Here is the complete GLP-1 drug list for 2026: five molecules, 10 brand names, and exactly three FDA weight-loss approvals among them. Everything else on the list is a diabetes drug that doctors prescribe off-label, or a compounded copy that was never FDA-approved at all.
The price spread is just as stark. The same class of medication runs from $129 a month for compounded semaglutide to $1,899 a month for retail brand-name tirzepatide, per program pricing pages we verified in July 2026.
This guide sorts all of it. Which drug goes with which brand, what the trials actually measured, and what each one costs in the real world.
The Full GLP-1 Drug List at a Glance
Start with the master table. Five molecules cover every GLP-1 (and GLP-1-adjacent) medication an American can get a prescription for in 2026.
| Molecule | Brand names | FDA-approved for | How it is taken | Cited weight-loss result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide | Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus | Wegovy: chronic weight management (2021); Ozempic, Rybelsus: type 2 diabetes | Weekly shot; Rybelsus and Wegovy pill are daily orals | ~14.9% avg at 68 weeks (STEP 1) |
| Tirzepatide | Mounjaro, Zepbound | Zepbound: chronic weight management (2023); Mounjaro: type 2 diabetes | Weekly shot | Up to ~20.9% avg at 72 weeks (SURMOUNT-1) |
| Liraglutide | Saxenda, Victoza | Saxenda: chronic weight management (2014); Victoza: type 2 diabetes | Daily shot | Approved on older trial data; no modern trial cited here |
| Dulaglutide | Trulicity | Type 2 diabetes only | Weekly shot | Not FDA-approved for weight loss |
| Exenatide | Byetta, Bydureon | Type 2 diabetes only | Twice-daily or weekly shot | Not FDA-approved for weight loss |
Two numbers on that table matter more than the rest. Only 3 of the 10 brands — Saxenda, Wegovy, Zepbound — carry a weight-management approval. And the two modern drugs posted trial averages of 14.9% and up to 20.9% body-weight loss, figures no older drug on the list comes close to.
How do they work? Per the NIDDK, these drugs mimic the gut hormone GLP-1, which targets the brain regions that regulate appetite and food intake. Tirzepatide adds a second hormone, GIP — which is why it is technically a dual agonist that gets grouped with the GLP-1 class.
Semaglutide: Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus
One molecule, three brands, three very different labels. Semaglutide is the most-prescribed name on this list, and the brand you get determines both your legal indication and your price.
Ozempic is the weekly diabetes shot. Weight-loss prescriptions are off-label, insurers rarely cover them without a diabetes diagnosis, and cash pharmacy pricing runs about $900 to $1,100 a month, per one major telehealth platform’s July 2026 disclosures.
Wegovy is the same molecule dosed for weight loss. The FDA approved it in June 2021 — the first weight-management drug approval since 2014. In the STEP 1 trial, adults on the 2.4 mg dose lost an average of about 14.9% of body weight over 68 weeks, versus 2.4% on placebo. Per Wegovy’s FDA prescribing information, you do not start at 2.4 mg: dosing begins at 0.25 mg weekly and steps up over roughly 16 weeks.
Rybelsus is daily oral semaglutide, approved for type 2 diabetes. And 2026 added a fourth format: a Wegovy pill for weight loss reached major telehealth menus in January 2026 at about $149 for the first month, then $199 to $299, per program pricing pages. Our 10 best weight loss meds ranking tracks which platforms carry each format and what the fine print adds.
The 2026 wrinkle: new pills
Telehealth menus now also list Foundayo (orforglipron), a daily oral in the same appetite-hormone family, at roughly $149 the first month and $199 to $299 after, per program pricing pages verified in July 2026. Oral options matter for the needle-averse — but on current menus they are cash-pay only, with no insurance route.
Tirzepatide: Mounjaro and Zepbound
Tirzepatide is the heavyweight of the list — literally, by trial results. It activates two hormones (GIP and GLP-1) instead of one, and the published numbers lead the class.
Mounjaro carries the type 2 diabetes approval (2022). Zepbound is the weight-loss version, approved by the FDA in November 2023. Same molecule, different label, different insurance treatment.
