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Tirzepatide (compounded) Reference
Educational, not medical advice reference for Tirzepatide (compounded): GLP-1, Fat Loss; regulatory status, evidence posture, source review, and…
Reference summary
Tirzepatide is the most-studied GIP plus GLP-1 dual agonist with publicly reported pivotal data. SURMOUNT-1 (Jastreboff 2022 NEJM, PMID 35658024, n=2,539 adults with obesity, 72 weeks) reported mean body-weight reductions of 15.0 percent at 5 mg, 19.5 percent at 10 mg, and 20.9 percent at 15 mg versus 3.1 percent on placebo. SURPASS-2 (Frias 2021 NEJM, PMID 34170647, n=1,879 adults with type 2 diabetes, 40 weeks, open-label head-to-head against semaglutide 1 mg) reported HbA1c reductions of -2.01, -2.24, and -2.30 percentage points at 5, 10, and 15 mg of tirzepatide versus -1.86 with semaglutide; weight differences favored tirzepatide by -1.9, -3.6, and -5.5 kg at the three doses. SURMOUNT-5 (Aronne 2025 NEJM, PMID 40353578, head-to-head against semaglutide 2.4 mg in obesity) showed tirzepatide produced greater weight loss than maximum-dose semaglutide. SURMOUNT-OSA (Malhotra 2024 NEJM, PMID 38912654) ran two parallel Phase 3 trials in obstructive sleep apnea plus obesity (52 weeks): in trial 1 (no positive airway pressure at baseline) the apnea-hypopnea index fell 25.3 events per hour on tirzepatide versus 5.3 on placebo (estimated treatment difference -20.0 events per hour); in trial 2 (on PAP) the AHI fell 29.3 versus 5.5 (treatment difference -23.8). SUMMIT (Packer 2025 NEJM, PMID 39555826, n=731, median 104 weeks) showed tirzepatide reduced the composite of adjudicated cardiovascular death or worsening heart failure events in obesity-driven HFpEF (hazard ratio 0.62, 95 percent CI 0.41 to 0.95, P 0.026) and improved the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score by 6.9 points more than placebo. SYNERGY-NASH (Loomba 2024 NEJM, PMID 38856224, Phase 2 dose-finding, n=190 with biopsy-confirmed MASH and stage F2 or F3 fibrosis, 52 weeks) reported MASH resolution without worsening fibrosis in 44, 56, and 62 percent of the 5, 10, and 15 mg arms versus 10 percent on placebo. Common adverse events across the program are class-typical gastrointestinal events (nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, decreased appetite), mostly mild to moderate and concentrated during dose escalation.
Regulatory and posture
- Categories
- GLP-1, Fat Loss
- Aliases
- Tirzepatide, Zepbound label reference, Mounjaro active ingredient, LY3298176, GIP / GLP-1 dual receptor agonist
- Evidence posture
- human
- Regulatory status
- Tirzepatide is FDA-approved as the GIP plus GLP-1 dual-receptor agonist Mounjaro (NDA 215866, approved May 13, 2022) for type 2 diabetes, and as Zepbound (NDA 217806, approved November 8, 2023) for chronic weight management in adults with obesity (BMI of 30 or higher) or overweight (BMI of 27 or higher) with at least one weight-related comorbidity. The Zepbound label was expanded on December 20, 2024 to include treatment of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. Both labels carry a boxed warning for risk of thyroid C-cell tumors, contraindications in personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma and Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, and warnings for pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, severe gastrointestinal events, acute kidney injury due to volume depletion, hypersensitivity reactions, severe hypoglycemia (especially when combined with insulin or sulfonylureas), diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes, and acute injury related to suicidal thoughts or behavior monitoring. Compounded tirzepatide preparations sold outside FDA-approved manufacturing are not the FDA-approved drug under any approved framework; identity, purity, vial concentration, and syringe-unit accuracy of those preparations cannot be assumed from the trial data. The FDA has explicitly flagged dosing errors and identity issues in the broader compounded GLP-1 space. The FDA tirzepatide shortage was resolved in December 2024; with tirzepatide off the shortage list, large-scale compounding of copies is restricted, and in April 2026 the FDA proposed excluding tirzepatide from the 503B outsourcing-facility bulks list (public comment open through June 29, 2026). Patient-specific 503A compounding remains the narrow lawful pathway.
- Content review status
- approved label reference
Selected public sources
- DailyMed Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information (FDA-approved for chronic weight management, November 8, 2023; obstructive sleep apnea expansion December 20, 2024)
- DailyMed Mounjaro (tirzepatide) prescribing information (FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes, May 13, 2022)
- PubMed: Jastreboff et al. N Engl J Med 2022 - Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-1, Phase 3, n=2,539, 72 weeks) (PMID 35658024)
- PubMed: Frias et al. N Engl J Med 2021 - Tirzepatide versus semaglutide once weekly in patients with type 2 diabetes (SURPASS-2, Phase 3, n=1,879, 40 weeks) (PMID 34170647)
- PubMed: Aronne et al. N Engl J Med 2025 - Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-5) (PMID 40353578)
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