Mounjaro costs $499 a month through the maker's own pharmacy. A Wegovy pen costs $349 at its standing self-pay rate. The prices are easy to line up. The products are not.
They are not approved for the same thing
Mounjaro is indicated to improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetes[1]. The label covers adults and children aged 10 and over, alongside diet and exercise[1].
It carries a second indication. It reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk[1].
Weight is not on that label. Wegovy’s label is where weight sits.
The Wegovy injection is indicated to reduce excess body weight and maintain that reduction long term[2]. It covers adults and children aged 12 and over with obesity[2]. It also covers adults with overweight plus a weight-related condition[2].
Wegovy carries two more indications. One reduces major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight[2].
The other is noncirrhotic MASH with moderate to advanced fibrosis, approved under accelerated approval[2].
What each maker charges
| Mounjaro | Wegovy pen | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-pay, standing price | $499 a month, every dose | $349 a month, 5 doses |
| Introductory price | None published | $199 for 2 fills, new self-pay patients |
| Highest published month | $499 | $399 for the 7.2 mg pen |
| What one month holds | 28 days, up to 4 pens | 4 pens, 28 days |
| Copay card, plan covers it | As little as $25, capped at $150 saved a month | As little as $25, capped at $100 saved a month |
| Copay card, plan does not cover it | As low as $499 a month | No equivalent tier; the self-pay price applies |
| Medicare GLP-1 Bridge | Not on the covered list | $50 a month, injection or tablet |
At the standing rate the gap is $150 a month, with Mounjaro above the Wegovy pen. The introductory rung widens it further.
A new Wegovy self-pay patient pays $300 less than the Mounjaro price for the first 2 fills. That rung covers the two starting doses only[3]. It runs to December 31, 2026[3].
A promotional first month is not a monthly price. Month three is the number to plan around, as Wegovy cost and Mounjaro cost each set out.
The two cards work differently
Both makers publish a commercial copay card, and both start at a low headline. The ceilings are where they part.
Mounjaro’s covered tier pays as little as $25[4]. Savings are capped at $150 for a one-month fill, and $1,950 a year[4].
Wegovy’s card pays as little as $25, with savings capped at $100 a month[3].
Lilly also publishes a second tier for plans that do not cover the product. It pays as low as $499 a month[4]. Novo publishes no equivalent tier for the Wegovy pen; the self-pay price is the fallback[3].
Both cards exclude government-program patients, and both carry an expiry. The card terms and their exclusions are itemized in the Wegovy savings card.
Medicare splits them
The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge sets a flat $50 a month for the products on its list[5]. Wegovy is on it, by injection or tablet[5].
Mounjaro is not on that list[5]. For a Medicare reader that is a larger difference than any self-pay gap.
The Bridge started July 1, 2026 and runs to December 31, 2027[5]. What it does and does not count toward is covered in does Medicare cover Wegovy and does Medicare cover Mounjaro.
What to price instead
For a diabetes prescription, the honest comparison is Mounjaro against another diabetes product. That sits in Mounjaro vs Ozempic.
For a weight prescription, the like-for-like pair is Zepbound vs Wegovy cost.
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are a third route. Each is priced from every seller that publishes a monthly figure, not from a maker's page. Those markets are in tirzepatide vs semaglutide cost.