Semaglutide vs Retatrutide

Semaglutide

The GLP-1 receptor agonist that turned obesity pharmacology into a mainstream conversation. Once-weekly injection, ~7-day half-life, and the largest randomised dataset of anything in this catalogue.

Best for

Best if you want an approved, widely available option with cardiovascular outcome data and years of real-world use.

Retatrutide

Triple agonist hitting GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptors at once. Phase 2 data shows the largest weight-loss numbers ever reported for a drug in trials — ~24% at 48 weeks.

Best for

Best if you can wait for approval and want the strongest investigational weight loss on record (~24% in Phase 2).

Semaglutide

Approved by the FDA and EMA for type 2 diabetes (Ozempic, Rybelsus oral) and chronic weight management (Wegovy). The STEP 1–8 obesity trials and the SUSTAIN diabetes programme together represent tens of thousands of randomised patient-years. SELECT (2023) added cardiovascular outcomes — a 20% reduction in MACE in patients with obesity and established CVD. This is the most thoroughly characterised peptide on this site by an order of magnitude.

Retatrutide

Phase 2 results published in NEJM 2023 showed ~24% weight loss at 12 mg over 48 weeks. The TRIUMPH Phase 3 programme (TRIUMPH-1 through TRIUMPH-4) is enrolling and reporting through 2025–2026, covering obesity, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea, and knee osteoarthritis. No regulatory approval as of mid-2026. The dataset is strong but not yet at the size or duration where rare safety signals would surface.