GLP-1 drugs list: every GLP-1 medication available in 2026

There are 10 brand name GLP-1 drugs on U.S. market right now. They contain six different active ingredients. Some are injections, some are pills. Some are approved for diabetes, some for weight loss, some for both. Two of them are barely prescribed anymore. Three of them launched in past two years.

This is complete GLP-1 drugs list with every detail that actually matters when you're trying to figure out which one your doctor might recommend and why.

Ozempic (semaglutide injection)

Ozempic is a weekly injection approved for type 2 diabetes. It's not FDA approved for weight loss, but doctors prescribe it off label for that purpose constantly. It's most recognized GLP-1 drug by name, even though Wegovy (same molecule, different label) is one technically approved for weight management.

You start at 0.25 mg weekly for first four weeks, then move up to 0.5 mg. From there your doctor can increase to 1 mg or 2 mg depending on your blood sugar response and how you tolerate it. Most people reach their target dose within 8 to 16 weeks.

In clinical trials, people on Ozempic 1 mg lost roughly 12 to 14% of their body weight over 68 weeks. A1C dropped by about 1.5 percentage points on average.

Who it's best for: People with type 2 diabetes who also want weight loss. Insurance coverage for Ozempic is generally better than for Wegovy because diabetes indication is easier to get approved.

What makes it different: It's same drug as Wegovy but at lower max doses and with a diabetes specific label. If your insurance covers Ozempic but not Wegovy, this is often practical choice.

Wegovy (semaglutide injection and pill)

Wegovy is weight loss and cardiovascular version of semaglutide. The injection has been available since 2021. The pill launched in late 2025. Both are approved for weight management in adults with obesity (BMI 30+) or overweight (BMI 27+) with at least one weight related condition. The injection is also approved for cardiovascular risk reduction based on SELECT trial.

The injection starts at 0.25 mg weekly and titrates up over 16 to 20 weeks to a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg. Wegovy HD goes up to 7.2 mg for people who need more weight loss beyond 2.4 mg. The pill starts at 1.5 mg daily and goes up to 25 mg.

In STEP trials, people on Wegovy 2.4 mg lost about 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks. Wegovy HD at 7.2 mg pushed that to roughly 16 to 18%. The SELECT trial showed a 20% reduction in major cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular death) in people with obesity and existing heart disease.

Who it's best for: Anyone whose primary goal is weight loss, especially if they also have cardiovascular risk factors. The SELECT trial data gives Wegovy an edge over every other GLP 1 for patients with heart disease and obesity.

What makes it different: The only GLP-1 with proven cardiovascular outcomes data in people without diabetes. That matters for insurance coverage and for clinical decision making.

Rybelsus (semaglutide oral tablet)

Rybelsus is diabetes only oral semaglutide pill. It's been available since 2019, making it first oral GLP-1 ever approved. Doses come in 3 mg, 7 mg, and 14 mg daily.

You take it first thing in morning on an empty stomach with no more than 4 ounces of plain water. Then you wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking anything else, or taking other oral medications. That timing requirement is strict because absorption depends on pill's coating interacting with your stomach lining before food gets in way.

Weight loss on Rybelsus is more modest than injection. In trials, people on 14 mg lost about 5 to 8 pounds on average. A1C dropped by about 1 to 1.3 percentage points.

Who it's best for: People with type 2 diabetes who can't tolerate or don't want injections and whose primary goal is blood sugar control rather than large scale weight loss.

What makes it different: The dosing rules. That 30 minute empty stomach window trips people up. If you take it with coffee, food, or other pills, it won't absorb properly and won't work as well. The Wegovy pill has similar requirements but comes at higher doses with a weight loss indication.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide injection)

Mounjaro is tirzepatide, dual GLP 1/GIP receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly. It's approved for type 2 diabetes. Like Ozempic, it's widely prescribed off label for weight loss.

