GLP-1s Explained · FormBlends network
Understand every GLP-1 medicine, and how they differ, before you talk to a prescriber.
Thirteen agents, one page each: how it works, when it was approved, how the label doses it, what the trials showed and which side effects the label lists.
- 13
- GLP-1 and multi-receptor agents, one page each
- Every approved and late-stage GLP-1 and multi-receptor agent, compared side by side.
- Apr 28, 2005
- first GLP-1 receptor agonist approved anywhere (exenatide, Byetta)
- The first GLP-1 medicine is twenty years old. The class is not new.
- -20.4%
- CagriSema weight change at 68 weeks vs -3.0% placebo (REDEFINE 1)
- Average weight change on CagriSema at 68 weeks against -3.0% on placebo; still investigational.
Start here
Three ways in, depending on what you need right now
- 01Agent comparison tableUp to four GLP-1 and multi-receptor agents side by side, from label and trial data.
- 02Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy): mechanism, approvals, dosing, trials and side-effect ratesSemaglutide is a weekly shot sold as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for weight, heart risk and liver disease.
- 03Browse agents13 pages, most recently updated September 4, 2026
Interactive
The calculator
Each runs in your browser, shows its formula, and prints a dated assumptions note. Nothing you type leaves the page.
Reading
Start with these
Each page opens with a plain-English summary, a figure drawn from the data, the numbers that matter, and what it means if you're considering treatment.
Agents
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy): mechanism, approvals, dosing, trials and side-effect rates
You'll get: Semaglutide is a weekly shot sold as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for weight, heart risk and liver disease.
Semaglutide, the weekly shot behind Ozempic and Wegovy: how it works, every FDA approval from 2017 to the 7.2 mg dose, label dosing, trials, side effects.
Agents
Oral semaglutide (Rybelsus, Ozempic tablets, Wegovy tablets): the peptide that survives the stomach
You'll get: Semaglutide comes as three daily tablets: Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets for diabetes, and Wegovy tablets for weight.
The three semaglutide tablets (Rybelsus, Ozempic, Wegovy), why they are not interchangeable, the 25 mg Wegovy tablet, trial results, and side effect rates.
Agents
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound): the GIP and GLP-1 dual agonist
You'll get: Tirzepatide is a once a week shot sold as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for weight and sleep apnea.
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound): how it differs from semaglutide, every FDA approval from 2022 to the 2026 heart indication, dosing, trials, side effects.
Agents
Orforglipron (Foundayo): the first small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist
You'll get: Foundayo is a once a day tablet approved in April 2026 for weight loss in adults; it is not approved for diabetes.
Foundayo, the daily GLP-1 pill approved April 2026 for weight loss: no food rule, how it differs from semaglutide tablets, trial results and side effects.
Guides
How the GLP-1 class works: one receptor, then two, then three
You'll get: GLP-1 is a gut hormone that raises insulin when sugar is high, slows the stomach, and lowers appetite.
The biology behind every GLP-1 drug: what the hormone does, why it had to be rebuilt to last, what GIP, glucagon and amylin add, how the new pill differs.
Live updates
What changed since this site was written
Sources checked October 23, 2026, refreshed every six hours.
Newest on PubMed
Papers indexed in the last year matching GLP-1 receptor agonists in the title (2,135 in total).
- An Updated Review of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists: Perioperative Implications, Guidance Statements, and Current Literature
Adv Anesth · December 1, 2026 · PubMed 42907084
- GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Reproductive Health: Implications for Contraception, Fertility, and Pregnancy
Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am · December 1, 2026 · PubMed 42907053
- GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Cancer Risk in Obesity Treatment
Obes Rev · October 21, 2026 · PubMed 42906947
- The Impact of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists on Post-Anesthetic Pulmonary and Gastrointestinal Adverse Events: A Target Trial Emulation Using Multinational Database
Am J Med · October 21, 2026 · PubMed 42906844
- Outcomes after Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery: A Matched Cohort Analysis and Comparison of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use and Bariatric Surgery in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Spine J · October 21, 2026 · PubMed 42906643
FDA and enforcement tracker
FormBlends research feed, data as of September 4, 2026.
September 1, 2026 · Adverse-event report update
FDA GLP-1 concerns page updated: 990 adverse-event reports for compounded semaglutide and >730 for compounded tirzepatide (as of May 31, 2026); border screening and fake-pharmacy labelsAugust 28, 2026 · Label or price event
FDA approves Mounjaro (tirzepatide) to reduce MACE risk in adults with type 2 diabetes (SURPASS-CVOT)August 27, 2026 · Court decision
Fifth Circuit affirms summary judgment for FDA in both GLP-1 shortage cases (Nos. 25-10600 tirzepatide; 25-10758 semaglutide)August 24, 2026 · FDA warning letter
FDA warning letters to five peptide vendors: Peak Performance Peptides (735127), Royal Peptides (734884), NuScience Peptides (733652), Peptide Partners (735063), TXP Innovations dba Tex Peptides (735067)August 24, 2026 · FDA warning letter
FDA warning letter: TXP Innovations LLC dba Tex Peptides (Unapproved New Drugs/Misbranded)
Compounded price index
Median all-in cash price per 28 days across providers, as of September 3, 2026.
- semaglutide, month 1 at 0.25 mg/week
- $197
- median of 14 providers
- semaglutide, month 4 at 1 mg/week
- $199
- median of 13 providers
- tirzepatide, month 1 at 2.5 mg/week
- $268
- median of 14 providers
- tirzepatide, month 4 at 5 mg/week
- $299
- median of 12 providers
- September 3, 2026: Index, All, baseline 51 rows. First weekly snapshot. Changes against this baseline will be listed here with the date they were observed.
PubMed lists come from NCBI E-utilities and are not reviewed by us before they appear. Feeds are FormBlends Research data (CC BY 4.0); FormBlends sells compounded GLP-1 drugs and appears in the price index under the same rules as every other provider. Compounded drugs are not FDA approved.
Browse
Sections
17 pages across 2 sections, each sourced to a label, a trial or a dated manufacturer page.
Agents
You'll get: 13 sourced pages, each with a plain-English opener
Semaglutide, the weekly shot behind Ozempic and Wegovy: how it works, every FDA approval from 2017 to the...
Guides
You'll get: 4 sourced pages, each with a plain-English opener
The biology behind every GLP-1 drug: what the hormone does, why it had to be rebuilt to last, what GIP,...
How each entry is built
Every agent page follows one template: what the molecule is and which receptors it activates, every FDA approval with its date and application number, the dosing schedule exactly as the label states it, the pivotal trials with their PubMed ids and headline numbers, the adverse-reaction rates from the label's placebo-controlled table, the boxed warning, and the current status. A fact that could not be traced to one of those sources was left out.
Approved, investigational, compounded
Thirteen entries cover nine agents with an FDA approval on record (two of them discontinued) and four agents still in trials. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide, including the products FormBlends dispenses, are not FDA approved and are not interchangeable with the brand products described here; the label numbers on this site describe the approved products only.