Semaglutide is a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist marketed as Ozempic (type 2 diabetes) and Wegovy (chronic weight management). This hub covers the STEP Phase 3 program, dosing titration, reconstitution math, side-effect management and comparisons with tirzepatide and retatrutide.
A pharmacology-first comparison of theoretical oral tirzepatide and the subcutaneous injection. We use Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) and Wegovy as the closest real-world case study for what oral vs injection actually looks like.
Alopecia was reported in the Phase 2 retatrutide trial — more often at 8 mg and 12 mg than placebo. Here is what the data actually shows, the telogen effluvium mechanism behind it, and how it compares to semaglutide, tirzepatide, and bariatric surgery.
A head-to-head research comparison of Ozempic (semaglutide) and retatrutide as of early 2026. Covers mechanism, trial-published weight loss, approval status, cost, and the open questions a direct trial has not yet answered.
A research-focused review of retatrutide side effects pulled from the NEJM Phase 2 obesity trial and early TRIUMPH Phase 3 readouts. Covers GI tolerability, cardiovascular signals, discontinuation rates, and how the triple agonist stacks up against semaglutide and tirzepatide.
For most of the GLP-1 era, Medicare has not covered weight-loss drugs for obesity alone. That has changed in pieces — through cardiovascular indications, through policy proposals, and through Medicare drug-price negotiation. Here is what Medicare beneficiaries can and cannot access in 2026.
In 2026, Novo Nordisk's Phase 3 EVOKE and EVOKE+ trials tested whether oral semaglutide could slow Alzheimer's disease. The headline result was a clean miss on the primary endpoint. The biomarker results told a more complicated story — one that may change how future GLP-1-plus-anti-amyloid combination trials are designed.
For years, cross-trial comparisons told us tirzepatide outperformed semaglutide for weight loss. SURMOUNT-5 is the first randomised head-to-head trial that proved it directly. 20.2% versus 13.7% at 72 weeks — and the implications reach much further than one trial.
Novo Nordisk's CagriSema combines two peptides — cagrilintide (amylin analogue) and semaglutide (GLP-1) — in a single weekly injection. REDEFINE-1 produced 22.7% body weight loss at 68 weeks, falling short of the 25% target but putting Novo back in the race against Eli Lilly's tirzepatide and retatrutide. Here's the full data.
On April 30, 2026 the FDA proposed excluding semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide from the 503B bulks list — effectively closing the last broad legal path for mass-scale compounded GLP-1 production. Here is what the proposal says, who it affects, and what the enforcement landscape looks like in late 2026.
Eli Lilly's Phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 trial of retatrutide delivered up to 30.3% mean body weight loss at 104 weeks — the highest ever recorded in a pharmacological obesity trial. Here is what the data show, how it compares to tirzepatide and semaglutide, and what it means for the peptide landscape in 2026.
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist originally developed for type 2 diabetes. This overview covers the clinical research behind its metabolic and weight-related effects.
Standard clinical titration starts at 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg for 4 weeks, 1.0 mg for 4 weeks, 1.7 mg, and finally 2.4 mg (Wegovy) or 2.0 mg (Ozempic max). Slow titration meaningfully reduces GI side effects.
In the STEP-1 Phase 3 trial, 2.4 mg weekly semaglutide produced ~14.9% body-weight loss over 68 weeks versus 2.4% on placebo. STEP-5 showed sustained loss out to 104 weeks.