The short answer, and what it means for you
- TGA approval: Mounjaro is approved in Australia for adults with type 2 diabetes (alongside diet and exercise) and separately for chronic weight management. Approval means it is legal to prescribe and supply. It says nothing about who pays.
- PBS listing: there is none. Tirzepatide does not appear on the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits for type 2 diabetes, so the Commonwealth does not contribute to its price for anyone, regardless of diagnosis, HbA1c, concession card or how many other diabetes medicines you have already tried.
- What you pay: the full pharmacy price for the pen, set by the supplier and the pharmacy, with no government subsidy and no co-payment cap.
- What is subsidised: other GLP-1 medicines (Ozempic, Trulicity and Rybelsus) are PBS listed for type 2 diabetes under specific criteria. Those are the realistic cheaper options and are covered in detail below.
PBS listings are updated monthly and can change. The section on what happens if the listing changes explains how to confirm the current position yourself in under a minute.
"My doctor prescribed Mounjaro 15 mg but on private prescription." Why you pay full price with a diabetes diagnosis
This is the single most common point of confusion in enquiries. People assume that because they have a diagnosed condition, and the medicine is approved for that condition, the PBS must cover it. It does not work that way.
The PBS subsidises specific medicines for specific listed uses. A medicine gets onto the Schedule only after the company sponsoring it applies, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommends it, and the government agrees on price and lists it. If any of those steps has not happened, the medicine is simply not on the list. Your doctor cannot write a PBS script for a medicine that is not listed, and a pharmacist cannot claim a subsidy for one. The only way to supply it is a private prescription.
So when your doctor "prescribed it on private", that was not a choice between two options. It was the only option. The same applies whether you are on 2.5 mg or 15 mg, whether you have a Health Care Card or not, and whether you have been diabetic for six months or twenty years.
Why the PBS co-payment does not apply
The PBS co-payment is the capped amount a patient pays for a PBS subsidised script (at the time of writing the general co-payment is $25 per script following the reduction legislated from 1 January 2026, and the concessional co-payment is $7.70; confirm the current figures on the PBS website). The cap exists because the government pays the remainder. On a private script there is no remainder to pay; you are paying the whole price, so there is nothing to cap.
Why the Safety Net does not help
The PBS Safety Net reduces your co-payment for the rest of the calendar year once your household's spending on PBS scripts reaches a threshold. Only PBS subsidised scripts count towards the threshold. Private scripts, including every Mounjaro script, do not count, no matter how much you spend. Someone spending several hundred dollars a month on Mounjaro gets no closer to the Safety Net than someone spending nothing.
Private health insurance
Some extras policies include a "non-PBS pharmaceuticals" benefit that may refund part of the cost of a private script. The benefit limits are usually modest and conditions vary. It is worth checking your policy, but do not assume it will cover a meaningful share of a year of Mounjaro.
What Mounjaro costs privately, dose by dose
Mounjaro is supplied as a multi-dose KwikPen containing four weekly doses, so one pen is roughly one month of treatment. Private prices are set by individual pharmacies and vary noticeably between pharmacies, between cities and regional areas, and over time. The figures below are indicative ranges seen in Australian pharmacies at the time of writing. Treat them as a planning guide, not a quote, and ask the pharmacy for its actual price before you commit.
| Weekly dose | Indicative private cost per pen (about 4 weeks) | Indicative cost per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg (starting dose) | roughly $300 to $330 | roughly $3,900 to $4,300 |
| 5 mg | roughly $350 to $390 | roughly $4,500 to $5,100 |
| 7.5 mg | roughly $400 to $450 | roughly $5,200 to $5,900 |
| 10 mg | roughly $450 to $500 | roughly $5,900 to $6,500 |
| 12.5 mg | roughly $500 to $560 | roughly $6,500 to $7,300 |
| 15 mg | roughly $550 to $650 | roughly $7,100 to $8,500 |
Two things stand out. First, the price climbs with every dose step, so a person titrated to 15 mg for glucose control is paying far more than someone maintained on 5 mg. Second, these costs are on top of any PBS medicines you are already taking, and none of it counts towards the Safety Net.
If you are a diabetic on Mounjaro and the cost is becoming a problem, the realistic conversation with your doctor is not "how do I get it cheaper" (there is no subsidy route) but "is there a PBS listed medicine that will control my glucose adequately". That is the next section.
The GLP-1 medicines that are PBS listed for type 2 diabetes
Three medicines in the GLP-1 receptor agonist class are PBS subsidised for type 2 diabetes at the time of writing. They work on the GLP-1 receptor only (Mounjaro also works on the GIP receptor), but they lower blood glucose, reduce appetite and are taken as a weekly injection or a daily tablet. For many people with type 2 diabetes they are a clinically reasonable alternative, and the cost difference is large.
| Medicine | How taken | PBS cost to you per pack (about 4 weeks) | Indicative private (non-PBS) price per pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic (semaglutide) 0.25/0.5 mg or 1 mg pen | Once weekly injection | General co-payment ($25 at time of writing) or concessional ($7.70) | roughly $130 to $200 |
| Trulicity (dulaglutide) 1.5 mg pens, pack of 4 | Once weekly injection | General or concessional co-payment | broadly similar to Ozempic |
| Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) 3, 7 or 14 mg tablets | Once daily tablet | General or concessional co-payment | broadly similar to Ozempic |
How much is Ozempic on the PBS?
If you meet the PBS criteria, you pay only the co-payment per pen: $25 for a general patient or $7.70 with a concession card at the time of writing. That compares with roughly $350 to $390 a month for Mounjaro 5 mg privately. Over a year the difference for a general patient is in the order of several thousand dollars, and PBS Ozempic scripts also count towards your Safety Net, after which the co-payment drops further.
Ozempic cost in Australia without the PBS
If you do not meet the criteria, or you are using Ozempic for weight rather than diabetes, it is a private script at roughly $130 to $200 per pen depending on the pharmacy. That is still less than Mounjaro at any dose, but it is not subsidised and the same co-payment and Safety Net points above apply. Note also that the TGA has asked prescribers to prioritise Ozempic for people with type 2 diabetes while supply remains constrained, so a pharmacy may not fill a private Ozempic script for a non-diabetes use.
PBS eligibility criteria for Ozempic, Trulicity and Rybelsus (type 2 diabetes)
The restrictions are similar across the three, and your GP can prescribe under them without phoning for approval (they are "Authority Required (Streamlined)" listings). In plain terms, to qualify you generally need to:
- Have type 2 diabetes (not type 1, not pre-diabetes, not gestational diabetes).
- Be taking the GLP-1 medicine together with metformin and/or a sulfonylurea, or with insulin, or have a documented contraindication or intolerance to metformin and sulfonylureas.
- Have had an HbA1c above 7% despite that existing treatment before starting (or, where HbA1c cannot be used, documented raised blood glucose readings over a monitoring period).
- Not be using it in certain combinations the PBS does not subsidise, such as together with a DPP-4 inhibitor (for example sitagliptin or linagliptin) or another GLP-1 medicine.
The exact wording changes from time to time, so your GP will check the live restriction when prescribing. The practical point for someone on "Mounjaro 5 mg once a week to control my blood sugar levels" is that if you were already on metformin when you started, and your HbA1c was above 7% at that time, you will very likely meet the PBS criteria for one of these three medicines.
What switching actually looks like
- There is no exact dose equivalence between tirzepatide and semaglutide or dulaglutide. Your prescriber will usually start the new medicine at its own starting dose and titrate, rather than trying to match your Mounjaro dose.
- Expect a short period of adjustment. Nausea and other gut side effects that settled on Mounjaro can reappear when starting a new agent, and your glucose readings may drift while the dose builds.
- Head to head trial data suggest tirzepatide produces larger average HbA1c and weight reductions than semaglutide 1 mg, so some people see a modest rise in HbA1c or some weight regain after switching. For many people glucose control remains within target. Your doctor will weigh this against the cost saving.
- Supply matters. Ozempic and, at times, Trulicity have been in constrained supply in Australia. Ask your pharmacy about stock before changing scripts so you are not left without either medicine.
See Mounjaro vs Ozempic and the GLP-1 Australia Guide for a fuller comparison of the medicines themselves.
Common situations from enquiries: does my case change anything?
These three scenarios come up repeatedly. In each case the PBS answer for Mounjaro is the same (no listing, so no subsidy), but the clinical picture may change which medicine is the sensible choice.
Type 2 diabetes with heart failure
Having heart failure as well as diabetes does not create a PBS pathway to Mounjaro. What it may do is shift the clinical decision. SGLT2 inhibitors (medicines such as empagliflozin and dapagliflozin) are PBS listed for type 2 diabetes and have separate PBS listings for heart failure, and they are now a core part of heart failure treatment regardless of diabetes. A GP or cardiologist looking at your overall picture may prioritise an SGLT2 inhibitor, with or without a PBS listed GLP-1 medicine, before a private tirzepatide script. If you are already on Mounjaro and the cost is biting, this is a worthwhile conversation to have, because it may be possible to meet both your glucose and heart failure goals entirely within the PBS.
