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Is there a generic Wegovy or Zepbound in the US?

No generic semaglutide or tirzepatide is FDA-approved yet. When the patents run out, what generic liraglutide is, and why compounded versions are not generics.

GLP Guidebook teamPublished Oct 12, 20269 min read15 sourcesWritten from published sources

Written for the United States. Other country versions are coming.

The short answer

No. We found no FDA-approved generic semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) or tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro). Their main US patents run to 2031–2032 and 2036. The only generic GLP‑1 for weight is liraglutide, an older daily injection. Compounded versions are not generics.

Key takeaways

  • No generic semaglutide or tirzepatide had FDA approval on October 12, 2026; the FDA’s Orange Book still lists patents protecting Wegovy and Zepbound.1,2
  • The main semaglutide molecule patent runs to December 2031 in the Orange Book, and Novo Nordisk gives 2032; tirzepatide’s runs to May 2036.1,2,4
  • Generic liraglutide exists: a Victoza copy was approved on December 23, 2024, and a Saxenda copy launched on August 28, 2025.5,6
  • Saxenda, the liraglutide weight brand, lowered weight 7.4% against 3.0% on a dummy injection over 56 weeks; 39 in 100 had nausea, against 14 in 100.7
  • The FDA says compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not generics and are not reviewed for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold.9
On this page
  1. Is there a generic Wegovy, Ozempic or Zepbound in the US?
  2. What does “generic” mean in the US?
  3. When could generic semaglutide or tirzepatide arrive?
  4. Which generic GLP‑1s can you get now?
  5. Is compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide a generic?
  6. What do the brands cost while there is no generic?
  7. Questions people ask
  8. How we researched this

Is there a generic Wegovy, Ozempic or Zepbound in the US?

No. As of October 12, 2026, the FDA’s patent listings still protect semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro), and we found no FDA-approved generic of either.1,2

Before you go further
  • GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the US. A licensed prescriber decides whether one fits you.
  • Label facts here come from the US prescribing information (the “label”).
  • Patent dates are the earliest a generic could be approved, not launch dates. Court cases and settlements can move them.3
  • This post does not recommend any product. Every risk is in our side-effects guide.

Semaglutide is the medicine inside Wegovy and Ozempic. Tirzepatide is the medicine inside Zepbound and Mounjaro.11 A brand is the name on the box, like Tylenol for acetaminophen. A generic is the same medicine sold under its plain name once the brand’s protections end.3

The GLP‑1 medicine with a US generic for weight is liraglutide, an older daily injection sold as Victoza and Saxenda.5,6 There is also a generic of exenatide (the Byetta brand), a twice-daily diabetes injection approved on November 21, 2024; it has no weight-loss approval.15

What does “generic” mean in the US?

A generic is an FDA-approved copy that must match the brand. The FDA says it must be “the same as a brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality”.3

A generic can usually get final approval only once the brand’s patents and exclusivities expire, “or if the patents are successfully challenged”.3 Two things protect a brand:

  • Patents: legal rights over the molecule, the formula, the pen or the way it is used. Makers list them with the FDA in a public book called the Orange Book.1,2
  • Exclusivities: periods the FDA grants for a new medicine or a new approved use, during which copies can’t be approved for that use.1,2

When could generic semaglutide or tirzepatide arrive?

Not before the early 2030s for semaglutide and the mid-2030s for tirzepatide, going by the main patents listed with the FDA. Later patents run to 2039 to 2041.1,2,4

MedicineMain patent on the moleculeLater patents and exclusivities
Semaglutide (Wegovy)Expires December 5, 2031, in the Orange Book. Novo Nordisk says US compound patent expiry is 2032.1,4Weight-management patents to 2038, one formula patent to 2041. Heart-use exclusivity to March 8, 2027; MASH to August 15, 2028.1
Tirzepatide (Zepbound)Expires May 13, 2036.2Product and use patents to 2039. New-chemical exclusivity to May 13, 2027; sleep-apnea use to December 20, 2027.2

Why the gap between 2031 and 2032? The Orange Book date and the company’s own statement don’t match exactly, so we show both.1,4 Later patents cover things like dosing schedules and formulas. Generic makers can challenge patents in court, which can change the dates.3

No launch date yet. We found no US launch date for generic semaglutide or tirzepatide in any FDA source. Treat any website that says “generic Wegovy is here” with care.

