GLP-1 Medications Explained: Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, Retatrutide, and More

The simple rule

The drug name is not always the same as the brand name.

That is the whole game.

Semaglutide

Drug name: semaglutide

Brand names:

• Ozempic
• Wegovy
• Rybelsus

Quick version: Semaglutide is one of the best-known GLP-1 drugs. Ozempic and Wegovy are the names most people hear first. Rybelsus is the tablet version people often forget belongs in the same family.

Read more: Semaglutide Guide: Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus Explained

Tirzepatide

Drug name: tirzepatide

Brand names:

• Mounjaro
• Zepbound

Quick version: Tirzepatide is the drug behind Mounjaro and Zepbound. People often compare tirzepatide with semaglutide because the two are now the biggest names in the space.

Read more: Tirzepatide Guide: Mounjaro and Zepbound Explained

Retatrutide

Drug name: retatrutide

Brand names:

• none approved yet

Quick version: Retatrutide is one of the most talked-about investigational drugs in this category. People are watching it closely, but it does not have an approved retail brand name yet.

Read more: Retatrutide Guide: What It Is, How It Works, and Why People Are Watching It

Liraglutide

Drug name: liraglutide

Brand names:

• Saxenda
• Victoza

Quick version: Liraglutide is an older but still important GLP-1 medication. It does not get as much online attention as semaglutide or tirzepatide now, but it still matters when you are trying to understand the full drug family.

Read more: Liraglutide Guide: Saxenda and Victoza Explained

Other GLP-related names you may run into

These matter less for most readers right now, but they are part of the bigger picture.

Dulaglutide

• Brand name: Trulicity

Exenatide

• Brand names: Byetta, Bydureon

Lixisenatide

• Brand name: Adlyxin

Why this gets confusing fast

Because people often use the most famous brand name as shorthand for the whole category.

That is why you hear people say:

• "Ozempic" when they really mean semaglutide
• "GLP-1" when they really mean semaglutide or tirzepatide
• "weight-loss shot" when they do not actually know which drug they mean

The family-tree version

If you want the clean mental model, use this:

Semaglutide family

• Ozempic
• Wegovy
• Rybelsus

Tirzepatide family

• Mounjaro
• Zepbound

Liraglutide family

• Saxenda
• Victoza

Retatrutide

• no approved brand name yet

Bottom line

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

• Semaglutide = Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus
• Tirzepatide = Mounjaro, Zepbound
• Liraglutide = Saxenda, Victoza
• Retatrutide = no approved brand name yet

That one map will clear up a lot of confusion.