Gestational diabetes, with a warning about future pre-diabetes
Gestational diabetes is not type 2 diabetes, and pre-diabetes is not type 2 diabetes. Neither is a PBS indication for Ozempic, Trulicity or Rybelsus, and none of these medicines, including Mounjaro, is used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. After the pregnancy, the standard pathway is a glucose tolerance test, regular ongoing screening, and lifestyle measures, because a history of gestational diabetes substantially raises the lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes. If type 2 diabetes is later diagnosed and metformin alone does not keep HbA1c at target, the PBS criteria for a GLP-1 medicine may then be met. Until then, any GLP-1 medicine including Mounjaro would be a private script, and for most people in this situation it is not the first line of management.
Hypothalamic obesity after tumour surgery
Weight gain driven by damage to the hypothalamus (for example after surgery or radiotherapy for a craniopharyngioma or other tumour) is a distinct condition. It is usually managed by an endocrinologist, often alongside hormone replacement. GLP-1 based medicines are sometimes used, but hypothalamic obesity does not change PBS status: Mounjaro and Wegovy are private scripts whatever the cause of the weight gain, and the PBS listed GLP-1 medicines are subsidised only for type 2 diabetes, not for weight. If type 2 diabetes develops as part of the picture and the criteria are met, a PBS GLP-1 medicine may become available for the diabetes component. Because the appetite and metabolic effects in hypothalamic obesity can differ from ordinary obesity, specialist input is particularly important here, and this is not a situation to self-manage on cost alone.
What happens if the PBS listing changes, and how to check
Pharmaceutical companies can apply to the PBAC for listing, and the committee meets several times a year. A recommendation does not itself make a medicine subsidised; a price agreement and a formal listing date have to follow, and listings almost always come with restriction criteria that limit who qualifies. If tirzepatide is ever listed for type 2 diabetes, it is likely to carry criteria similar to the other GLP-1 medicines (type 2 diabetes, prior metformin and/or sulfonylurea, HbA1c threshold) rather than being open to anyone with a prescription.
How to check the current position yourself:
- Go to the PBS website (pbs.gov.au) and search for "tirzepatide". If there is no result, it is not listed. If there is, open the item and read the restriction text to see whether you fit.
- Ask your pharmacist. They dispense against the live Schedule every day and will know immediately whether a PBS claim is possible.
- Ask your GP to check at your next review. If a listing is announced, they will also know whether your records (HbA1c history, current medicines) support a streamlined authority script.
- Be wary of social media posts and forum claims that Mounjaro "is now on the PBS". PBAC agendas, recommendations and actual listings are often confused with one another. Only the Schedule itself is authoritative.
If the listing does change, this page will be updated. In the meantime, treat any Mounjaro script as fully private when you plan your budget.
What to prepare before you see your GP or endocrinologist
If your aim is to find out whether a PBS subsidised medicine could replace or avoid a private Mounjaro script, the appointment goes much better if you bring:
- Your HbA1c history, especially the result from before you started Mounjaro or any GLP-1 medicine. The PBS criteria hinge on this.
- A full list of your current diabetes medicines and doses, including metformin, sulfonylureas, SGLT2 inhibitors, DPP-4 inhibitors and insulin.
- Any history of intolerance to metformin (for example gut side effects) or contraindications, since this affects which PBS pathway applies.
- Your other conditions, in particular heart failure, kidney function results, history of pancreatitis or gallbladder disease, and any eye disease.
- What you are currently paying per month and how long it is sustainable. Doctors can only factor cost into the decision if you tell them.
- Your concession card status, since this changes the PBS price you would pay.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the diagnosis is the ticket. PBS subsidy follows the medicine's listing, not your condition. A diabetes diagnosis makes Ozempic, Trulicity or Rybelsus potentially subsidised; it does nothing for Mounjaro.
- Waiting to "hit the Safety Net". Private scripts never count. You cannot spend your way to a subsidy on Mounjaro.
- Stopping Mounjaro abruptly because of cost without a plan. Blood glucose can rise quickly once the medicine wears off. Arrange the replacement medicine first.
- Trying to match doses yourself. Mounjaro milligrams do not translate to Ozempic or Trulicity milligrams. Titration should be set by the prescriber.
- Sourcing tirzepatide outside the regulated supply chain. Compounded tirzepatide is no longer permitted in Australia and imported or online products carry real safety risks. See Is Tirzepatide Legal in Australia?