Which generic GLP‑1s can you get now?

Generic liraglutide. The FDA approved the first one, a copy of Victoza for type 2 diabetes, on December 23, 2024. A generic of Saxenda, the weight-loss brand, launched on August 28, 2025.5,6

Liraglutide is injected once a day, not once a week.6,7 It was first approved in the US in 2010, so it is older than semaglutide and tirzepatide.7

How these trials work: people are split at random, one group gets a dummy injection (placebo), everyone gets the same diet and activity advice, and the gap between groups is what the medicine added. Separate trials like these can’t be compared directly.

SCALE (Study 1)Liraglutide 3 mg daily (Saxenda) vs dummy

3,731 adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, for 56 weeks. Average start weight 234 lb (106 kg). Novo Nordisk paid for the trial.7

Weight lost, % of starting weight

Liraglutide7.4%
Dummy injection3.0%

About 4.5 points more than the dummy. Nausea: 39 in 100 against 14 in 100.7

STEP 1 (Study 2)Semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly (Wegovy) vs dummy

1,961 adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, for 68 weeks. Novo Nordisk paid for the trial.8

Weight lost, % of starting weight

Semaglutide14.9%
Dummy injection2.4%

Nausea in the Wegovy 2.4 mg weight trials: 44 in 100 against 16 in 100.8

The Saxenda label has a stopping rule: check weight after 16 weeks, and stop if you have not lost at least 4% of your starting weight.7 For someone starting at 234 lb (106 kg), 4% is about 9 lb (4 kg), by our arithmetic.

RisksThe risks, in brief
  • Stomach effects are the most common with liraglutide and semaglutide alike: 39 in 100 felt sick on Saxenda against 14 in 100 on the dummy injection.7
  • Pancreatitis and gallbladder problems are label warnings for both medicines.7,8
  • Faster heart rate is listed on both labels.7,8
  • Thyroid tumors were seen in rodents. Both carry a boxed warning and are not used with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2.7,8
Full detail in our side-effects guide →
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Is compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide a generic?

No. The FDA says compounded drugs “are also not the same as generic drugs, which are FDA-approved”. It does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold.9

Compounding means a pharmacy mixes a drug itself. In March 2026 the FDA sent 30 warning letters to telehealth companies over claims that implied their compounded products were the same as approved medicines.9

The FDA has received 990 reports of side effects linked to compounded semaglutide and more than 730 linked to compounded tirzepatide, as of May 31, 2026.10 It has also had reports of dosing mistakes, some needing hospital care.10 The FDA says the real numbers are likely higher, because state-licensed pharmacies don’t have to report side effects to it.10

What do the brands cost while there is no generic?

Both makers publish self-pay prices. Novo Nordisk lists most Wegovy pen doses at $349 a month; Eli Lilly lists Zepbound vials or KwikPens at $299 to $699 a month by dose. Both checked October 12, 2026.13,14

These are the makers’ own cash prices, not insurance prices. For how to check a generic’s status yourself:

  1. Search the Orange Book. The FDA’s public Orange Book lists each brand’s patents and exclusivities with dates.1,2
  2. Look for an FDA announcement. The FDA announced the first generic liraglutide with a press release.5
  3. Ask your pharmacist whether a generic version of your exact medicine exists, before trusting any website.
Get help now: call 911 if someone collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing or can’t be woken.12 Severe stomach pain that won’t go away, sometimes spreading to the back, is a pancreatitis warning sign on the label: stop the medicine and call your prescriber right away.8 Poison Control is 1-800-222-1222.12

Questions people ask

Is there a generic Wegovy?

No. We found no FDA-approved generic semaglutide on October 12, 2026. The Orange Book lists Wegovy patents running to 2031 and beyond.1

Is there a generic Zepbound or Mounjaro?

