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Types of GLP-1 medications and their brand names

Types of GLP-1 drugs in the US: semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and orforglipron, with brand names, forms, schedules and uses.

Published · Updated · GLP-1 medications · Written by the PepLabo editorial team

Context and scope

Ozempic®, Wegovy®, Mounjaro®, Zepbound® and the other names can look like a long list of unrelated drugs. In the products currently approved in the US they come down to five active ingredients, and several brands share one molecule while carrying different approved uses. This page groups the brands by ingredient, puts each one’s form, schedule and US indication in a single table, explains what happened to exenatide, whose US approvals have been withdrawn, and notes where European and Canadian documents use the same names differently.

Key takeaways 4
  • Brand pairs that share an ingredient are separate products with separate labels: Ozempic® and Wegovy®, Victoza® and Saxenda®, Mounjaro® and Zepbound® each split diabetes from weight use. [1][2][4][5][6][7]
  • Four products are tablets. The semaglutide tablets are taken on an empty stomach with a 30-minute wait; Foundayo™ is taken with or without food. [2][3][9]
  • Exenatide has left the US market: FDA withdrew approval of Byetta® as of 3 September 2025, and a later notice lists Bydureon BCise® with a withdrawal date of 8 April 2026, in both cases because the maker said they were no longer marketed. [11][19]
  • In the EU, Mounjaro® covers both diabetes and weight management, and on 15 October 2026 EMA’s scientific committee backed Foundayo™ for weight and for type 2 diabetes, a use the US label does not list. [12][14]

What makes a medicine a GLP-1

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is released by the gut after a meal and acts on receptors that influence insulin, glucagon, stomach emptying and appetite. The body breaks the natural hormone down within minutes: the Saxenda® label gives it a half-life of 1.5 to 2 minutes [7].

A GLP-1 receptor agonist activates the same receptor but lasts far longer. Every label below calls its product a GLP-1 receptor agonist; tirzepatide is labelled as a GIP receptor and GLP-1 receptor agonist because it also acts on a second gut-hormone receptor [4][5]. The molecules are built very differently, which partly explains why some are taken twice a day and others once a week.

Every US brand in one table

Each row restates section 1 (approved use) and sections 2 and 3 (how it is taken and supplied) of that product’s US prescribing information, checked on 20 October 2026. Exenatide products are left out because their US approvals have been withdrawn; they are covered further down. The table explains the labels; it does not say which medicine suits anyone.

GLP-1 medicines in current US labels: ingredient, form, schedule and approved use
BrandActive ingredientForm and scheduleUS approved use (with diet and activity)Source
Ozempic® injectionsemaglutidepen or prefilled syringe, once weeklyblood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes; heart events with type 2 diabetes and heart disease; kidney decline with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease[1] §1–3
Rybelsus®semaglutidetablet, once daily, empty stomachblood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes; heart events in high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes[3] §1–3
Ozempic® tabletssemaglutidetablet, once daily, empty stomachthe same uses as Rybelsus®; not interchangeable milligram for milligram[3] §1–3
Wegovy® injectionsemaglutidesingle-dose pen or syringe, or multi-dose FlexTouch® pen, once weeklyheart events in adults with heart disease and obesity or overweight; weight reduction and maintenance in adults and from age 12; MASH with moderate to advanced fibrosis[2] §1–3
Wegovy® tabletssemaglutidetablet, once daily, empty stomachheart events as for the injection; weight reduction and maintenance in adults[2] §1–3
Mounjaro®tirzepatidesingle-dose pen or vial, multi-dose vial or KwikPen®, once weeklyblood sugar in adults and children 10+ with type 2 diabetes; heart events in high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes[4] §1–3
Zepbound®tirzepatidesingle-dose pen or vial, multi-dose vial or KwikPen®, once weeklyweight reduction and maintenance in adults; obstructive sleep apnea (moderate to severe) in adults who have obesity[5] §1–3
Victoza®liraglutideprefilled pen, once dailyblood sugar in adults and children 10+ with type 2 diabetes; heart events with type 2 diabetes and heart disease[6] §1–3
Saxenda®liraglutideprefilled pen, once dailyweight reduction and maintenance in adults and in those 12+ weighing over 60 kg with obesity[7] §1–3
Trulicity®dulaglutidesingle-dose pen, once weeklyblood sugar in adults and children 10+ with type 2 diabetes; heart events with heart disease or several risk factors[8] §1–3
Foundayo™orforgliprontablet, once daily, with or without foodweight reduction and maintenance in adults[9] §1–3

Semaglutide: one molecule, four product lines

  • Ozempic® injection is the weekly diabetes product. It comes in multi-dose pens and, in the current label, also in single-dose prefilled syringes [1].
  • Rybelsus® and Ozempic® tablets share one label. Rybelsus® uses 3, 7 and 14 mg tablets and Ozempic® tablets 1.5, 4 and 9 mg; the label says the two cannot be swapped milligram for milligram [3].
  • Wegovy® injection now has three presentations: single-dose pens, including a 7.2 mg strength called Wegovy® HD, single-dose syringes, and a multi-dose FlexTouch® pen that gives four 2.4 mg doses. Wegovy® tablets come as 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg [2].
  • The tablets are swallowed first thing in the morning, before eating, with a small amount of plain water (the labels set a 4-ounce limit), and food, drink or other tablets wait at least 30 minutes [2][3].
  • Semaglutide has a half-life of about one week, and the Wegovy® label advises against combining it with any other semaglutide product or GLP-1 receptor agonist [1][2].

Tirzepatide: Mounjaro® and Zepbound®

Mounjaro® is the diabetes brand and Zepbound® the weight and sleep apnea brand. Both are supplied as single-dose pens and vials and as multi-dose vials or KwikPen® pens that hold four doses [4][5]. The Mounjaro® label added children aged 10 and older in December 2025 and a heart-events indication in August 2026; the latter rests on SURPASS-CVOT, in which tirzepatide was compared with dulaglutide rather than placebo and was found non-inferior, with a hazard ratio of 0.92 [4].

Tirzepatide’s half-life is about 5 days in the Mounjaro® label and 5 to 6 days in people with obesity in the Zepbound® label. The Zepbound® label advises against combining it with other tirzepatide products or any GLP-1 receptor agonist [4][5].

Liraglutide and dulaglutide

Liraglutide is the daily option: Victoza® for type 2 diabetes and Saxenda® at a higher dose for weight. Its half-life is about 13 hours [6][7]. The NIDDK describes Victoza® as the same drug at a lower dose under a different name [16]. The Saxenda® label advises against combining it with other liraglutide products or any GLP-1 receptor agonist [7].

Dulaglutide, sold as Trulicity®, is built differently from the others: a fusion protein in which a GLP-1-like sequence is joined to part of an antibody, with a molecular weight of about 63 kilodaltons. Its half-life is about 5 days, and it comes in single-dose pens of 0.75, 1.5, 3 and 4.5 mg [8].

Exenatide: approved in 2005, withdrawn since

Exenatide was the earliest of these ingredients to be approved in the US, in 2005. Its last label described Byetta® as a twice-daily injection before the morning and evening meals for adults with type 2 diabetes, with an average terminal half-life of 2.4 hours; unlike the other products here, it carried no thyroid boxed warning [10].

Approval is no longer in place. A Federal Register notice records that FDA withdrew approval of Byetta® as of 3 September 2025 after AstraZeneca reported it was no longer marketed, and a March 2026 notice lists the weekly Bydureon® and Bydureon BCise® products with a withdrawal date of 8 April 2026 [11][19]. Stock already in pharmacies on those dates could be dispensed until it ran out or expired. In the EU, the Byetta® authorisation was withdrawn on 1 January 2026 [20]. If you used one of them, your prescriber can explain what replaced it in your care.

Orforglipron: Foundayo™

Foundayo™ is the newest ingredient, first approved in the US in 2026. It is a once-daily tablet that can be taken with or without food, and its US label covers weight reduction and long-term maintenance in adults [9].

