Weight management
Weight Loss Peptides
Weight loss peptides are not one bucket. Approved GLP-1 medicines, dual agonists, amylin analogs and investigational triple agonists sit at very different evidence levels.
- Peptides covered
- 13
- Highest evidence
- 5/5
- Approved entries
- 7
How to compare this category
Use this page to compare the main weight loss peptides by mechanism, route, regulatory status and evidence quality before going deeper into the database entry or guide.
- Prioritize approval status first: approved medications have regulated labels and larger safety datasets.
- Treat investigational compounds as clinical-trial research, even when the early weight-loss numbers are strong.
- Compare targets, not just pounds lost: GLP-1, GIP, glucagon and amylin pathways can produce different tolerability profiles.
Evidence scale
Scores rate evidence quality for the listed research context. They are not recommendations, prescriptions or a safety ranking.
- Evidence 1/5
- Mechanistic rationale only; no meaningful outcome evidence.
- Evidence 2/5
- Mostly animal, ex vivo, cell, or indirect evidence.
- Evidence 3/5
- Limited human pharmacology or small clinical evidence.
- Evidence 4/5
- Investigational compound with human randomized or phase 2/3 evidence.
- Evidence 5/5
- Approved medication with substantial human clinical evidence.
| Peptide | Status | Evidence | Best for | Half-life | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retatrutide Triple agonist (GLP-1 / GIP / glucagon) | Investigational | 4/5 Phase 2 human evidence | Research comparison against GLP-1 and dual agonist drugs Phase 2 human evidence; not approved | ~6 days | |
| Tirzepatide Dual agonist (GLP-1 / GIP) | Approved | 5/5 Approved with large human trials | Approved dual-incretin weight management reference Approved medication with large clinical trials | ~5 days | |
| Semaglutide GLP-1 receptor agonist | Approved | 5/5 Approved with large human trials | Approved GLP-1 benchmark for weight loss and metabolic outcomes Approved medication with large clinical trials | ~7 days | |
| Liraglutide GLP-1 receptor agonist | Approved | 5/5 Approved with human RCTs | Daily GLP-1 comparison and older approved option Approved medication with human RCTs | ~13 hours | |
| Cagrilintide Amylin analog | Investigational | 4/5 Phase 2 human evidence | Amylin-pathway research and CagriSema context Phase 2 human evidence; not approved | ~7 days | |
| Survodutide Dual agonist (GLP-1 / glucagon) | Investigational | 4/5 Human RCT evidence, investigational | GLP-1/glucagon research and MASH-adjacent context Human RCT evidence; not approved | ~7 days | |
| HGH Fragment 176-191 Growth hormone C-terminal lipolytic fragment | Research only | 2/5 Weak | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Very short (minutes); poorly characterized | |
| Dulaglutide GLP-1 receptor agonist (Fc-fusion peptide) | Approved | 5/5 Strong | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Approximately 5 days | |
| Exenatide GLP-1 receptor agonist (incretin mimetic) | Approved | 5/5 Approved drug, strong clinical evidence | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Approximately 2.4 hours for immediate-release Byetta; extended-release (Bydureon BCise) microspheres release over weeks and exenatide can persist about 10 weeks after the last dose | |
| Lixisenatide Short-acting (prandial) GLP-1 receptor agonist; exendin-4-derived peptide | Approved | 4/5 Approved drug with neutral cardiovascular outcomes; modest glycemic, not weight-loss, indication | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Approximately 3 hours (reported range ~2.7-4.3 hours) | |
| Albiglutide GLP-1 receptor agonist (albumin-fusion) | Approved | 4/5 Approved (later withdrawn); strong outcomes evidence | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Approximately 5 days (reported terminal estimates ~5-8 days) | |
| Efpeglenatide GLP-1 receptor agonist (exendin-4-based) | Investigational | 4/5 Strong trial evidence but investigational | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Approximately 5.6 to 7.5 days (single-ascending-dose pharmacokinetic studies) | |
| Adipotide Pro-apoptotic peptidomimetic (vascular-targeting antiobesity agent) | Research only | 2/5 Preclinical only; human program halted | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Not well characterized in humans; dosed once daily by subcutaneous injection in animal and Phase 1 studies |
Weight loss peptide cards
Retatrutide
LY3437943
Research comparison against GLP-1 and dual agonist drugs
Phase 2 human evidence; not approved
Tirzepatide
LY3298176, Mounjaro, Zepbound
Approved dual-incretin weight management reference
Approved medication with large clinical trials
Semaglutide
Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus
Approved GLP-1 benchmark for weight loss and metabolic outcomes
Approved medication with large clinical trials
Liraglutide
Victoza, Saxenda
Daily GLP-1 comparison and older approved option
Approved medication with human RCTs
Cagrilintide
AM833
Amylin-pathway research and CagriSema context
Phase 2 human evidence; not approved
Survodutide
BI 456906
GLP-1/glucagon research and MASH-adjacent context
Human RCT evidence; not approved
HGH Fragment 176-191
HGH Frag 176-191
A synthetic C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone claimed to stimulate adipocyte lipolysis without binding the GH receptor or raising IGF-1, though human fat-loss evidence is weak.
