Two medicines, side by side
Tirzepatide vs liraglutide
Tirzepatide and liraglutide are both labeled for heart attack and coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes and weight management. Drugs@FDA records approvals of tirzepatide since 2022 and of liraglutide since 2010. Pharmacies paid $538.68 per mL (Mounjaro 10 mg/0.5 mL pen) and $31.41 per mL (Liraglutide 2-pak 18 mg/3 mL) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ and one is a brand and one a generic, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, tirzepatide is a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor agonist and liraglutide a glp-1 receptor agonist.
Check it at the source: the tirzepatide FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 29, 2026); the liraglutide FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 14, 2025).
Highlights of the tirzepatide record
Tirzepatide (Zepbound) · label of July 29, 2026
RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS In both male and female rats, tirzepatide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether MOUNJARO causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of tirzepatide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ) and Nonclinical Toxicology ( 13.1 )].
Used for
From the label: indicationsMOUNJARO ® is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- May 13, 2022
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $538.68 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the liraglutide record
Liraglutide (Victoza) · label of October 14, 2025
RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS
Liraglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures in both genders of rats and mice. It is unknown whether VICTOZA causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans, as the human relevance of liraglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ), Nonclinical Toxicology ( 13.1 )].
Used for
From the label: indicationsVICTOZA is indicated: • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus, • to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- January 25, 2010
- Generic labelers
- 9 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $31.41 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 3
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Tirzepatide label of July 29, 2026, Liraglutide label of October 14, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do tirzepatide and liraglutide differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, tirzepatide is a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor agonist and liraglutide a glp-1 receptor agonist.
How each works, in its label's words: Tirzepatide, “Tirzepatide is a GIP receptor and GLP-1 receptor agonist.”; Liraglutide, “Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37).”
Half-life, in each label's words: Tirzepatide, “Elimination The apparent population mean clearance of tirzepatide is 0.061 L/h with an elimination half-life of …”; Liraglutide, “Unlike native GLP-1, liraglutide is stable against metabolic degradation by both peptidases and has a plasma half-life …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: tirzepatide none approved; liraglutide since 2024 (Drugs@FDA).
| Tirzepatide | Liraglutide | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Type 2 diabetes, Heart attack and coronary artery disease, Weight management | Type 2 diabetes, Heart attack and coronary artery disease, Weight management |
| Pharmacologic class | GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Receptor Agonist | GLP-1 Receptor Agonist |
| How it works (label) | Tirzepatide is a GIP receptor and GLP-1 receptor agonist. It contains a C20 fatty diacid that enables albumin binding and prolongs the half-life. | Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37). GLP-1(7-37) represents <20% of total circulating endogenous GLP-1. |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination The apparent population mean clearance of tirzepatide is 0.061 L/h with an elimination half-life of approximately 5 days, enabling once-weekly dosing. | Unlike native GLP-1, liraglutide is stable against metabolic degradation by both peptidases and has a plasma half-life of 13 hours after subcutaneous administration. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | May 13, 2022 | January 25, 2010 |
| First generic approved | none | December 23, 2024 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | none listed | 9 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $538.68 per mL (Mounjaro 10 mg/0.5 mL pen) | $31.41 per mL (Liraglutide 2-pak 18 mg/3 mL) |
| 12-month price change | +3% | -50% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 3 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 160,663 | 49,117 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to tirzepatide
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions