Mounjaro is not currently in shortage. The FDA removed tirzepatide injection products (the active ingredient in both Mounjaro and Zepbound) from its official drug shortage list on October 2, 2024. Since August 2024, manufacturer Eli Lilly has stated it can meet or exceed demand for all six strengths of Mounjaro in the United States.
What the FDA Shortage Resolution Means
Mounjaro experienced a prolonged shortage driven by extraordinary demand for GLP-1 medications used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. During that period, some pharmacies couldn’t fill prescriptions for weeks, and patients scrambled to find specific dose strengths. That chapter is officially closed: the FDA evaluated Lilly’s manufacturing data and concluded that supply now meets projected demand across all dose strengths, from 2.5 mg up to 15 mg.
Lilly has also confirmed it has not limited the ability of any wholesaler to place orders for any quantity of Mounjaro or Zepbound. In practical terms, this means pharmacies can restock without manufacturer-imposed caps, which was a contributing factor during the worst months of the shortage.
Why Some Pharmacies Still Run Low
Even with the shortage officially resolved, you may occasionally find that a specific pharmacy doesn’t have your dose on the shelf. This isn’t a national supply problem. It’s a local inventory issue. Individual pharmacies order based on their own patient demand, and a location that doesn’t regularly dispense a particular strength may not keep it in stock.
If your pharmacy can’t fill your prescription right away, a few options can help:
- Call other nearby pharmacies to check if they have your dose in stock before transferring your prescription.
- Ask your pharmacy to order it. Most pharmacies can get a specific strength within 2 to 10 business days through their normal wholesale channels.
- Check ahead of time. If you know when your next dose is due, contact your pharmacy a week or so early to confirm availability.
- Consider telehealth platforms that partner with pharmacies experienced in filling GLP-1 prescriptions at volume.
What Happened to Compounded Versions
During the shortage, compounding pharmacies stepped in to produce their own versions of tirzepatide. Federal law allows this under specific conditions: when a drug is listed on the FDA’s shortage list, compounding pharmacies (called outsourcing facilities) can legally produce it using bulk ingredients. Individual compounding pharmacies can also prepare it on a per-patient, per-prescription basis if the commercial version isn’t available.
Now that the shortage is resolved, the legal landscape has shifted. Tirzepatide no longer appears on the FDA’s drug shortage list or on the approved list of bulk drug substances that outsourcing facilities can compound from. This means large-scale compounding of tirzepatide is no longer permitted under the same rules. Individual pharmacies can still compound it for a specific patient if a prescriber documents that the compounded version contains a meaningful difference from the commercial product for that patient, but this is a narrower exception.
The FDA has acknowledged that many patients are currently using compounded tirzepatide and will likely transition to the brand-name product as compounding winds down. Even factoring in that expected surge in demand, the agency concluded that Lilly’s supply capacity can handle it.
Lilly’s Manufacturing Expansion
Eli Lilly has invested heavily in scaling up production to prevent future shortages. The company announced expanded manufacturing capacity for tirzepatide and is building a $6.5 billion facility in Houston focused on producing its next-generation metabolic medications, including an oral GLP-1 pill currently in development. That facility is expected to open within five years and is designed to serve tens of millions of patients worldwide.
The Houston site will primarily produce an oral medication Lilly is developing as a pill-based alternative for type 2 diabetes and weight loss. If approved, a pill form could significantly ease pressure on injectable supply chains by giving patients and prescribers another option that doesn’t rely on pre-filled pen manufacturing.
Mounjaro vs. Zepbound Supply
Mounjaro and Zepbound contain the same active ingredient, tirzepatide, but are approved for different uses. Mounjaro is indicated for type 2 diabetes, while Zepbound is approved for weight management. Both were affected by the same shortage, and both were removed from the FDA’s shortage list at the same time. Lilly’s supply commitments cover all strengths of both products equally, so availability of one is not coming at the expense of the other.
If you’re prescribed Mounjaro for diabetes and have been worried that weight-loss demand for Zepbound is eating into your supply, the current data suggests that isn’t the case. Lilly’s production lines serve both products, and the company has stated it can meet demand for both simultaneously.