Search for articles or Rx savings
Key takeaways
Mounjaro is an injectable FDA-approved prescription drug to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults 18 years and older as an adjunct to diet and exercise.
Many health insurance plans, including Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D, cover Mounjaro when prescribed for Type 2 diabetes, but not for weight loss.
The list price of Mounjaro is over $1,000, and uninsured patients may have to pay the full price unless they can find discounts through prescription savings cards, patient assistance programs, and more.
Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a brand-name prescription drug that lowers blood sugar levels in people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It belongs to a family of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Mounjaro is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss, however, some healthcare professionals prescribe it off-label for this purpose since it contains the same active ingredient as the prescription weight-loss drug Zepbound. There is no generic version of Mounjaro available, so uninsured patients may need to pay the full retail price for the drug.
Related: Mounjaro side effects
What is the generic for Mounjaro?
Mounjaro can only be purchased as a premium-priced brand-name medication. The active ingredient, tirzepatide, is not currently available as a generic. The earliest a generic version of Mounjaro may be available is 2036.
You may see compounded versions of generic tirzepatide marketed online or with certain prescribers. Compounded drugs do not have the same FDA regulations and oversight as commercially available products. In some cases, they do not contain the exact same active or inactive ingredients. Speak to a pharmacist or health care provider for more information on compounded versions of drugs like Mounjaro.
Is Mounjaro covered by insurance?
Some commercial insurance plans and Medicare Part D drug plans cover Mounjaro for Type 2 diabetes, but some don’t. Before filling a prescription, check with the insurance provider. Insurance plans covering Mounjaro tend to place the drug in their highest copay or non-formulary tier. The copay cost could be high. The final out-of-pocket expenses for individuals could include deductibles, coinsurance, or coverage gap costs.
Medicaid may or may not cover a Mounjaro prescription. It will depend on the state. The VA and Tricare classify Mounjaro as non-formulary, so a prescription will only be covered with prior authorization if certain criteria are met.
If Mounjaro is prescribed for weight loss and not Type 2 diabetes, health insurance providers typically will not cover it.
How much does Mounjaro cost without insurance?
Without insurance coverage, the retail price for a 28-day supply of Mounjaro (4, 0.5 mL of 5 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens) varies from $1,000 to $1,200. That means each weekly dose costs as much as $300. At the full retail price, a calendar year of Mounjaro treatment will cost nearly $16,000.
People without insurance should ask the prescribing doctor about other prescription medications in the GLP-1 agonist class. They, too, are premium-priced brand-name drugs but may cost less per month than Mounjaro. They include Zepbound (tirzepatide), Ozempic (semaglutide), Wegovy (semaglutide), Trulicity (dulaglutide), Saxenda (liraglutide), and Victoza (liraglutide), all injections similar to Mounjaro. Rybelsus (semaglutide), a once-a-day oral tablet, is another alternative that could save hundreds of dollars per month.
If the monthly cost of any of these drugs provesns too challenging, ask the prescriber for medical advice about other Type 2 diabetes medications you may not have tried yet. Many are available in low-priced generic versions. However, their effectiveness will differ, as will side effects and drug interactions. Most do not dramatically affect body weight as much as the GLP-1 agonists do.
The best alternative may be to use a SingleCare prescription discount card. People using SingleCare at a participating pharmacy could pay as little as $935 for a 28-day supply of Mounjaro.
| Compare Mounjaro prices to related drugs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug name | Price without insurance of brand-name drug | SingleCare price | Savings options |
| Mounjaro
(tirzepatide) |
$1,492 per 4, 0.5 mL of 5 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens | $935 per 4, 0.5 mL of 5 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens of brand-name Mounjaro | See latest prices |
| Zepbound
(tirzepatide) |
$1,470 per 4, 0.5 mL of 5 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens | $907 per 4, 0.5 mL of 5 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens of brand-name Zepbound | See latest prices |
| Ozempic (semaglutide) | $1,336 per 1, 1.5 mL of 2 mg/1.5 mL auto-injector pen | $754 per 1, 1.5 mL of 2 mg/1.5 mL auto-injector pen of brand-name Ozempic | See latest prices |
| Wegovy
(semaglutide) |
$1,840 per 4, 0.5ML of 0.25 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens | $1,194 per 4, 0.5 mL of 0.25 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens of brand-name Wegovy | See latest prices |
| Trulicity
(dulaglutide) |
$1,319 per 4, 0.5 mL of 1.5 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens | $744 per 4, 0.5 mL of 1.5 mg/0.5 mL auto-injector pens
of brand-name Trulicity |
See latest prices |
| Saxenda
(liraglutide) |
$1,803 per
5, 3 mL of 18 mg/mL auto-injector pens |
$1,194 per 5, 3 mL of 18 mg/3 mL auto-injector pens of brand-name Saxenda | See latest prices |
| Victoza (liraglutide) | $1,447 per 3, 3 mL of 18 mg/3 mL auto-injector pens | $672 per 3, 3 mL of 18 mg/3 mL auto-injector pens of brand-name Victoza | See latest prices |
| Rybelsus (semaglutide) | $1,321 per 30, 7 mg tablets | $829 per 30, 7 mg tablets of brand-name Rybelus | See latest prices |
Prescription drug prices often change. These are the most accurate medication prices at the time of publishing. The listed price without insurance references the price of brand-name drugs (unless otherwise specified). The listed SingleCare price references the price of generic drugs if available. Click the link under “Savings options” to see the latest drug prices.
How to get Mounjaro without insurance
Brand-name prescription drugs are often challenging to squeeze into a budget. With a monthly price tag of $1,069, Mounjaro is no exception. As with other premium-priced prescription drugs, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, Eli Lilly and Co., offers a patient assistance program and a Mounjaro savings card for eligible patients. However, not everyone who applies will qualify. Fortunately, those aren’t the only options to save money.
1. Use a SingleCare prescription discount card
With a SingleCare Mounjaro coupon, uninsured patients can get Mounjaro for as little as $935. Depending on the pharmacy, other Mounjaro discount prices may be higher. Check the current prices on SingleCare’s Mounjaro discount card page.
2. Shop around for the lowest price
Comparing pharmacy prices can result in net savings of as much as $400. That’s the difference between the lowest pharmacy price for Mounjaro and the average retail price. You can easily compare prices from different pharmacies on the SingleCare Mounjaro coupon page.
3. Ask the prescriber about other GLP-1 agonists
The prescriber may be able to recommend another brand-name prescription medication similar to Mounjaro called a GLP-1 receptor agonist. These alternatives may cost hundreds of dollars less per month than the cost of Mounjaro.
4. Ask the prescriber for medical advice about cheaper diabetes drugs
The prescribing healthcare provider may have good medical advice about alternative blood glucose-lowering drugs that haven’t yet been tried. For example, many diabetes management medications are available as generics, so the cost could be dramatically lower than Mounjaro.
5. Ask the prescriber about other weight loss medications
If Mounjaro is prescribed off-label for weight management, then insurance won’t help. Everyone will pay the full cash price. If that price is too much, consider switching to another weight loss drug such as Xenical (orlistat) and Adipex-P (phentermine).
6. Enroll in Medicaid
If you qualify for Medicaid, there’s still a chance that your state doesn’t cover Mounjaro. However, another drug similar to Mounjaro may be. Start by visiting your state’s Medicaid website for eligibility information. Enrollment can be done online or with the help of a local health department representative.
7. Buy a health insurance policy
One of the most enduring ways to save money on long-term, high-priced medications like Mounjaro is to purchase health insurance with a prescription drug benefit. Not only are many health insurance plans cheaper than a year’s expenditure on Mounjaro, but some plans are also surprisingly affordable. Start by comparing prices on your state’s health insurance marketplace website.
Sources
- Mounjaro prescribing information, Eli Lilly and Company (2023)
- Savings & support for Mounjaro, Eli Lilly and Company (2024)
