Skip to content
Peptigraph home

Retatrutide vs Semaglutide: What the Research Shows

Retatrutide and Semaglutide side by side: what they are, how they are regulated and what is still unknown.

Medically reviewed by Juan Pablo Frías, MD · · DisclosureUpdated
GLP-1 / GIP / glucagon triple agonistInvestigational · phase 3RetatrutideInvestigational triple GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist, not FDA-approved; a phase 3 TRIUMPH trial reported mean weight change of -25.0% at the 12-mg dose versus -3.9% with placebo.[1]GLP-1 & metabolic+172% searchesGLP-1 agonistFDA approved (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus)SemaglutideFDA-approved GLP-1 receptor agonist (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus); in a 68-week trial in adults with obesity, mean weight change was -14.9% versus -2.4% with placebo.[15]GLP-1 & metabolic−38% searches
Quick verdict

Where the research points

Summary of studies, not a recommendation

Consider Retatrutide if…

  • you are weighing an investigational option (no FDA-approved product yet): the TRIUMPH trial reported mean weight change of -25.0% with the 12-mg dose versus -3.9% with placebo[1]
  • you want to know where approval stands: Lilly states it plans to submit a Biologics License Application to the FDA, a submission plan and not an approval[18]

Consider Semaglutide if…

  • you want an FDA-approved product: Wegovy (semaglutide) is labelled to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity, or with overweight plus a weight-related condition[16]
  • you want cardiovascular-outcomes data in obesity without diabetes: The primary cardiovascular composite occurred in 6.5% on semaglutide vs 8.0% on placebo (hazard ratio 0.80, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.90).[17]
  • you are tested in sport and want to avoid a WADA-prohibited substance: Retatrutide is prohibited by WADA at all times (check semaglutide's own status separately)[6]
Retatrutide is not FDA approved. Retatrutide is prohibited in tested sport (WADA). Status labels come from public FDA and WADA records; see the sources below.
Side by side

Spec comparison

Showing 9 of 13 fields where the two differ. Category, PCAC vote, Jul 2026, Evidence strength, Named in FDA warning letters, 2026 are the same or both unknown.

FieldRetatrutideSemaglutide
ClassGLP-1 / GIP / glucagon triple agonistGLP-1 agonist
Also calledreta, GLP-3, LY3437943sema, Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Wegovy pill
FDA statusInvestigational · phase 3FDA approved (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus)
WADAProhibited by WADA (S0)Retatrutide is not named, and GLP-1/amylin class agonists are not listed. But it is an investigational drug with no approval in the sources we reviewed, and S0 prohibits drugs under clinical development that no authority has approved. If it is approved somewhere this would change.Not on the WADA Prohibited ListGLP-1 and GIP agonists are not named anywhere on the 2026 list. This one is an approved medicine, so the catch-all S0 (which only covers drugs with no approval anywhere) does not apply to it.
Half-lifeapproximately 6 dayssubcutaneous · Lancet 2022, PMID 36354040approximately 1 weeksubcutaneous · FDA label (Ozempic)
Human studies we summarised11 human (11 randomized or controlled) of 16 summarised23 human (19 randomized or controlled) of 27 summarised
Typical study doses
Vial sizes sold5 mg, 10 mg, 12 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 24 mg, 30 mg, 36 mg, 40 mg, 50 mg, 60 mg2 mg, 3 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg
US searches per month823,000 · +172% searches368,000 · −38% searches

Bracketed values are pending a sourced figure. Legal data reflects the regulatory events in our tracker.

Taken together?

Retatrutide and Semaglutide together

People also search for this pair as a stack. The stack page covers timing and interaction questions as they are sourced. Evidence for the combination: No studies tested these together (PubMed search: 90 results, 2 Oct 2026).

Open the stack page
StackRetatrutide + Semaglutide, taken as separate injectionsStack page

Sources

  1. 1Retatrutide phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 results publishedNEJM (PubMed 42814954) · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  2. 2FDA warning letters to five research-peptide sellersFDA warning letter (NuScience Peptides; 1 of 5) · 2026fda.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  3. 3Eli Lilly sues six retatrutide sellersEli Lilly (press release) · 2026investor.lilly.comAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  4. 4FDA proposes excluding semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide from the 503B bulks listFDA · 2026fda.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  5. 5Seven FDA warning letters to online sellers of GLP-1 productsFDA warning letter (Gram Peptides; 1 of 7) · 2026fda.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  6. 6World Anti-Doping Code International Standard Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency · 2026wada-ama.orgAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  7. 7LY3437943, a novel triple GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptor agonist in people with type 2 diabetes: a phase 1b, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, multiple-ascending dose trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2022PMID 36354040Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  8. 8Retatrutide-Associated Improvements in Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers in Adults With Obesity With or Without Type 2 Diabetes.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2026PMID 42608321Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  9. 9Effects of retatrutide on body composition in people with type 2 diabetes: a substudy of a phase 2, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, randomised trial.The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology · 2025PMID 40609566Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  10. 10These highlights do not include all the information needed to use OZEMPIC ® safely and effectively. See full prescribing information for OZEMPIC. OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection, for subcutaneous use FDA label (Ozempic), DailyMed · current labeldailymed.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  11. 11Efficacy and safety of oral semaglutide 14 mg (flexible dose) in early-stage symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (evoke and evoke+): two phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled trials.Lancet (London, England) · 2026PMID 41865758Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  12. 12Phase 3 Trial of Semaglutide in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis.The New England journal of medicine · 2025PMID 40305708Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  13. 13Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity.The New England journal of medicine · 2025PMID 40934115Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  14. 14PubMed search: (retatrutide[tiab] OR LY3437943[tiab]) AND (semaglutide[tiab] OR Ozempic[tiab] OR Wegovy[tiab] OR Rybelsus[tiab] OR NN9535[tiab])PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  15. 15Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity.The New England journal of medicine · 2021PMID 33567185Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  16. 16WEGOVY prescribing information (FDA label)FDA label, DailyMed · current labeldailymed.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  17. 17Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes.The New England journal of medicine · 2023PMID 37952131Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  18. 18Official web pageOfficial web page · web page

Found an error? Report a correction.