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Is Mounjaro approved for weight loss in Canada?

GLP Guidebook teamUpdated 12 Oct 20269 sourcesWritten from published sources
The short answer

No. In Canada, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is approved only for type 2 diabetes, in adults and in children aged 10 to 17. The same medicine is approved for weight management under another name, Zepbound, since 13 May 2025. Prescribing Mounjaro for weight is off-label, which is a prescriber's own decision.

Before you go further
  • Every GLP‑1 medicine is a prescription drug in Canada. A doctor, nurse practitioner or other authorized prescriber must assess you first.1
  • Prices here are official list or formulary prices, with the date we checked them. We never quote a pharmacy's, clinic's or savings card's price, and we don't name or rank sellers.
  • Canadian law bans advertising a drug to the public as a treatment for obesity or diabetes. This page is information, not an ad, and nothing here is for sale. The risks are in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.

What is Mounjaro approved for?

Mounjaro's Canadian monograph covers blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes only: in adults, and in children 10 to under 18 alongside metformin or basal insulin.2

Health Canada approved Mounjaro in November 2022. Single-dose pens and vials went on sale in October 2023, and the 4-dose KwikPen in December 2024.1 Its monograph lists no weight-management use. Its approval is like Ozempic's for semaglutide, which also covers type 2 diabetes only.3

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Which tirzepatide brand is approved for weight?

Zepbound: approved for adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to 30 with a weight-related condition, and since June 2026 for sleep apnea with obesity.4

Both are made by Eli Lilly. In Canada both come as 4-dose KwikPens, and the reported list prices match.4,2,5 Zepbound's monograph says not to combine it with Mounjaro or any other GLP‑1 medicine.4 Zepbound's monograph also covers sleep apnea; Mounjaro's doesn't.4,2 See Is Zepbound available in Canada?

Does the brand matter for coverage?

It can: no public plan lists either brand of tirzepatide, as of 12 October 2026, so coverage depends on a private plan's own rules.6,7

A private plan may treat a diabetes prescription and a weight prescription differently, so ask your insurer which brand, and which use, it pays for. Even for diabetes, public coverage is still pending: BC asked for public input on Mounjaro from February to March 2026, and Quebec lists it under private insurance only.8,7 Canada's obesity guideline recommends tirzepatide 5, 10 or 15 mg as one option for weight management, at a BMI of 30, or 27 with weight-related complications.9 Prices are in How much is Mounjaro in Canada?

RisksThe risks, in brief
  • Stomach effects are very common. In the weight trials on the Canadian Zepbound monograph, 25 to 29 in 100 people on 5 to 15 mg felt sick (nausea), against 9 in 100 on placebo.4
  • Gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis) was reported in 0.6 in 100 people on Zepbound and 0.2 in 100 on placebo.4
  • The pill. Tirzepatide can make the contraceptive pill less reliable. The monograph advises switching to another method, or adding a barrier method, for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose increase.4
  • Who shouldn't take it. Not for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2. Mounjaro's monograph says not to use it in pregnancy.4,2
Full detail in Guide 5: Side effects and risks →

Read the full picture

Related questions

Is Zepbound available in Canada? How much is Mounjaro in Canada? What BMI do you need for Wegovy in Canada? Can a pharmacist prescribe Ozempic in Canada?
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Sources

  1. Health Canada. Drug Product Database: product records and marketing status for semaglutide and tirzepatide products (for example Ozempic DIN 02471469 "Marketed"; Sevmia DIN 02569582 "Approved", not marketed; Zepbound first marketed 9 July 2025). Searched 12 Oct 2026. health-products.canada.ca
  2. Eli Lilly Canada. Mounjaro (tirzepatide injection) Product Monograph, 23 Jun 2026 (indication: glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes and ages 10 to under 18 with type 2 diabetes; nausea 12.2–18.3% on 5–15 mg vs 4.3% on placebo; contraindicated in pregnancy; KwikPen "delivers four doses", up to 30 days unrefrigerated at no more than 30 °C; single-dose pen or vial up to 21 days; do not freeze; discard "in a puncture-resistant container or in accordance with local requirements"). pdf.hres.ca (PDF)
  3. Novo Nordisk Canada. Ozempic (semaglutide injection) Product Monograph, 13 Jul 2026 (made "by recombinant DNA technology in Saccharomyces cerevisiae"; storage: before first use 2–8 °C, after first use 8 weeks below 30 °C or refrigerated, "Do not freeze… do not use… if it has been frozen", keep the cap on; adverse reactions Table 2: nausea 17.0% on 0.5 mg and 19.9% on 1 mg vs 6.3% on comparator; low blood sugar with a sulfonylurea or insulin; retinopathy complications 3.0% vs 1.8%; stop at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy; disposal and Canada Vigilance wording). pdf.hres.ca (PDF)
  4. Eli Lilly Canada. Zepbound (tirzepatide injection) Product Monograph, 11 Jun 2026 (indications: BMI 30 or more, or 27 to under 30 with a weight-related condition; moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with BMI 30 or more; nausea 24.6–29.0% on 5–15 mg vs 8.5% on placebo; cholecystitis 0.6% vs 0.2%; oral contraceptives: switch or add a barrier method for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose increase; "The ZEPBOUND multi-dose KwikPen contains 4 doses"; unrefrigerated up to 30 °C for up to 30 days; do not freeze; discard "in a puncture-resistant container, or in accordance with local requirements"; not recommended with other tirzepatide products or GLP-1 RAs). pdf.hres.ca (PDF)
  5. Benefits and Pensions Monitor. Eli Lilly drops Canadian Mounjaro, Zepbound list prices to $300 for starting doses, 19 Dec 2025 (reporting Reuters and The Globe and Mail: $300 per 4-week supply for 2.5 and 5 mg and $420 for 7.5 and 10 mg from 29 Dec 2025; Reuters "could not immediately verify the report"). benefitsandpensionsmonitor.com
  6. Ontario Ministry of Health. Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary: semaglutide pens (Ozempic $227.94 a pen with the plan paying $78.141; generic semaglutide $78.141 a pen, interchangeable, Limited Use; Sevmia $325.048 a pen, off-formulary interchangeable); tirzepatide not listed. Checked 12 Oct 2026. formulary.health.gov.on.ca
  7. Diabète Québec. Antihyperglycemic drugs for type 2 diabetes (tableau des antihyperglycémiants), March 2026, English and French editions (RAMQ: Ozempic "Exception drugs / Rx d'exception… In association with MET, where a SU is contraindicated, not tolerated or ineffective"; Mounjaro "Private ins." only, not on the RAMQ list; NIHB "Limited Use"). Secondary source: the RAMQ website refused our requests. diabete.qc.ca (EN, PDF) · FR
  8. BC PharmaCare. Drug information: tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for type 2 diabetes, "being considered for coverage"; public input 25 Feb to 24 Mar 2026. gov.bc.ca (PDF)
  9. Pedersen SD, Manjoo P, Dash S, et al. Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: Pharmacotherapy for Obesity Management in Adults, 2025 update. Obesity Canada, version 3, 11 Aug 2025 (Rec 1: waist measures and "ethnicity-specific BMI thresholds"; Rec 3: medicines "should be offered to individuals with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 or BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2 with adiposity related complications"; compounded products not to be used). obesitycanada.ca (PDF)

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Oct 2027 · Report an error

How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above, all checked on 12 Oct 2026. Prices are official list or formulary prices, never a seller's, savings-card or coupon price, and we don't name or rank sellers. Availability, coverage and recall facts are dated because they change. Figures marked as our arithmetic are worked out from those sources. It's general information, not medical advice, and not an advertisement for any medicine. Talk to a doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write