Semaglutide
Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus
Semaglutide copies one gut signal. Approved products include shots and tablets.
Ozempic carries diabetes uses. Wegovy carries weight uses.
First read
Meet the medicines before comparing care
The names sound alike. Their approved uses, forms, timing, and evidence are not the same.
Plain meaning
What the family name tells you
GLP-1 is a hormone, a chemical messenger your gut releases after you eat. It helps tell your brain you are full and helps your body handle sugar. These medicines are man-made copies of that messenger. Tirzepatide also copies a second gut hormone, called GIP, which does a similar job.
That shared family name does not make the products interchangeable.
The approval details in this comparison are current as of September 2026.
Tirzepatide
Mounjaro, Zepbound
Tirzepatide acts on two gut signals. Approved products are shots.
Mounjaro carries diabetes uses. Zepbound carries weight and sleep-apnea uses.
Liraglutide
Victoza, Saxenda, generics
Liraglutide is an older medicine in the same family. It is a daily shot.
A generic is a copy of a brand medicine made by another company under its own FDA approval, like the generic pills many people already take. As of September 2026, FDA-approved generics exist for both the diabetes version (Victoza) and the weight version (Saxenda), and the two are not swapped for each other, so ask the pharmacist which one you are getting.
Trial view
What major weight trials found
These are group averages, not forecasts for one person. Each study also included regular support around food and activity.
Semaglutide
About 15%
In the STEP 1 trial, adults without diabetes lost about 15% of body weight over 68 weeks, compared with about 2% on a dummy shot.
Tirzepatide
About 15%–21%
In SURMOUNT-1, adults without diabetes lost about 15% to 21% over 72 weeks, depending on the trial group, versus about 3% on a dummy shot.
Liraglutide
About 8.4 kg
In SCALE, adults without diabetes lost about 8.4 kilograms over 56 weeks, compared with about 2.8 kilograms on a dummy shot.
Do not line these three numbers up as a contest. Each trial studied different people for a different number of weeks, so each number only shows roughly what happened in that one study. Use them to see that weight loss in these studies was real but varied, and that your own result could be larger or smaller.
The trade-off
Common trouble and serious checks are both real
What often gets noticed first
Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation were common side effects in the weight trials for all three medicines.
The rates differed by product and trial, so one shared percentage would mislead.
What belongs in the health history
Before prescribing, a careful prescriber asks whether thyroid cancer runs in your family, whether your pancreas or gallbladder has given you trouble before, and about serious stomach problems, pregnancy plans, other diabetes medicines, and any surgery coming up. The labels rule these medicines out for anyone who has had, or has a close relative who had, medullary thyroid cancer, an uncommon form of the disease, or a rare inherited condition called MEN 2. The other items are warnings on the label, so tell the prescriber about each one and let them weigh it with you.
This is why a real review matters before a checkout page.