What is tirzepatide?
Tirzepatide is a prescription medicine, injected once a week, that acts on two hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1. In India it is sold as Mounjaro (Eli Lilly) and Yurpeak (Cipla), for type 2 diabetes and weight management. In one 72-week trial, adults lost 20.9% of their weight on average on the top dose. Nausea is common.
- Tirzepatide and other GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in India, not sold over the counter.3,8
- A government statement on 1 Apr 2026 said only endocrinologists, internal-medicine specialists and cardiologists can prescribe them.8 CDSCO's expert-committee minutes recommending tirzepatide's approval in Apr 2023 attached a similar condition (endocrinologist or internal-medicine specialist), but we found no rule covering every brand.9
- The risks are in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
- Nothing here promises any result.
How does tirzepatide work?
Tirzepatide acts like two natural hormones, GLP‑1 and GIP, and switches on the receptors for both, which changes how your body handles sugar and food.1
When your sugar is high, it makes the pancreas release more insulin and less glucagon, a hormone that raises sugar.1 It also slows how fast your stomach empties and cuts how much you eat.1 A fatty chain on the molecule makes it last longer. Its half-life, the time for half a dose to leave the body, is about 5 days.1
Guide 2 explains how this family of medicines works.
Which tirzepatide brands are sold in India?
We found two brands sold in India, Mounjaro from Eli Lilly and Yurpeak from Cipla, and both contain the same Lilly-made tirzepatide.3,4
Lilly launched Mounjaro in India on 20 March 2025 as single-dose vials, after approval from the drug regulator (CDSCO).4 CDSCO approved the Mounjaro KwikPen, a pen holding several weekly doses, in June 2025.5
Cipla launched Yurpeak on 10 December 2025. Lilly makes it, Cipla sells it, and Cipla says the price matches Mounjaro.3 Yurpeak comes as a KwikPen in 6 strengths, from 2.5 mg to 15 mg.3 Guide 6 covers brands, pens and vials in India.
What is tirzepatide approved for in India?
Cipla's launch release says tirzepatide is approved in India for type 2 diabetes and for long-term weight management in adults, alongside diet and exercise.3
We found no public Indian label. For weight, the release names adults with a BMI of 30 or more. It also names those with a BMI of 27 or more plus a weight-related condition.3 India's 2009 consensus puts obesity at BMI 25 or more.7 Whether the medicine fits a person is a doctor's decision.
In the US, Mounjaro is approved for type 2 diabetes in adults and children aged 10 and over. It is also approved to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart-related death. That use is for adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk of them.1 Zepbound, the other US brand, is approved for weight and sleep apnoea.2
How much weight do people lose on tirzepatide?
In the 72-week SURMOUNT‑1 trial, adults lost 20.9% of their weight on the top dose, and 4.3% to 7.1% stopped because of side effects.6
The trial gave tirzepatide or a dummy injection to 2,539 adults without diabetes. Weight fell 15.0% to 20.9% by dose, against 3.1% on the dummy. On the dummy, 2.6% stopped because of side effects. The most common side effects were stomach-related, mostly mild to moderate, and mainly while the dose was going up.6 For a 90 kg person, 20.9% is about 19 kg. That is a trial average, so one person's result can differ.
In a 40-week diabetes trial, HbA1c fell about 1.7 points from about 8.0%, against 0.1 on a dummy.1 HbA1c is average blood sugar over 2 to 3 months.
How do you take tirzepatide?
Tirzepatide is injected under the skin of the belly or thigh once a week, at any time of day, and with or without meals.1
Your doctor sets your dose. This is the US label. It starts at 2.5 mg a week. It rises by 2.5 mg after at least 4 weeks, up to 15 mg in adults.1 The slow start is meant to cut stomach side effects.1 A missed dose can be taken within 4 days; after that, it is skipped.1
- Stomach effects are common. Nausea in 25% to 29% on weight-loss doses vs 8% on a dummy injection (US Zepbound label).2
- Pancreatitis. Severe stomach pain that won't go away, sometimes spreading to the back (US label).1
- Gallbladder problems in 0.6% vs 0% on a dummy, in the diabetes trials (US label).1
- Dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea can hurt the kidneys.1
- Hypos (low blood sugar) with insulin, or with diabetes pills that make the pancreas release insulin, such as sulfonylureas.1
- Thyroid. It caused thyroid tumours in rats; nobody knows yet if it does in people. The US label rules it out for anyone with a personal or family history of a rare thyroid cancer (MTC) or an inherited gland condition (MEN 2); tell your doctor if this applies.1
- The pill may work less well. The US label advises switching to a non-pill method, or adding a barrier method, for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose rise.1
- Pregnancy. Animal studies suggest it may harm an unborn baby (US label).1
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Related questions
Sources
- Eli Lilly. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) US prescribing information, revised 08/2026. US label, not the Indian one: we found no public Indian label. Sections 1, 2.1, 4, 5.1-5.3, 5.5, 5.8, 5.9, 6.1 (Table 1), 7, 8.1, 10, 12.1, 12.2, 14.2 (Table 4). pi.lilly.com
- Eli Lilly. Zepbound (tirzepatide) US prescribing information, revised 08/2026. US label. Sections 1, 6.1 (Table 1). accessdata.fda.gov
- Cipla. Cipla launches Yurpeak (tirzepatide) for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Press release, 10 Dec 2025. cipla.com (PDF)
- Business Standard. Eli Lilly launches blockbuster anti-obesity drug Mounjaro in India. Prices here, 20 Mar 2025. business-standard.com
- Business Standard. India approves Eli Lilly's Mounjaro pen for diabetes, weight control, 26 Jun 2025. business-standard.com
- Jastreboff AM et al. Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-1). NEJM 2022;387:205-16. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038 · PMID 35658024
- Misra A, Chowbey P, Makkar BM et al.; Consensus Group. Consensus statement for diagnosis of obesity, abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome for Asian Indians and recommendations for physical activity, medical and surgical management. J Assoc Physicians India 2009;57:163-70. PMID 19582986
- PIB Research (Government of India). GLP-1 Drugs: Use, Risks, and Regulation. Backgrounder, 1 Apr 2026. pib.gov.in (PDF)
- CDSCO. Recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee (Endocrinology & Metabolism), 100th meeting, 20–21 Apr 2023, item 1 (tirzepatide, Eli Lilly). Committee minutes, not the final permission. cdsco.gov.in (PDF) · archived copy
Last checked 5 Oct 2026 · Next review due 6 Apr 2027 · Report an error
How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write