Tirzepatide Shortage: Current Status by Strength and What to Do
No. Tirzepatide: The shortage is resolved. On December 19, 2024, FDA confirmed that the shortage was resolved.
- Shortage
- Resolved
- Lowest self-pay
- $299 a month
- Prescription
- Required
Zepbound in brief
Half-life 5 to 6 days: after 5.5 d, half is gone; about 3% remains after five half-lives (27.5 d).
SURMOUNT-1, 72 weeks: 20.9% body weight compared with 3.1% on placebo.
In US dollars, the monthly price points come from the maker's price page, covering the list price and self-pay offers.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), Eli Lilly 1 2, cnbc.com.
Every legitimate way to get tirzepatide, ranked
| Route | Who it is for | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Mounjaro through your doctor, with insurance and the savings card | Commercial insurance that covers it | For a fill of up to 3 months, the price you pay may be as little as $25 |
| Get Zepbound through your doctor while using insurance plus the savings card | Commercial insurance that covers it | For a fill of up to 3 months, the price you pay may be as little as $25 |
| Zepbound: LillyDirect: LillyDirect vial or KwikPen 2.5 mg | Anyone with a prescription, no insurance needed | $299 a month |
| Zepbound: TrumpRx listing (vial, starting) | Self-pay only | $299 a month |
| Zepbound: Walmart Pharmacy: LillyDirect self-pay (lowest dose) | Cash at the pharmacy counter | $299 a month |
| Telehealth: WeightWatchers Med+, Zepbound (self-pay) | Online visit, medicine shipped | $373 a month all in |
| Compounded copy: Mochi Health | Not FDA approved; ranked last for that reason | $90 a month |
Prices checked November 2026. The source page is linked for each price.
Sources: pricinginfo.lilly.com, mounjaro.lilly.com, GoodRx, zepbound.lilly.com.
Who qualifies
Every GLP-1 medicine sold in the US needs a prescription. One of the label's approved uses is why a prescriber writes it:
- Mounjaro lowers blood sugar in people 10 and older with type 2 diabetes, when used with diet and exercise.
- Among high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes, Mounjaro lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, or heart-related death.
- Zepbound helps adults with obesity, or overweight adults with a weight-related condition, lose weight when used with diet and activity. It also helps maintain that loss long term.
- For moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, Zepbound is a treatment.
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).
Telehealth options compared
| Program | Medicine option | Medicine price | Membership | All in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 WeightWatchers Med+ | Zepbound (self-pay) | $299 a month | $74 a month | $373 a month |
 Ro | Zepbound KwikPen, starting dose | $299 a month | $149 a month | $448 a month |
 Hims & Hers | Zepbound | $1,899 a month | $149 a month after first month | $2,048 a month |
| Hims & Hers | Mounjaro | $1,899 a month | $149 a month after first month | $2,048 a month |
 Mochi Health | Compounded tirzepatide (not FDA approved) | $90 a month | $79 a month after free first month | $169 a month |
 Found | Compounded GLP-1 plan (not FDA approved) | $99 a month | $169 a month cash | $268 a month |
 Noom Med | The compounded GLP-1Rx Plus Program uses GLP-1 and GIP, but it is not FDA approved | after the first 4 weeks, the monthly cost is $299, and billing is quarterly | Not listed | Included |
The listed prices come from each program's own pricing page. We receive no income from any of them.
Sources: weightwatchers.com, ro.co, hims.com, joinmochi.com.
Shortage status
Tirzepatide: The shortage is resolved. On December 19, 2024, FDA confirmed that the shortage was resolved.
- It first appeared on the FDA shortage list on December 15, 2022
- Shortage resolved: December 19, 2024
- State pharmacies were required to stop compounding copies on February 18, 2025
- Outsourcing facilities had to stop as of March 19, 2025
Source: FDA.
Scam signals
- If a seller skips the prescription, that seller is not a licensed US pharmacy, even when the seller says no prescription is needed.
- Brand pricing far below what the manufacturer charges: the lowest self-pay price for the brand is $299 a month.
- Sold under the brand name: compounded drugs are unapproved, so they differ from Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound.
- The [FDA] issued 30 warning letters to telehealth companies for misleading claims of brand equivalence.
- Harm reports: More than 730 reports of adverse events involving compounded tirzepatide are held by the FDA.
- The FTC took action against one program over a monthly price that did not include the drug; see NextMed review.
Sources: pricinginfo.lilly.com, mounjaro.lilly.com, GoodRx, zepbound.lilly.com.
Find it in your state
- Hims & Hers availability does not reach all 50 states
- Noom Med availability does not include all 50 states
- NovoCare Pharmacy: a delivery network that covers all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico
More than anything else, Medicaid rules change the route. right now, Medicaid programs in 10 states cover GLP-1s for weight loss. Select a state to see the drug list and the rules for prior authorization:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming