This is the hub for weight-loss medication in the United States. If you’ve landed here trying to make sense of Ozempic versus Wegovy, what a month of treatment actually costs, or whether the cheaper “compounded” version your telehealth app offered is still legal, start here — then follow the links to the detail page you need.
The US weight-loss landscape changed faster in 2025–2026 than in the entire decade before it. The headline shifts: the drug shortages that fueled cheap compounding ended, manufacturers launched direct cash-pay programs that brought prices down sharply, and for the first time there are GLP-1 pills, not just weekly injections. The result is a market that’s both easier to access and more confusing to navigate.
Note: Almost everything on this site comes back to two molecules. Semaglutide is sold as Ozempic (diabetes) and Wegovy (weight management). Tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro (diabetes) and Zepbound (weight management). The brand you’re prescribed depends on your diagnosis, and that choice drives both your insurance coverage and your price. Get that distinction straight and most of the rest falls into place.
A quick orientation before you dive in. In 2026 the practical barrier for most people is no longer getting a legal prescription — any licensed provider can write one for an approved brand, and telehealth has made consults easy. The barriers are cost (list prices still run roughly $1,000–$1,350/month before discounts) and coverage (many plans cover these drugs for diabetes but exclude them for weight loss). Manufacturer cash-pay programs — NovoCare, LillyDirect, and the government-linked TrumpRx platform — have pushed self-pay prices down to roughly $149–$449/month depending on the drug, dose, and form. The cost and insurance pages below break the real numbers down.
Start here: the big picture
- GLP-1 weight-loss medications: 2026 US guide — the plain-English overview of how these drugs work, who they’re for, and the full 2026 menu of options. Read this first if you’re new to the topic.
- Weight-loss peptides explained — how GLP-1 drugs relate to the wider world of “weight-loss peptides,” and which claims to be skeptical of.
The medications, one by one
- What is semaglutide? — the molecule behind Ozempic and Wegovy.
- What is tirzepatide? — the dual GIP/GLP-1 molecule behind Mounjaro and Zepbound.
- Semaglutide for weight loss and tirzepatide for weight loss — what the evidence shows for each, specifically for weight management.
- Foundayo (orforglipron): the new oral GLP-1 — the once-daily pill the FDA approved on April 1, 2026, with no food-or-water timing restrictions.
What it costs
Cost is usually the deciding factor, and it varies enormously by drug, dose, brand, and how you pay. Each page below gives current 2026 ranges — list price, cash-pay program price, and insured price.
- Semaglutide cost in the US and tirzepatide cost in the US — by molecule.
- Ozempic cost · Wegovy cost & access · Zepbound cost & access · Mounjaro cost & access — by brand.
- Retatrutide cost — for the investigational “triple agonist” people keep asking about.
- TrumpRx & direct-to-consumer GLP-1 pricing — how the cash-pay platforms (TrumpRx, NovoCare, LillyDirect) actually work and what the fine print excludes.
Insurance & coverage
- Does insurance cover GLP-1 weight-loss drugs? — the diabetes-vs-weight-loss coverage gap, savings cards, Medicare and Medicaid rules, and HSA/FSA use. This is the single biggest variable in what you’ll actually pay.
Compounded vs brand — and the legal picture
The compounded-GLP-1 story is the most fast-moving topic on this site, so treat anything here as current to the date at the top of the page.
- Is compounded semaglutide/tirzepatide still legal? — the shortage resolution, the April 30, 2026 proposal to remove these drugs from the 503B bulks list, the June 29, 2026 comment deadline, and the narrow 503A path that remains.
- Compounded vs brand GLP-1 — the real trade-offs in cost, consistency, and oversight.
- Peptide access & legality in the US — the broader legal framework, including how weight-loss drugs differ from wellness peptides.
Comparisons: which one?
- Semaglutide vs tirzepatide: which is better? — the head-to-head most people are weighing.
- Ozempic vs Wegovy · Wegovy vs Zepbound · Mounjaro vs Ozempic — brand-level comparisons for specific decisions.
How to get a prescription
These pages cover the legal access routes only — telehealth, in-person clinics, and how a script gets filled. They never cover gray-market sourcing.
- How to get semaglutide · How to get tirzepatide — the route comparison for each.
- Semaglutide prescription · Tirzepatide prescription — the prescribing mechanics, including the brand-for-indication wrinkle that affects coverage.
Nothing on this site sells, supplies, or prescribes medication, and none of it is medical advice. It’s here to help you understand your options so you can have a better conversation with a licensed provider. Weight-loss drugs are powerful tools with real side effects and real costs — the right choice depends on your health, your insurance, and a clinician who knows your history.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound?
There are only two molecules here. Semaglutide is sold as Ozempic (FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes) and Wegovy (approved for weight management). Tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro (diabetes) and Zepbound (weight management). Same active drug, different brand and different on-label use — which matters a lot for what insurance will pay.
Are weight-loss injections still compounded in 2026?
Far less than before. The FDA declared the tirzepatide and semaglutide shortages resolved in 2024–2025, which ended the shortage-based compounding window, and on April 30, 2026 it proposed removing semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide from the 503B outsourcing-facility bulks list (public comment closes June 29, 2026). Narrow, patient-specific 503A compounding can still happen when a documented clinical reason applies, but mass-scale compounded GLP-1s are being wound down. This is current as of the date above and may change.
Is there a weight-loss pill now, or only injections?
Both. Two oral GLP-1s are now available: the Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide, launched January 2026) and Foundayo (orforglipron, an Eli Lilly small-molecule pill the FDA approved on April 1, 2026). Injectable Wegovy and Zepbound remain the most-used options, but needle-free choices now exist.