No. Tirzepatide’s main patent in the Orange Book runs to May 13, 2036, with later patents to 2039.2

When will generic Ozempic come out in the US?

Novo Nordisk says the US compound patent for Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy expires in 2032. That is the earliest point, not a launch date.4

Is compounded semaglutide the same as a generic?

No. The FDA says compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and are not the same as generic drugs.9

Is generic liraglutide as effective as Wegovy?

They are different medicines tested in separate trials. Saxenda (liraglutide) lowered weight 7.4% against 3.0% on a dummy injection over 56 weeks; Wegovy lowered it 14.9% against 2.4% on a dummy over 68 weeks. Separate trials can’t be compared directly.7,8

How we researched this

On October 12, 2026, we read the FDA Orange Book entries for Wegovy and Zepbound, the FDA’s generic-drug facts page and liraglutide press release, Novo Nordisk’s 2024 Form 20-F, and the current US Saxenda and Wegovy labels. The Saxenda generic launch date comes from a news report of Teva’s announcement.

The trials were paid for by Novo Nordisk. Patent dates can change through court cases or settlements, so we show them as listed, not as forecasts. We name no seller of generic or compounded products. Prices are the makers’ own published self-pay prices.

Before you move on

  • No generic semaglutide or tirzepatide was FDA-approved on October 12, 2026.
  • Main patents: semaglutide 2031–2032, tirzepatide 2036; later patents run longer.
  • Generic liraglutide (Victoza and Saxenda copies) is a daily injection; generic exenatide is for diabetes only.
  • Compounded versions are not generics and are not FDA-reviewed.
What GLP‑1s doSide effects and risksCost calculator

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About GLP Guidebook

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An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don't sell medicines, take drug-company money or earn clinic commissions. Once a month: FDA approvals and safety notices, label changes, Medicare and Medicaid coverage changes, and published price changes. How we write

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Sources

  1. FDA. Orange Book: patent and exclusivity information for Wegovy (semaglutide), NDA 215256. Opened October 12, 2026. accessdata.fda.gov
  2. FDA. Orange Book: patent and exclusivity information for Zepbound (tirzepatide), NDA 217806. Opened October 12, 2026. accessdata.fda.gov
  3. FDA. Generic drug facts. Opened October 12, 2026. fda.gov
  4. Novo Nordisk. Form 20-F 2024 (annual report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission), Item 4, “Patent situation of key Diabetes and Obesity care products”. annualreport.novonordisk.com
  5. FDA. FDA approves first generic of once-daily GLP‑1 injection to lower blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. Press release, December 23, 2024. fda.gov
  6. Pharmacy Times. FDA approves generic version of liraglutide injection, a GLP‑1 for weight loss. August 28, 2025 (news report of Teva’s announcement). pharmacytimes.com
  7. Novo Nordisk. Saxenda (liraglutide) injection: US prescribing information, revised 02/2026. novo-pi.com
  8. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets: US prescribing information and Medication Guide, revised 06/2026. novo-pi.com
  9. FDA. FDA warns 30 telehealth companies against illegal marketing of compounded GLP‑1s. Press release, March 3, 2026. fda.gov
  10. FDA. FDA’s concerns with unapproved GLP‑1 drugs used for weight loss. Content current as of October 1, 2026. fda.gov
  11. Eli Lilly. Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection: US prescribing information, revised 08/2026. pi.lilly.com
  12. Poison Control (National Capital Poison Center). Opened October 12, 2026. poison.org
  13. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy cost, coverage and savings resources (self-pay prices). NovoCare, opened October 12, 2026. novocare.com
  14. Eli Lilly. Zepbound coverage and savings (self-pay prices for single-dose vials and KwikPen), CMAT-22250 08/2026, opened October 12, 2026. zepbound.lilly.com
  15. Amneal Pharmaceuticals. Amneal resubmits DHE autoinjector new drug application and receives U.S. FDA approval of exenatide, its first generic injectable GLP‑1 agonist. Press release, November 21, 2024 (generic of Byetta, type 2 diabetes). investors.amneal.com

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

How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical, legal or tax advice. Talk to a qualified doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write