Is Mounjaro Approved for Sleep Apnea? No, but Zepbound Is

FormBlends Editorial Research. Last reviewed September 9, 2026 against the Zepbound and Mounjaro prescribing information and the trial publications listed under Sources.

No. Mounjaro is not approved for sleep apnea. The drug inside it, tirzepatide, is. On December 20, 2024 the FDA approved Zepbound, a second brand of the same drug, for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. Mounjaro's label covers type 2 diabetes only. If you are new to the drug, start with our tirzepatide guide.

Key takeaways

• Mounjaro and Zepbound contain the same active drug, tirzepatide, but carry different FDA labels.
• Mounjaro is approved to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. Sleep apnea is not on its label.
• Zepbound is approved for chronic weight management and, since December 20, 2024, for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.
• In the SURMOUNT-OSA trials, tirzepatide cut breathing interruptions by 25.3 and 29.3 events per hour over 52 weeks, versus 5.3 and 5.5 with placebo.
• Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA approved for sleep apnea or for any other use.

Is Mounjaro approved for sleep apnea? One drug, two labels

Eli Lilly sells tirzepatide under two brand names. Each brand has its own FDA application, its own label and its own list of approved uses. The molecule is identical. The paperwork is not.

Source: Mounjaro and Zepbound prescribing information (DailyMed); FDA press release of December 20, 2024.

So when people ask whether Mounjaro is approved for sleep apnea, the honest answer has two parts. The Mounjaro label says nothing about sleep apnea. The Zepbound label does, and the FDA called Zepbound the first medication approved to treat obstructive sleep apnea.

Does Mounjaro help with sleep apnea?

The drug in Mounjaro was the drug studied. SURMOUNT-OSA enrolled adults with obesity and moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea and ran two 52-week trials. Trial 1 was in people not using positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. Trial 2 was in people who were using PAP. Both compared tirzepatide with placebo.

Source: SURMOUNT-OSA, Malhotra et al., NEJM 2024; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05412004.

The apnea-hypopnea index, or AHI, counts how many times per hour of sleep breathing stops (an apnea) or becomes shallow (a hypopnea). A drop of 25 to 29 events per hour means 25 to 29 fewer breathing interruptions every hour. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute lists excess weight as a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea, and the large weight loss in these trials is the most likely reason the AHI fell. The trials did not test whether the drug helps the airway in any other way, so this page does not claim that.

The evidence applies to tirzepatide, whichever box it ships in. What differs is what the label allows a company to claim, and what a pharmacy or insurer sees on the prescription.

Who qualifies under the Zepbound label?

The sleep apnea indication covers adults with obesity and moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. In practice that means two things. You need a sleep study that shows moderate to severe OSA, and you need to meet the label's definition of obesity. The dosing schedule is the same as for weight management: 2.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks, then increases in 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks on each dose, with maintenance doses of 5, 10 or 15 mg. The boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors and the contraindications apply the same way. The label does not tell you to stop PAP. Trial 2 kept people on PAP the whole time.

Insurance and prescribing: why the label matters

A prescriber may write either brand. What the label changes is how the prescription is read afterward.

• If your reason is sleep apnea: Zepbound is the product whose label lists that use. A Mounjaro prescription written for sleep apnea is off-label. Off-label prescribing is legal, but insurance plans often decline to cover a drug for a use that is not on its label, or they ask for prior authorization first.
• If you have type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea: your prescriber may choose Mounjaro for the diabetes. Ask which diagnosis will go on the claim, because that is what the plan checks.
• If you are paying cash: Eli Lilly publishes self-pay prices for Zepbound vials through LillyDirect. People with commercial insurance that covers Zepbound may pay as little as $25 a month with the savings card. Coverage rules vary by plan, and this page does not guess at them.

Source: Eli Lilly LillyDirect self-pay pricing, accessed September 4, 2026.

One practical point: if a plan covers Zepbound for weight management, sleep apnea may still count as a weight-related condition under that indication. Whether it does is a plan question, not a label question. Your prescriber's office or the plan's pharmacy line can tell you.

Mounjaro, Zepbound and CPAP

Neither label tells you to stop CPAP or another PAP device. In SURMOUNT-OSA, the trial in people on PAP still showed a 29.3 event per hour drop in AHI on top of the device. Any change to PAP use belongs to the clinician who manages your sleep apnea, usually after a repeat sleep study. Do not stop a breathing device on your own because you started an injection.

What this means for compounded tirzepatide

Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA approved for sleep apnea, and it is not FDA approved for anything else either. It has no trial data of its own; every number on this page comes from the branded product. It is not interchangeable with Zepbound or Mounjaro. A licensed provider decides whether a compounded medication is appropriate, and if you have sleep apnea, keep your sleep clinician in the loop. FormBlends compounded tirzepatide is $149 for the first month, then $239 per month, or $214 per month with Subscribe & Save, and the price is the same at every dose. See pricing or begin the assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mounjaro FDA approved for sleep apnea?

No. Mounjaro is approved to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. The sleep apnea approval of December 20, 2024 belongs to Zepbound, which contains the same drug, tirzepatide.

Does Mounjaro help with sleep apnea?

The drug in Mounjaro, tirzepatide, cut the apnea-hypopnea index by 25.3 and 29.3 events per hour over 52 weeks in the SURMOUNT-OSA trials, versus 5.3 and 5.5 with placebo. Those trials support the Zepbound label. Mounjaro's own label does not mention sleep apnea.

Can a doctor prescribe Mounjaro for sleep apnea?

A prescriber can write Mounjaro off-label, but Zepbound is the product whose label lists sleep apnea. For a sleep apnea diagnosis, expect the prescriber and the insurer to point to Zepbound.

Will insurance cover Mounjaro for sleep apnea?

Plans usually check the diagnosis against the label, and sleep apnea is not on Mounjaro's label. Zepbound carries that indication. Coverage rules vary by plan, so ask your plan directly; with commercial coverage of Zepbound, the savings card can bring the cost to as little as $25 a month.

Is compounded tirzepatide approved for sleep apnea?

No. Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA approved for sleep apnea or for any other use, and it is not interchangeable with Zepbound or Mounjaro. A licensed provider decides whether it is appropriate for you.

Sources

1. FDA Approves First Medication for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, December 20, 2024.
2. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) prescribing information, DailyMed, National Library of Medicine, revised 08/2026.
3. Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information, DailyMed, National Library of Medicine, revised 08/2026.
4. Tirzepatide for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity (SURMOUNT-OSA), Malhotra et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2024.
5. SURMOUNT-OSA study record (NCT05412004), ClinicalTrials.gov.
6. Sleep Apnea, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Next steps

For the full trial story, read Zepbound for sleep apnea. For sleep complaints on the drug itself, see tirzepatide and sleep, and for the naming, what is the brand name for tirzepatide. Browse the tirzepatide hub for every other tirzepatide question. Talk to a clinician, and keep your sleep specialist involved. Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA approved and is not interchangeable with Zepbound or Mounjaro; a licensed provider decides whether it is appropriate for you.