It is not a peptide. The label gives orforglipron calcium a molecular weight of 902 g/mol, against 3,751 Da for liraglutide, 4,114 g/mol for semaglutide and 4,814 Da for tirzepatide [2][4][7][9]. Its half-life is about 29 to 49 hours, steady levels are reached after about a week, and it is broken down mainly by the liver enzyme CYP3A4, so some other medicines change the dose limit [9].

Same names, different documents abroad

  • European Union: tirzepatide is authorised only as Mounjaro®, and its product information covers both type 2 diabetes (from age 10) and adult weight management [12]. EMA lists no Zepbound® product.
  • European Union: the Rybelsus® tablets described there start at 1.5 mg and list maintenance doses of 4, 9, 25 and 50 mg, a different strength series from the US Rybelsus® label [3][13].
  • European Union: EMA’s committee for human medicines adopted a positive opinion on Foundayo™ on 15 October 2026 for weight management and for adults with type 2 diabetes. EMA says the full product information will appear after the European Commission grants the authorisation [14].
  • Canada: the Wegovy® monograph covers the injection, and its heart claim is narrower than the US one: reducing the risk of non-fatal heart attack in adults with established heart disease and a BMI of 27 or more [15].

What they have in common

  • Every current product carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumours, and none is to be used by anyone whose own or family history includes medullary thyroid carcinoma, or who has MEN 2; the withdrawn Byetta® label had no such box [1][9][10].
  • Most are started low and raised in steps, which the labels link to fewer stomach side effects; nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting are among the most common reactions in every label checked [1][5][8][9].
  • Each label says the medicine slows stomach emptying, which can affect tablets taken at the same time; several ask for closer monitoring of oral medicines whose levels need tight control [2][4][8][9].
  • Taking two GLP-1 products together is advised against in the Wegovy®, Zepbound®, Saxenda® and Foundayo™ labels [2][5][7][9].

Where they sit among weight medicines

GLP-1 medicines are not the only prescription option for weight. The NIDDK page on weight medicines, last reviewed in June 2024, lists six FDA-approved drugs for long-term use: orlistat, phentermine-topiramate, naltrexone-bupropion, liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide. It predates Foundayo™. It says medicines do not replace healthy eating and activity, and that the choice is made with your health care professional [16].

Some names you may see online are not on any list here. The FDA says compounded drugs are not FDA approved and are not reviewed for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold, and that retatrutide and cagrilintide cannot be used in compounding under federal law and are not part of any FDA-approved drug [17].

Ozempic®, Wegovy®, Rybelsus®, Saxenda®, Victoza® and FlexTouch® are registered trademarks of Novo Nordisk A/S. Mounjaro®, Zepbound®, Trulicity® and KwikPen® are registered trademarks, and Foundayo™ is a trademark, of Eli Lilly and Company. Byetta® and Bydureon BCise® are trademarks of the AstraZeneca group of companies. PepLabo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Company or AstraZeneca.

Questions

How many GLP-1 medications are there?

Products currently approved in the US contain five active ingredients: semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and orforglipron, sold as Ozempic®, Rybelsus®, Wegovy®, Mounjaro®, Zepbound®, Victoza®, Saxenda®, Trulicity® and Foundayo™, each with its own label [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Exenatide (Byetta®, Bydureon BCise®) was approved in the past, but those approvals have been withdrawn [11][19].

Which GLP-1 medications are pills?

Rybelsus®, Ozempic® tablets and Wegovy® tablets, all semaglutide, and Foundayo™, which is orforglipron. All four are taken once a day; the semaglutide tablets need an empty stomach and a 30-minute wait, Foundayo™ does not [2][3][9].

Is tirzepatide a GLP-1?

It activates the GLP-1 receptor and also the GIP receptor. Its labels describe it as a GIP receptor and GLP-1 receptor agonist [4][5].

Are Ozempic and Wegovy the same medicine?

They contain the same ingredient, semaglutide, but are separate products with separate labels, doses and uses. Ozempic® is a diabetes medicine; Wegovy® is approved for heart-risk reduction, weight and MASH [1][2]. Switching between them is a prescriber’s decision.

Is there a generic GLP-1?

