 patients taking 2.4mg semaglutide, the mean weight loss achieved was 14.1% by week 68, compared to 2.4% in the placebo group. The results found:

86.4% of participants achieved 5% or more weight loss
69.1% of participants achieved 10% or more weight loss
50.5% of participants achieved 15% or more weight loss

These findings were similar to another study with 175 patients with overweight or obesity. The mean weight loss achieved by week 26 was 10.9% (around 12.3kg). The findings included:

87.3% achieved a weight loss of 5%
54.9% achieved a weight loss of 10%,
23.5% achieved a weight loss of 15%
7.8% achieved a weight loss of 20% or more.

The study also highlighted that higher doses (1.7mg and 2.4mg) resulted in more weight loss than the lower doses (0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg). Participants on the higher dose achieved a mean weight loss of 12.1% compared to 9.2% for those receiving lower doses. Other benefits included better cardiovascular health, improvement in blood sugar and reduced risk of kidney disease.

However, stopping treatment with semaglutide often led to weight gain. In a study, 327 patients lost an average of 17.3% of their body weight over 68 weeks, but by week 120, they regained an average of 11.6% of that weight. This shows the importance of continued treatment and adhering to lifestyle changes.

Effectiveness of Zepbound

In a study with 2539 participants, the mean weight loss achieved by week 72 using Zepbound was:

15.0% with 5mg
19.5% with 10mg
20.9% with 15mg
3.1% with placebo

Aside from the weight loss benefits, participants using tirzepatide showed improvements in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and cholesterol levels. Additionally, by week 72, most pre-diabetic participants (95%) had normal blood sugar levels.

As previously mentioned, a physician may recommend staying on a 10mg maintenance dose instead of 15mg due to similar effectiveness and cost benefits. The results prove there’s little difference in weight loss achieved with 10mg compared to 15mg.

Similar to semaglutide, stopping tirzepatide commonly led to weight regain. A study of 670 participants who achieved an average weight reduction of 20.9% by week 36. Half of these individuals continued treatment, while the other half received a placebo. Upon follow-up at week 88, patients who continued taking tirzepatide lost an additional 5.5%, whereas those receiving the placebo experienced a 14% weight gain.

How does Wegovy compare with Zepbound?

A comparative study found tirzepatide (Zepbound) to be more effective than semaglutide (Wegovy) in a trial consisting of 41,222 participants. Of these, 32,029 were treated with semaglutide, while 9,193 received tirzepatide. The mean weight loss achieved with each treatment was as follows:

After 3 months: 5.9% for tirzepatide compared to 3.6% for semaglutide.
After 6 months: 10.1% for tirzepatide compared to 5.8% for semaglutide.
After 12 months: 15.3% for tirzepatide compared to 8.3% for semaglutide.

The differences in weight loss could be because of tirzepatide's ability to target GLP-1 and GIP receptors, compared to semaglutide which only targets GLP-1 receptors.