GLP-1 access guide
What is GLP-1, and which drugs are GLP-1s?
GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1. In medication discussions, GLP-1 usually means a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a drug that acts at that receptor. Examples include semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide and orforglipron. Tirzepatide is a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist and is commonly included in the same discussion. Ingredient, brand, formulation and approval status are separate parts of a medication’s identity. [1][2][3][4][5][6]
At a glance
| Ingredient | Brand examples | Class / form | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide | Wegovy; Ozempic; Rybelsus | GLP-1 receptor agonist; injection or tablet by product | [1][9][10] |
| Liraglutide | Saxenda; Victoza | GLP-1 receptor agonist; injection | [2][11] |
| Dulaglutide | Trulicity | GLP-1 receptor agonist; injection | [3] |
| Exenatide | Byetta | GLP-1 receptor agonist; injection | [4] |
| Orforglipron | Foundayo | GLP-1 receptor agonist; tablet | [5] |
| Tirzepatide | Mounjaro; Zepbound | Dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist; injection | [13][6] |
The abbreviation is a class heading, not a product name
A request for a GLP-1 does not identify one medicine, one manufacturer or one approved use. Product labels identify the actual ingredient and receptor class. The term can be useful for organizing a directory, but a prescription and pharmacy quote need the finished product. This guide explains the naming categories rather than which medicine a reader should use. A clinician makes the individual treatment decision. [7][1]
The examples in the table are selected US prescription products, not a complete global list or a live pharmacy-inventory report. They show how one ingredient can appear under several brand names and how the broader GLP-1 discussion can include a dual-receptor drug. Being in the same conversation does not make the products interchangeable or mean all share the same approved indications. [6][8]
Read the ingredient behind the brand
Semaglutide appears in Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus products. Liraglutide appears in Saxenda and Victoza products. Dulaglutide is the ingredient in Trulicity, and exenatide is the ingredient in Byetta. These ingredient-to-brand mappings are identification facts from prescribing information. They do not establish identical formulations, approved uses or financial programs across the brands. [1][9][10][2][11][3][4]
Orforglipron is the ingredient in Foundayo, which FDA approved in April 2026. It is an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, not another brand name for semaglutide. This is an example of why an older class list can be incomplete even when the brands it names remain familiar. The current label and approval announcement supply the product identity used here. [5][12]
Tirzepatide has a dual classification
Zepbound and Mounjaro labels identify tirzepatide as a GIP receptor and GLP-1 receptor agonist. That is more precise than calling it only a GLP-1 receptor agonist or claiming it falls entirely outside the discussion because it also acts at another receptor. The directory includes it while preserving the dual classification. The name GIP does not identify a second ingredient in the brand. [6][13]
A class description also is not a ranking. This guide does not compare receptor activity as evidence that one ingredient produces better outcomes, is safer or suits a particular patient. The difference is part of the label’s product identification. Our semaglutide-versus-tirzepatide guide stays within ingredients, manufacturers and approved product categories. [6][1]
GLP-1 does not mean every product is an injection
Approved GLP-1-related products include injections and tablets. Wegovy has injection and tablet presentations, while the oral semaglutide labeling includes Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets. Foundayo is an orforglipron tablet. Identify the exact form alongside the brand; a general brand page or ingredient heading can otherwise leave the relevant product unclear. [1][10][5]
A compounded drop, lozenge or injection is not the same approval category as an approved manufacturer tablet or injection. FDA distinguishes compounded preparations from approved finished products. A service’s use of the GLP-1 category does not settle that distinction. Our formulation labels preserve what the primary source advertises rather than treating every route under the same ingredient heading as one equivalent offer. [14][15]
Approval and indication belong to the named product
Some named products have weight-management indications, some have diabetes indications and some labels include other specific uses. A product being a GLP-1-related drug does not establish approval for weight management. Our approved-weight-loss guide identifies the relevant products from their labels. It does not apply one brand’s indication to every brand using the same ingredient. [1][9][13][6]
An approved generic is also a different category from a compounded preparation. FDA publishes generic approval records, including liraglutide referencing Saxenda, while its compounding questions explain that compounds are not approved generics. Use the exact product category when researching care rather than treating a lower price or a broad class name as an approval determination. [16][8][14]
Use the naming map before comparing providers
Start with the medication page matching the brand or compounded category you want to discuss, then use your state page to identify documented services. A provider advertising GLP-1 care may offer only some of the medications in this guide. The class heading is not evidence of every product’s availability in every state. The clinical service and dispensing pharmacy confirm the actual arrangement. [17]
Keep the full product name and formulation with each quote. That makes it possible to distinguish a medication-only manufacturer price from a care program, a brand from a compound and an actual monthly charge from a prepaid equivalent. The class overview supplies vocabulary for those comparisons; it does not replace the financial details or a clinician’s evaluation. [18][7]
Additional reading from a provider
These pages describe a provider’s perspective or its own service. The official documents cited in this guide establish regulatory, approval and program facts.
- Gentle Health: Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro overview (provider-authored)
Gentle’s discussion covers four familiar brands; it is additional context rather than an exhaustive list of GLP-1 ingredients or products.
Checked
Sources
Sources are checked on the dates shown. Official documents establish product and program rules; provider sources describe their own offers and the additional reading identified above. Provider catalog examples retain their original price-check dates; this article’s preparation date does not refresh them.
- FDA: Wegovy injection and tablet prescribing information, June 2026 — checked .
- Novo Nordisk: Saxenda prescribing information — checked .
- Lilly: Trulicity prescribing information — checked .
- FDA: Byetta prescribing information, May 2025 — checked .
- FDA: Foundayo prescribing information, July 2026 — checked .
- Lilly: Zepbound prescribing information, August 2026 — checked .
- FDA: development and approval process for drugs — checked .
- FDA: generic drug facts and approval requirements — checked .
- Novo Nordisk: Ozempic injection prescribing information — checked .
- FDA: Rybelsus and Ozempic tablet prescribing information — checked .
- Novo Nordisk: Victoza prescribing information — checked .
- FDA: April 2026 Foundayo approval announcement — checked .
- Lilly: Mounjaro prescribing information — checked .
- FDA: compounding questions and answers — checked .
- FDA: unapproved GLP-1 drugs — checked .
- FDA: first generic approvals in 2025, including Saxenda-referencing liraglutide — checked .
- FDA BeSafeRx: online pharmacy questions — checked .
- FTC: trials, automatic renewals and subscriptions — checked .
- Gentle Health: Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro overview (provider-authored) — checked .