You start at 2.5 mg weekly for four weeks, then titrate up. Available doses are 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, and 15 mg. Most people reach their maintenance dose over 16 to 20 weeks. The titration schedule is slower than semaglutide, and drug takes longer to reach its full effect. One pharmacological analysis found that tirzepatide takes roughly 46 weeks to hit its efficacy plateau, compared to faster onset times for other GLP 1s.

In SURPASS trials, people on Mounjaro 15 mg saw A1C reductions of up to 2.3 percentage points and weight loss of roughly 20 to 23%. In head to head SURPASS 2 trial against Ozempic 1 mg, Mounjaro beat it on both A1C reduction and weight loss at every dose level.

Who it's best for: People with type 2 diabetes who want strongest possible combined effect on blood sugar and weight. If your A1C is high and you have a lot of weight to lose, Mounjaro gives most ground on both fronts.

What makes it different: The dual receptor mechanism. It activates GIP receptors in addition to GLP-1, which no other approved diabetes drug does. That's biological reason it outperforms semaglutide on weight loss.

Zepbound (tirzepatide injection)

Zepbound is same drug as Mounjaro, repackaged with a weight loss label. It's approved for chronic weight management and for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

Same doses, same titration schedule, same injection pen. The difference is purely regulatory and insurance related. Zepbound is what your doctor prescribes when goal is weight loss rather than diabetes management.

In SURMOUNT 1 trial, people on Zepbound 15 mg lost about 22.5% of their body weight over 72 weeks. In head to head SURMOUNT-5 trial against Wegovy, tirzepatide produced 20.2% weight loss versus 13.7% with semaglutide.

Who it's best for: Anyone whose primary goal is maximum weight loss and who doesn't have type 2 diabetes as reason for prescribing. Also go to option for people with obesity related sleep apnea, since it's specifically approved for that.

What makes it different: Produces most weight loss of any currently available GLP-1 drug. Full stop. If you're choosing purely on efficacy, this is top of list right now.

Saxenda (liraglutide injection)

Saxenda is a daily injection of liraglutide at 3 mg, approved for weight management. It's been available since 2014, making it first GLP-1 specifically approved for weight loss. It's also only GLP-1 approved for weight management in adolescents aged 12 and older.

You inject once daily, not once weekly. The dose starts at 0.6 mg and increases weekly until you reach 3 mg. The daily injection schedule is less convenient than semaglutide or tirzepatide, and weight loss results are lower.

In clinical trials, people on Saxenda lost roughly 5 to 8% of their body weight. That's about a third of what tirzepatide produces and about half of what semaglutide produces.

Who it's best for: Honestly, fewer and fewer people. Saxenda vs Zepbound is a lopsided comparison on both efficacy and cost. The main reasons a doctor might still prescribe Saxenda are: patient is an adolescent (12 to 17), patient specifically wants longest real world safety track record, or insurance covers Saxenda but nothing else.

What makes it different: It's a daily injection, which means more needle sticks per month. It has most long term safety data of any weight loss GLP-1. And at roughly $1,400 per month with few discount programs, it's most expensive option relative to its results.

Victoza (liraglutide injection)

Victoza is diabetes version of liraglutide, same way Ozempic is diabetes version of semaglutide. It's a daily injection at doses up to 1.8 mg, approved for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk reduction.

Victoza was one of first GLP-1 drugs to show a cardiovascular benefit in a major outcomes trial (LEADER), with a 13% reduction in major cardiovascular events. That was a big deal when it came out. But semaglutide's SELECT trial later showed a 20% reduction, which has largely shifted prescribing toward Wegovy for cardiovascular purposes.

Who it's best for: Very few new patients start Victoza today. If you're already on it and it's working, there's no urgent reason to switch. But most doctors now start new patients on semaglutide or tirzepatide instead.

Trulicity (dulaglutide injection)

Trulicity is a weekly injection of dulaglutide, approved for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk reduction. Doses range from 0.75 mg to 4.5 mg.

Weight loss on Trulicity is modest: roughly 3 to 5 pounds on average. It's not prescribed for weight loss, and it doesn't produce enough weight reduction to compete with semaglutide or tirzepatide for that purpose. But it does lower A1C by about 1.1 to 1.6 percentage points and showed a 12% reduction in cardiovascular events in REWIND trial.

Trulicity tends to cause fewer GI side effects than semaglutide or tirzepatide. If you tried Ozempic or Mounjaro and nausea was unmanageable even after dose adjustments, Trulicity vs Ozempic is a conversation worth having with your doctor. You'll lose less weight, but you might actually tolerate it. There are also specific foods to avoid with Trulicity that can help minimize whatever GI symptoms do come up.

What makes it different: The most tolerable GLP-1 for people with sensitive stomachs, at cost of being less effective for weight loss.

Foundayo (orforglipron)

Foundayo is newest GLP-1 drug on market, launched in early 2026 by Eli Lilly. It's a daily pill approved for weight management. Unlike semaglutide pills (Rybelsus and Wegovy), orforglipron doesn't require an empty stomach. You take it at any time of day with or without food.

That matters more than it sounds. The empty stomach requirement on semaglutide pills is rigid, and a lot of people struggle to follow it consistently. Foundayo removes that friction entirely.

Early clinical data from ATTAIN trials showed weight loss in range of 10 to 15% of body weight. The drug showed a faster onset of action than tirzepatide in pharmacological analysis, reaching meaningful weight loss earlier in treatment timeline, though tirzepatide produces more total weight loss by time both drugs hit their plateau.

Who it's best for: People who want a pill rather than an injection and don't want dosing restrictions that come with semaglutide tablets. Also a good option for people starting GLP-1 therapy who want a lower cost entry point ($149 per month through select programs).

What makes it different: It's a small molecule drug, not a peptide. That's why it doesn't need absorption enhancing technology that semaglutide pills require. It's most convenient oral GLP-1 available right now.

Byetta and Bydureon (exenatide)

Byetta is twice daily injection that started entire GLP 1 class in 2005. Bydureon is once weekly extended release version that followed in 2012. Both are approved for type 2 diabetes.

Almost nobody starts these drugs today. They produce less weight loss than every newer GLP-1, require more frequent injections (Byetta), and have no cardiovascular outcomes data comparable to semaglutide or tirzepatide. They still exist on pharmacy shelves, but they've been functionally replaced.

Who they're for: Patients who've been on them for years and are doing well. There's no clinical reason to switch a stable patient off a drug that's working. But there's also no reason to start a new patient on exenatide in 2026 when better options exist across board.

What about GLP 1 drugs still in development?

Three drugs in late stage trials could change GLP-1 drugs list within next one to two years.

Retatrutide (Eli Lilly) is a triple agonist targeting GLP 1, GIP, and glucagon receptors. Phase 2 data showed up to 24.2% weight loss at highest dose. If Phase 3 data holds, it would be most effective anti obesity drug ever approved.

Amycretin (Novo Nordisk) targets GLP-1 and amylin receptors. Early data suggests weight loss comparable to or exceeding tirzepatide. Phase 3 trials are running now.

Survodutide (Boehringer Ingelheim) is a dual GLP 1/glucagon agonist. It's also being studied for metabolic syndrome and liver disease in addition to obesity.

None of these are available yet. But if you're on a current GLP-1 and it's not producing results you want, knowing that stronger options are coming within a year or two may help frame your expectations.

So which GLP-1 drug should you ask your doctor about?

If you want maximum weight loss: Zepbound (tirzepatide 15 mg) has strongest data.

If you want weight loss plus cardiovascular protection: Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg) is only one with proven heart outcomes data in people without diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes: Mounjaro (tirzepatide) or Ozempic (semaglutide) depending on your insurance formulary and how much weight you need to lose.

If you want a pill: Foundayo (orforglipron) is most convenient. Wegovy pill is cheapest at starter doses ($149 per month).

If side effects on other GLP-1s were intolerable: Trulicity (dulaglutide) is gentlest on stomach.

Your doctor can help you match right drug to your specific medical situation. The GLP 1 drugs list is longer than it's ever been, and having more options is a good thing. It means there's probably a drug on this list that fits your body, your budget, and your daily routine.