Retatrutide and Tirzepatide side by side
Retatrutide and Tirzepatide are both indexed under Incretin receptor agonists. Every cell below carries the record it came from, and an axis with no retrieved value reads Unknown rather than being filled by inference.
Summary
Both are multi-receptor agonists within the incretin class, and the retrieved literature separates them by receptor count: tirzepatide is reported as a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, retatrutide as a GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist. No head-to-head trial between the two appears in the retrieved record set.
[1, 2, 3]Side by side
| Axis | Retatrutide | Tirzepatide |
|---|---|---|
| Reported mechanism | Triple agonist at the GIP, glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucagon receptors.[1] | Dual agonist at the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor and the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor.[2] |
| PubChem CID | Unknown PubChem returned no compound record for this name on the retrieval date, so this field is not sourced. | 166567236[8] |
| Molecular weight | Unknown PubChem returned no compound record for this name on the retrieval date, so this field is not sourced. | 4813 g/mol[8] |
| FDA application register | A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.[4] | A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned 2 application record(s) for this compound name (including NDA215866, NDA217806, marketed as MOUNJARO, MOUNJARO KWIKPEN, MOUNJARO (AUTOINJECTOR), ZEPBOUND, ZEPBOUND KWIKPEN, ZEPBOUND (AUTOINJECTOR)). Material supplied as a research chemical is not the subject of those applications and is not an FDA-approved product.[9] |
Where the two literatures diverge
Retatrutide adds glucagon receptor agonism to the two receptors tirzepatide covers, per the cited 2023 Lancet and 2021 Lancet trial reports. Record maturity also diverges sharply: PubChem returned a compound record for tirzepatide but none for retatrutide, so the identity axes are known on one side and explicitly unsourced on the other, and the FDA application register returned two application records for tirzepatide and none for retatrutide. The retrieved retatrutide literature is phase 2 stage, against phase 3 reports for tirzepatide.
[1, 2, 3]Where this page sits
Full pages: Retatrutide and Tirzepatide.
Shared class: Incretin receptor agonists.
Other pairs in the same class
- Cagrilintide and Semaglutide side by side
- Liraglutide and Semaglutide side by side
- Mazdutide and Tirzepatide side by side
All side-by-side pages: index.
Sources
- Retatrutide, a GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist, for people with type 2 diabetes: a randomised, double-blind, placebo and active-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2 trial conducted in the USA. Lancet (2023). pmid:37385280
- Efficacy and safety of a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide in patients with type 2 diabetes (SURPASS-1): a double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial. Lancet (2021). pmid:34186022
- Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity - A Phase 2 Trial. N Engl J Med (2023). pmid:37366315
- Drugs@FDA application register query for this compound, no application records returned. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA drugsfda endpoint (2026). fda:retatrutide
- Triple hormone receptor agonist retatrutide for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a randomized phase 2a trial. Nat Med (2024). pmid:38858523
- Effects of retatrutide on body composition in people with type 2 diabetes: a substudy of a phase 2, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, randomised trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol (2025). pmid:40609566
- A review of an investigational drug retatrutide, a novel triple agonist agent for the treatment of obesity. Eur J Clin Pharmacol (2024). pmid:38367045
- PubChem Compound Summary for CID 166567236, tirzepatide. PubChem, National Library of Medicine (2026). pubchem:166567236
- Drugs@FDA application register query for this compound, 2 application(s) returned: NDA215866, NDA217806. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA drugsfda endpoint (2026). fda:tirzepatide
- Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med (2021). pmid:34170647
- Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med (2022). pmid:35658024
- Tirzepatide for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis with Liver Fibrosis. N Engl J Med (2024). pmid:38856224
- Tirzepatide for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Obesity. N Engl J Med (2025). pmid:39555826
On each stated value was matched to the record cited for it. That is record matching, not an appraisal of the research. Compiled and checked by: Peptide Monographs editorial desk. No qualified clinical reviewer.