- Treating the private price as fixed. It varies by pharmacy. It is reasonable to compare prices, but the gap to a PBS medicine will still be large.
- Confusing Ozempic with Wegovy. Both contain semaglutide. Only Ozempic is PBS listed, and only for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy, like Mounjaro for weight, is always private.
Why a prescriber review helps here
The cost question is really a clinical question in disguise: is there a subsidised medicine that will keep your glucose at target, given your other conditions, your history and your tolerance of side effects? That cannot be answered from a price table. A doctor who regularly manages type 2 diabetes with GLP-1 medicines can check your HbA1c trail against the PBS criteria, decide whether a switch is sensible, plan the titration, consider whether an SGLT2 inhibitor belongs in the mix, and give you a clear out of pocket figure for whichever route you choose. For people with heart failure, a recent pregnancy or hypothalamic obesity, that review should involve or be informed by the relevant specialist.
If you would like to be matched with a clinic that can review your diabetes medicines and quote the real cost of each option, use the form below.
Frequently asked questions
I have type 2 diabetes. Can I get Mounjaro on the PBS?
No. Mounjaro is not PBS listed for type 2 diabetes or any other condition at the time of writing. It is a private prescription for everyone.
Why is my Mounjaro a private script when I am diabetic?
Because the PBS can only subsidise medicines that are on the Schedule. Tirzepatide is not, so your doctor has no PBS option to write. Your diagnosis and your dose make no difference.
Does my concession card reduce the price of Mounjaro?
No. Concession pricing applies only to PBS subsidised scripts. On a private script the pharmacy price is the same for everyone.
Will my Mounjaro spending count towards the PBS Safety Net?
No. Only PBS subsidised scripts count. Private scripts are excluded entirely.
How much is Ozempic on the PBS in Australia?
If you meet the type 2 diabetes criteria you pay the co-payment per pen: $25 for general patients or $7.70 with a concession card at the time of writing, less again once you reach the Safety Net. Check the PBS website for the current figures.
What does Ozempic cost in Australia if it is not on the PBS for me?
Indicatively around $130 to $200 per pen depending on the pharmacy. Supply has been constrained and pharmacies may prioritise people with type 2 diabetes.
Is Mounjaro on the PBS for weight loss instead?
No. Neither Mounjaro nor Wegovy is PBS listed for weight management. Both are private scripts.
I am on Mounjaro 5 mg for blood sugar. What is the cheapest equivalent?
If you meet the PBS criteria, Ozempic, Trulicity or Rybelsus at the PBS co-payment. There is no exact dose equivalent, so your doctor will start the new medicine at its own starting dose and adjust.
I have heart failure as well. Does that get me Mounjaro on the PBS?
No, but it may change the best medicine for you. SGLT2 inhibitors are PBS listed for both type 2 diabetes and heart failure and are often prioritised in this situation.
I had gestational diabetes and my doctor says I am at risk of pre-diabetes. Can I get a GLP-1 on the PBS?
Not for gestational diabetes or pre-diabetes. The PBS GLP-1 listings require a type 2 diabetes diagnosis and prior treatment. Screening and lifestyle measures are the usual pathway at this stage.
Can my GP phone for an authority to get Mounjaro subsidised?
No. Authority approvals only exist for medicines already on the Schedule. There is no application process for an individual patient to have an unlisted medicine subsidised.
Will Mounjaro be listed on the PBS soon?
Nobody outside the PBAC process can say. Check the PBS website or ask your pharmacist for the current position rather than relying on social media reports.
Where can I get help today?
Send your question via our secure form and we will match you with a clinic that can review your diabetes medicines and quote the out of pocket cost of each option.
Have a doctor review your diabetes medication and quote the out of pocket cost
Paying full price for Mounjaro and wondering whether a PBS listed medicine would do the job? Tell us your situation, including your current medicines and whether you hold a concession card, and we will match you with a clinic that can review your options and give you a clear cost for each.
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Medical information on this site is educational and not a substitute for personalised advice. If you have severe symptoms or think you are experiencing an emergency, call 000 or seek urgent care.
Final takeaway
Mounjaro is not on the PBS for type 2 diabetes, so every script is private, the co-payment and Safety Net do not apply, and a diabetes diagnosis changes nothing about the price. Ozempic, Trulicity and Rybelsus are PBS listed for type 2 diabetes under criteria that many people already on Mounjaro would meet, at a fraction of the monthly cost. Heart failure, a history of gestational diabetes or hypothalamic obesity do not alter the PBS position, but they may change which medicine is clinically right for you.
For a review of your medicines and a clear quote for each option, send us your details or explore the related pages.