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
- 6
- Highest evidence
- 5/5
- Approved entries
- 3
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 |
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
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.
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