September 2, 2026
Tirzepatide Cost in 2026: Every Published Price, Compared
What tirzepatide actually costs in 2026 — Zepbound and Mounjaro self-pay prices from Lilly, savings-card floors, and advertised compounded telehealth pricing — each quoted from the source that published it.
Short answer
Tirzepatide is sold as Zepbound and Mounjaro. Lilly's published self-pay price for a one-month Zepbound KwikPen runs $299 at 2.5 mg to $699 at 15 mg, with a $449 refill offer at higher strengths. Compounded telehealth tirzepatide is advertised from about $117 a month including a physician fee.
What tirzepatide costs, by route
Prices checked 2 September 2026; these change often.
Tirzepatide is one molecule sold under two brand names — Zepbound (obesity and obstructive sleep apnoea) and Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes) — and, separately, prepared by compounding pharmacies as a non-FDA-approved product.
| Route | Published monthly figure | Source, 2 Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Zepbound self-pay, 2.5 mg | $299 | zepbound.lilly.com |
| Zepbound self-pay, 5 mg | $399 | zepbound.lilly.com |
| Zepbound self-pay, 7.5 mg | $499 (or $449 on the refill purchase offer) | zepbound.lilly.com |
| Zepbound self-pay, 10 / 12.5 / 15 mg | $699 (or $449 on the refill purchase offer) | zepbound.lilly.com |
| Zepbound, commercial plan that covers it | "as little as $25" per fill | zepbound.lilly.com savings card |
| Zepbound, commercial plan that does not cover it | "as low as $499" for the single-dose pen | zepbound.lilly.com card terms |
| Zepbound, eligible Medicare Part D | "no more than $50/month" via the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge | zepbound.lilly.com |
| Mounjaro, commercial plan that covers it | "as little as $25" for a 1-, 2- or 3-month fill | mounjaro.lilly.com |
| Mounjaro, commercial plan that does not | "as low as $499" for a 1-month fill | mounjaro.lilly.com |
| Compounded, telehealth (one advertised example) | medication $78–$168 per 30 days plus a $39 physician fee; renewals "starting at $117/month" | ronanrx.com |
The manufacturer ladder, read carefully
Lilly's exact wording on the self-pay tier is worth quoting because the shape matters: "Regular price for a 1-month supply of Zepbound single-patient-use KwikPen is $299 for 2.5 mg, $399 for 5 mg, $499 for 7.5 mg, $699 for 10 mg, $699 for 12.5 mg, and $699 for 15 mg."
Then, separately: "You will automatically receive the $449 purchase offer on your first purchase of the 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, or 15 mg Zepbound single-patient-use KwikPen. To continue to be eligible for this purchase offer, you must complete your refill purchase" within the stated window.
Two consequences people miss:
- The $449 is conditional. Miss the refill window and the price on the page reverts to the $499/$699 regular tier. If you are budgeting on $449, the refill cadence is part of the price.
- Strengths are price tiers, not advice. Which strength you are on is a clinical decision between you and your prescriber. We list them because they change what you pay, and for no other reason.
Lilly's self-pay headline reads "starting at $299 for a 1-month prescription of the Zepbound KwikPen for single-patient use or 4 vials", so the vial and KwikPen presentations sit on the same published ladder at that entry tier.
The savings-card floors have hard ceilings: the Zepbound commercial card is "subject to… a separate maximum annual savings of up to $1,300 per calendar year", the Mounjaro card up to $1,950, and both "expire and savings end on 12/31/2026". A $25 month in March does not guarantee a $25 month in November.
Why compounded tirzepatide is cheaper, and what that buys
The advertised compounded ladder is genuinely a different order of magnitude. RonanRx's own page, fetched 2 September 2026, lists medication at $78 (2.5 mg), $88 (5 mg), $108 (7.5 mg), $128 (10 mg), $148 (12.5 mg) and $168 (15 mg) per 30 days under a launch discount, against undiscounted prices of $195 to $345, plus a flat $39 monthly physician fee, renewing at $117 to $207 a month inclusive of that fee. It advertises temperature-controlled overnight or two-day shipping and "cancel anytime".
The vendor's own page also says: "Compounded tirzepatide is not the same as branded Mounjaro or Zepbound. Compounded medications are prepared by licensed pharmacies and are not FDA-approved drug products."
That is the trade. The FDA's position is that "compounded drugs are not FDA approved… the agency does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed." We cite one vendor here because its figures were published and checkable, not as a recommendation — we do not rank vendors, link to checkout, or take referral fees. Read what changed in 2026 before treating the compounded row as a like-for-like substitution, and what to check if you are already prescribed one.
Cost per dose is the number that matters
Monthly headline prices assume you use everything you are dispensed. A $299 box that yields four weekly doses is $74.75 a dose; the same box with one dose lost to a failed injection or a discarded pen is $99.67. Over a year the difference is real money, and it is invisible unless you log it.
TrackPep records what you paid for a vial or pen once, then divides it across the doses you actually log — see how to track GLP-1 cost per dose, or the tirzepatide compound page for the reference data. If you are reconstituting a vial, the reconstitution calculator and the syringe unit converter do the arithmetic that decides how many doses a vial actually contains.
Related reading
- GLP-1 cost guide 2026 — all four price routes in one table
- Zepbound vs Mounjaro price
- Semaglutide cost in 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How much does tirzepatide cost per month without insurance?
- Lilly's own savings page lists the regular self-pay price of a one-month Zepbound single-patient-use KwikPen as $299 for 2.5 mg, $399 for 5 mg, $499 for 7.5 mg and $699 for 10, 12.5 and 15 mg. A purchase offer brings 7.5 mg and above to $449 a month if refills are kept up.
- Why is Mounjaro priced differently from Zepbound?
- Same molecule, different brand and indication. Lilly's Mounjaro page advertises as little as $25 where commercial insurance covers it, and as low as $499 a month where a commercial plan does not cover it. Zepbound is the obesity brand and has its own self-pay ladder.
- Is compounded tirzepatide cheaper?
- Advertised compounded pricing is lower, but it is not the same product category. The FDA states compounded drugs are not FDA approved and the agency does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed. Vendors advertising it say the same thing on their own pages.
- Do these prices include the doctor?
- Manufacturer self-pay prices are for the medication only; a prescription is still required. Telehealth vendors typically split the bill — RonanRx, for example, advertises a $39 monthly physician fee separate from the medication price.