Yes, for liraglutide. FDA approved the first generic referencing Victoza® in December 2024 [18]. Compounded versions of other GLP-1 drugs are a different thing: the FDA says they are not FDA approved [17].

Is Foundayo approved in Europe?

Not yet as of 20 October 2026. EMA’s committee recommended authorisation on 15 October 2026, for weight management and for adults with type 2 diabetes; the final decision rests with the European Commission [14].

Sources

Sources checked on

  1. OZEMPIC® (semaglutide) injection Prescribing Information, Novo Nordisk Revised 05/2026. Boxed warning, sections 1, 2, 3, 6.1 and 12.3.
  2. WEGOVY® (semaglutide) injection and tablets Prescribing Information, Novo Nordisk Revised 06/2026. Sections 1, 2.1, 3, 7.2, 11 and 12.3.
  3. RYBELSUS® and OZEMPIC® tablets Prescribing Information, Novo Nordisk Revised 1/2026. Sections 1, 2.1, 2.2 and 3.
  4. MOUNJARO® (tirzepatide) Prescribing Information, Eli Lilly and Company Revised 08/2026. Recent Major Changes; sections 1, 3, 7.2, 11, 12.3 and 14.6.
  5. ZEPBOUND® (tirzepatide) Prescribing Information, Eli Lilly and Company Revised 08/2026. Sections 1, 3, 6.1 and 12.3.
  6. VICTOZA® (liraglutide) Prescribing Information, Novo Nordisk Revised 10/2025. Sections 1, 3 and 12.3.
  7. SAXENDA® (liraglutide) Prescribing Information, Novo Nordisk Revised 02/2026. Sections 1, 3, 11, 12.1 and 12.3.
  8. TRULICITY® (dulaglutide) Prescribing Information, Eli Lilly and Company Revised 03/2026. Sections 1, 3, 11 and 12.3.
  9. FOUNDAYO™ (orforglipron) tablets Prescribing Information, Eli Lilly and Company Revised 07/2026. Boxed warning, sections 1, 2.1, 3, 6.1, 7, 11, 12.3 and 13.1.
  10. BYETTA® (exenatide) injection Prescribing Information, AstraZeneca (DailyMed) Last SPL, dated 09/2025, before the US approval was withdrawn. Sections 1, 2.1, 12.3 and 13.1; no boxed warning.
  11. Aspen Global Inc. et al.; Withdrawal of Approval of 46 New Drug Applications, Federal Register FR Doc. 2026-04546, 9 March 2026. NDA 022200 (Bydureon®, Bydureon® Pen) and NDA 209210 (Bydureon BCise®); withdrawal effective 8 April 2026.
  12. Mounjaro® EPAR product information (SmPC and package leaflet), European Medicines Agency Accessed 20-10-2026. SmPC section 4.1.
  13. Rybelsus® EPAR product information (SmPC and package leaflet), European Medicines Agency Accessed 20-10-2026. SmPC section 4.2.
  14. Foundayo: opinion page and CHMP summary of positive opinion, European Medicines Agency Opinion adopted 15/10/2026; page updated 16/10/2026.
  15. WEGOVY® (semaglutide injection) Product Monograph, Novo Nordisk Canada Date of authorization 10 December 2025. Section 1.
  16. Prescription Medications to Treat Overweight & Obesity, NIDDK (NIH) Last reviewed June 2024.
  17. FDA’s concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss, U.S. FDA Content current as of 10/01/2026.
  18. FDA Approves First Generic of Once-Daily GLP-1 Injection to Lower Blood Sugar in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, U.S. FDA Press announcement, 23 December 2024.
  19. Teva Branded Pharmaceutical Products R&D, Inc., et al.; Withdrawal of Approval of 39 New Drug Applications, Federal Register FR Doc. 2025-14683, 4 August 2025. NDA 021773 (Byetta®) and the Bydureon® NDAs; withdrawal effective 3 September 2025.
  20. Byetta (exenatide): withdrawal of the marketing authorisation in the EU, European Medicines Agency Authorisation withdrawn 1 January 2026.

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