Growth hormone C-terminal lipolytic fragment
Dulaglutide
Trulicity
Dulaglutide is a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist that stimulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppresses glucagon, slows gastric emptying and reduces appetite.
GLP-1 receptor agonist (Fc-fusion peptide)
Exenatide
Byetta, Bydureon, exendin-4
Exenatide activates the GLP-1 receptor to increase glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppress inappropriate glucagon release, and slow gastric emptying.
GLP-1 receptor agonist (incretin mimetic)
Lixisenatide
Adlyxin, Lyxumia
Lixisenatide is an exendin-4-derived GLP-1 receptor agonist that slows gastric emptying and lowers postprandial glucose while stimulating glucose-dependent insulin release and suppressing glucagon.
Short-acting (prandial) GLP-1 receptor agonist; exendin-4-derived peptide
Albiglutide
Tanzeum, Eperzan
Albiglutide is a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist made by fusing two DPP-4-resistant copies of modified human GLP-1 to recombinant human albumin, activating the GLP-1 receptor to boost glucose-dependent insulin secretion and suppress glucagon.
GLP-1 receptor agonist (albumin-fusion)
Efpeglenatide
LY3434285
An exendin-4-based GLP-1 receptor agonist conjugated to an antibody Fc fragment that slows clearance and activates the GLP-1 receptor to boost glucose-dependent insulin secretion, slow gastric emptying and reduce appetite.
GLP-1 receptor agonist (exendin-4-based)
Adipotide
FTPP, prohibitin-targeting peptide
Adipotide is a chimeric peptidomimetic whose CKGGRAKDC homing motif binds prohibitin on white-fat blood-vessel endothelium, where its fused D(KLAKLAK)2 segment disrupts mitochondrial membranes to trigger endothelial apoptosis and regression of the fat tissue's blood supply.
Pro-apoptotic peptidomimetic (vascular-targeting antiobesity agent)
Weight loss guides
Read the strongest related guides for this category before drilling into a single database entry.
FAQ
What are the best-studied weight loss peptides?
Semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide have the strongest human evidence because they are approved medications with large randomized trials and regulated labels.
Are retatrutide and cagrilintide approved for weight loss?
No. Retatrutide and cagrilintide have human trial evidence, but they remain investigational and should be treated as research compounds until regulators approve a label.
How should weight loss peptides be compared?
Compare approval status, trial evidence, mechanism, adverse-effect profile, dosing schedule and contraindications. Weight-loss percentage alone is not enough context.
More peptide categories
Compare healing peptides such as BPC-157 and TB-500 by evidence quality, mechanism, research status and practical limitations.
CompareGrowth Hormone PeptidesCompare growth hormone peptides including ipamorelin, CJC-1295 and tesamorelin by GH-axis mechanism, approval status, half-life and evidence score.
CompareCognitive PeptidesCompare cognitive peptides such as Selank and Semax by mechanism, route, regional clinical history, evidence score and research limitations.
CompareLongevity PeptidesCompare longevity peptides by evidence quality, mechanism and practical research limits, starting with GHK-Cu and copper peptide data.
Compare