Is Zepbound available in the UK?
No. Zepbound is Eli Lilly's brand of tirzepatide for weight in the US and Japan, and we found no UK licence for it. In the UK the same medicine is sold as Mounjaro, licensed for type 2 diabetes and, since 8 November 2023, for weight management. Its UK list price is £133 to £330 a pen, before VAT.
- Mounjaro, like every GLP‑1 medicine, is a prescription-only medicine in the UK. A healthcare professional must assess you before it can be prescribed.1
- Prices here are list prices from official sources, before VAT. We never quote a seller's price, and we don't name or rank sellers.
- To spot fake pens and illegal sellers, see Is it safe to buy Mounjaro online in the UK? The risks are in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
- Nothing here promises any result, and nothing here is for sale.
What is Zepbound?
Zepbound is Eli Lilly's brand of tirzepatide for weight in the US and Japan, first approved by the US regulator (FDA) on 8 November 2023.2
The US label covers long-term weight loss in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition. It also covers sleep apnoea in adults with obesity.3,2 Japan approved it on 27 December 2024.4 The UK's official medicines database lists no Zepbound.5
How is tirzepatide sold in the UK?
In the UK, tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro, a KwikPen that holds 4 weekly doses, in 6 strengths from 2.5 mg to 15 mg.
Mounjaro was first licensed for type 2 diabetes. The MHRA added weight management on 8 November 2023.6,1 The licence covers a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to 30 with a weight-related condition.7
The list price is £133 to £330 a pen before VAT.7 On the NHS you pay £9.90 an item in England, or nothing elsewhere in the UK.8,9,10,11 See How much is Mounjaro in the UK? and Can I get Mounjaro on the NHS?
Medicine and prescription charges, in £. Free, no sign-up.
Is Mounjaro the same as Zepbound?
The medicine is the same, tirzepatide, but the packs differ: the UK KwikPen holds 4 doses, while US Zepbound comes as single-dose pens and vials as well as a 4-dose KwikPen.3
The Zepbound label says not to use it with other tirzepatide products.3 The MHRA advises talking to a healthcare professional before switching between GLP-1 medicines, even between brands of the same one.1 Brands and doses are explained in Guide 6.
- Stomach effects are very common. In the weight trials on the UK Mounjaro label, 25 to 29 in 100 people on 5 mg to 15 mg felt sick (nausea), against 9 in 100 on a dummy injection.12
- Gallstones are common (1 in 10 to 1 in 100) in the weight trials, and a swollen pancreas (acute pancreatitis) is uncommon (1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000), on the UK Mounjaro label. The MHRA strengthened the pancreatitis warning in January 2026.12,13
- Pregnancy and the pill. The MHRA says to stop Mounjaro at least 1 month before trying for a baby. It can make the contraceptive pill less reliable for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose rise.1
- Operations. Tell your anaesthetist you take it, because it slows how fast your stomach empties.1
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Related questions
Sources
- MHRA. GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know. Guidance, published 5 Jun 2025, last updated 5 Feb 2026. gov.uk
- US FDA. Drugs@FDA: NDA 217806, Zepbound (tirzepatide), Eli Lilly. Original approval 11/08/2023. accessdata.fda.gov
- Eli Lilly. Zepbound (tirzepatide) US prescribing information, revised 08/2026, sections 1, 7 and 16.2. US label, not a UK one. accessdata.fda.gov (PDF)
- Eli Lilly Japan K.K. and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma. Zepbound approved in Japan for "obesity disease", press release, 27 Dec 2024. tanabe-pharma.com (PDF)
- electronic Medicines Compendium (emc), the UK's official database of product information. Search for "tirzepatide": Mounjaro KwikPen only; no Zepbound listing. Checked 12 Oct 2026. medicines.org.uk
- MHRA. MHRA authorises diabetes drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for weight management and weight loss. Press release, 8 Nov 2023. gov.uk
- NICE. TA1026, section 2: marketing authorisation (2.1); list prices "excluding VAT; company communication" for a 4-week supply: £133.00 (2.5 mg), £180.00 (5 mg), £255.00 (7.5 and 10 mg), £330.00 (12.5 and 15 mg) (2.3); confidential commercial arrangement (2.4). Price list updated 1 Sep 2025. nice.org.uk
- NHS Business Services Authority. NHS Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC): "The prescription charge in England is £9.90"; PPC £32.05 for 3 months, £114.50 for 12 months. nhsbsa.nhs.uk
- NHS inform (Scotland). Prescription charges and exemptions: "Prescriptions in Scotland are free"; English prescription forms are charged "at the current English rate of £9.90 per item". nhsinform.scot
- Welsh Government. Free prescriptions: "If you are registered with a GP in Wales you are entitled to free prescriptions from a pharmacist in Wales". gov.wales
- nidirect (Northern Ireland). Help with health costs: "All prescriptions dispensed in Northern Ireland are free of charge for everyone". nidirect.gov.uk
- Eli Lilly. Mounjaro KwikPen summary of product characteristics (UK SmPC), date of revision 29 Aug 2026, sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 and 4.8 (Table 1). UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
- MHRA. MHRA updates guidance for GLP-1 prescribers and patients (acute pancreatitis). Press release, 29 Jan 2026. gov.uk
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 prices or NHS charges, never a seller's price, and we don't name or rank sellers. Figures marked as our arithmetic are worked out from those sources. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a GP, pharmacist or other qualified prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write