GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: medications in this class

Overview

GLP-1 is a hormone released from the gut after eating. The drugs in this class copy it, with chemical changes that make them last from a day to a week. They increase insulin only when blood sugar is high, which is why they rarely cause hypoglycemia on their own, and they slow stomach emptying and act on appetite centers in the brain, which is why they cause weight loss.

Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus), dulaglutide (Trulicity) and liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) are the pure GLP-1 agonists; tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) acts on a second hormone receptor as well and is often grouped with them. Each brand is approved for a specific use, diabetes or weight management, at specific doses, and a prescription for one brand cannot be filled with another.

Nausea and other gut effects are common when starting and after each dose increase. The class carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents and is avoided in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer.

How the drugs in this class differ when you pay cash

Semaglutide, tirzepatide and dulaglutide have no approved generic, while generic liraglutide has been approved; quotes for the same product and strength can still differ between pharmacies, and the pharmacy needs to be able to supply the exact strength on your prescription. The manufacturers run savings cards for commercially insured patients and assistance programs for the uninsured; a cash-paying patient should know which, if either, applies before comparing pharmacies.

Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide were sold during shortages. They are not FDA-approved products, the shortage listings that permitted them have been changing, and the FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality; our semaglutide guide sets out the position. The Orange and Purple Books show which products in the class have approved generics or biosimilars.

Since late 2025 the class has gained two daily pills for weight management, the Wegovy tablet and Lilly’s Foundayo (orforglipron, a non-peptide drug that acts on the same receptor), and the manufacturers sell their weight-management brands directly to self-paying patients at prices set by dose. A Medicare bridge program running from July 2026 to the end of 2027 covers several of them for eligible Part D enrollees.

Medicines at a glance

How the medicines in this group are supplied and usually taken. Each guide has the full details.

• Semaglutide
  Prefilled pens, Single-dose prefilled syringes, Tablets
  Generic: No · Once a week
• Tirzepatide
  Single-dose prefilled pens, Single-dose vials, KwikPen (single-patient-use, four doses)
  Generic: No · Once a week
• Dulaglutide
  Single-dose prefilled pen
  Generic: No · Once a week
• Liraglutide
  Prefilled multi-dose pen (Victoza, Saxenda and generics)
  Generic: Yes · Once a day

Medications

Which of these is right for a given person is a decision for the prescriber. The guides explain what each drug is, how it is supplied, and why its cash price varies between pharmacies. No page on this site shows a price; prices come from pharmacies responding to your actual prescription.

Questions worth asking

• Which brand and strength is on my prescription, and does the pharmacy stock it?
• Does the quote reflect a manufacturer program, and do I qualify for one?
• What should I expect in the first weeks, and what should make me call?
• How do I store the pens and travel with them?
• Is there a plan for how long I will stay on it?