Comparisons·incretin & amylin analogs

Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide

What each compound's own studies show, lined up side by side, and whether any study has compared them directly.

Approved label Semaglutide Approved label Tirzepatide 5 studies name both Updated 14 Sep 2026

At a glance

Semaglutide

Approved label

6,039 publications · approved (2017)

Tirzepatide

Approved label

2,756 publications · approved (2022)

Studies naming both

indexed papers with both in the abstract; naming both is not comparing them

Compiled from 8 indexed sources, updated 14 Sep 2026. Cited findings carry an evidence tier; passages written from general knowledge are marked editorial synthesis. Nothing here is medical or dosing advice. What changed

The short answer

Semaglutide: tier approved label, 6,039 indexed publications, 305 randomized trials. Tirzepatide: tier approved label, 2,756 indexed publications, 131 randomized trials. 5 indexed studies compare them directly; the head-to-head section quotes what they state.

Side by side, from each record

Each column states what that compound's own record says. Nothing is inferred across columns.

Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, from their own records.
	Semaglutide	Tirzepatide
Class	incretin & amylin analogs	incretin & amylin analogs
Target	GLP-1 receptor agonist	GIP and GLP-1 receptor dual agonist
Evidence tier	Approved label	Approved label
Indexed publications	6,039	2,756
Randomized controlled trials	305	131
Human studies in ledger	21	22
Approval status	approved (2017)	approved (2022)

Studies that name both compounds

Indexed papers whose abstracts name both compounds, quoted. Read the design line on each card: naming both is not the same as comparing them.

Phase 3 clinical trial humans 2026 Human clinical trial
This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness (from the United States [US] societal perspective) of tirzepatide at its maximum-tolerated-dose (MTD) compared to semaglutide (MTD), both administered adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
Source pmid-42012820 · quoted verbatim from the abstract
Human study humans n = 376 2026 Observational, human
Among 553 073 adults with at least one semaglutide ( n = 376 697) or tirzepatide ( n = 176 376) prescription and baseline weight availability, documented initiation within ±3 months of the first structured prescription was identified in 141 189 semaglutide patients and 62 040 tirzepatide patients.
Source pmid-42433615 · quoted verbatim from the abstract
Clinical trial humans 2026 Human clinical trial
Patients treated with tirzepatide lost more weight than those treated with semaglutide (mean reduction, 14.7 vs. 10.8%; P P < 0.001), accompanied by faster monthly weight-loss velocity (2.54 vs. 2.18%).
Source pmid-42311474 · quoted verbatim from the abstract
Human study humans n = 920 2026 Observational, human
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists demonstrate cardiovascular benefits; however, head-to-head comparisons between semaglutide and tirzepatide remain limited.
Source pmid-42489387 · quoted verbatim from the abstract
Animal study mice 2026 Animal, preclinical
Given the therapeutic potential of GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide) in diabetic nephropathy, we evaluated their anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects in non-diabetic renal fibrosis using HK-2 cells and murine UUO and aging models.
Source pmid-42630988 · quoted verbatim from the abstract

Sources

Full citations. Every quoted claim above links to one of these.

1

Decoding the hallmarks of GLP-1RA weight-loss super-responders.
pmid-42147968 · 20 Apr 2026 · peer-reviewed
2

Comparative Efficacy of Tirzepatide vs. Semaglutide in Reducing Body Weight in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials and Real-World Data.
pmid-40503067 · 13 May 2025 · peer-reviewed
3

Cost-effectiveness of tirzepatide versus semaglutide for patients with obesity or overweight in the US: evidence from the SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head phase-3 trial.
pmid-42012820 · 21 Apr 2026 · peer-reviewed
4

Comparative Cardiovascular Pharmacovigilance of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide: A Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Database Analysis (2022-2026).
pmid-42639326 · 25 Jul 2026 · peer-reviewed
5

Auditable large language model curation of clinical notes refines glucagon-like peptide-1 initiation, persistence ascertainment, and compounding use beyond prescription records.
pmid-42433615 · 24 Jun 2026 · peer-reviewed
6

Weight-loss dynamics with tirzepatide versus semaglutide.
pmid-42311474 · 16 Jun 2026 · peer-reviewed
7

Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Outcomes Risk Reduction Associated With Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide: A Target Trial Emulation.
pmid-42489387 · 1 Jul 2026 · peer-reviewed
8

Comparative effects of semaglutide tirzepatide and retatrutide on renal fibrosis in UUO and aged mice.
pmid-42630988 · 13 Aug 2026 · peer-reviewed

Reference card

Reference card · generated 14 Sep 2026/compare/semaglutide-vs-tirzepatide

Comparison: Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide
Class: incretin & amylin analogs · incretin & amylin analogs
Target: GLP-1 receptor agonist · GIP and GLP-1 receptor dual agonist
Evidence tier: Approved label · Approved label
Indexed publications: 6,039 · 2,756
Randomized controlled trials: 305 · 131
Human studies in ledger: 21 · 22
Approval status: approved (2017) · approved (2022)
Studies naming both: 5 indexed papers

Each figure comes from that compound's own record. Print or save this card with its date.

Last reviewed and what changed

2026-09-14 · Comparison record generated from research/registry.json plan; 5 head-to-head claims drafted extractively by scripts/draft_claims.py.