The data: in SURMOUNT-1, participants on tirzepatide lost an average of up to about 20.9% of body weight over 72 weeks at the 15 mg dose, versus about 3.1% on placebo. The trial tested 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg weekly doses. That is roughly 6 percentage points more than semaglutide’s STEP 1 average — though no head-to-head result is quoted here, and individual responses vary.
Formats multiplied in 2025-2026. Zepbound now ships as a pen, a KwikPen, and single-dose vials, with telehealth cash pricing from about $299 the first month and $399 to $449 after, per program pricing pages. Retail without discounts is brutal: one platform’s own drug-pricing page lists Mounjaro and Zepbound at $1,899 a month.
The Older GLP-1s: Liraglutide, Dulaglutide, and Exenatide
The bottom half of the GLP-1 drug list is older, cheaper in some cases, and far less effective for weight loss. Here is the honest read on each.
Liraglutide: Saxenda and Victoza
Liraglutide was the original weight-loss GLP-1. Saxenda won its weight-management approval in 2014 — the approval the FDA itself referenced when it called Wegovy the first new entrant since then. Victoza is the diabetes version.
The catch is the calendar: liraglutide is a daily injection — 365 shots a year versus 52 for the weekly drugs. It is also the first GLP-1 with a generic; third-party pricing reports put generic liraglutide around $615 a month on telehealth menus in 2026. Per the NIDDK, Saxenda is approved for adults and children ages 12 and up.
Dulaglutide: Trulicity
Trulicity is a weekly shot approved only for type 2 diabetes. Some prescribers use it off-label when patients are already stable on it, but it has no weight-loss indication, and no weight-loss trial figure is cited for it here. If weight is the goal, the modern drugs above it on this list are where the evidence sits.
Exenatide: Byetta and Bydureon
Exenatide is the elder statesman — the first GLP-1 class drug on the US market, dating to 2005. Byetta is injected twice daily; Bydureon is weekly. Both are diabetes drugs with zero weight-loss approvals, and they have largely disappeared from weight-loss prescribing.
Why keep them on the list? Because label status drives money. The NIDDK notes that, on average, adults using prescription weight medications alongside lifestyle changes lose 3% to 12% more of their starting weight than lifestyle programs alone — but insurers only pay when the drug’s label matches the diagnosis. Our guide to GLP-1 for diabetes vs weight loss breaks down that coverage divide drug by drug.
Compounded Semaglutide and Tirzepatide: Not on the FDA’s List
Now the asterisk hanging over the entire market. Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide are not FDA-approved — plainly, not reviewed for safety, efficacy, or quality. The FDA’s own compounding Q&A is explicit that compounded drugs skip the approval process entirely.
They exist because of price. Program pricing pages we verified in July 2026 show compounded semaglutide at $129 to $299 a month and compounded tirzepatide from $149 to $499 depending on dose and platform — a fraction of brand-name retail.
The regulatory walls closed in fast. The FDA declared the semaglutide shortage resolved in February 2025, ending the legal window for mass compounding, per legal advisories cited in our research. Then in September 2025, the FDA sent a warning letter to Hims & Hers Health (dba Hers) over misleading compounded-semaglutide marketing — one of more than 55 warning letters to compounded GLP-1 sellers reported that month, per press coverage.
The FDA has also warned specifically about dosing errors with unapproved GLP-1 drugs sold online — patients drawing the wrong amount from multi-dose vials. If a program’s price looks impossibly low, this is the list it is not on. Weigh that before the $129 checkout.
What Each GLP-1 Costs in 2026
Same molecule, wildly different bills. Here is the cash-price landscape, with every figure from program pricing pages or third-party pricing reports verified in July 2026.
| Drug and route | Typical 2026 cash price | FDA-approved? |
|---|---|---|
| Compounded semaglutide (telehealth) | $129-$299/mo | No |
| Compounded tirzepatide (telehealth) | $149-$499/mo | No |
| Wegovy pill (telehealth) | $149 first month, then $199-$299/mo | Yes |
| Wegovy pen (telehealth) | $199 first month, then $199-$399/mo | Yes |
| Zepbound KwikPen (telehealth) | $299 first month, then $399-$449/mo | Yes |
| Generic liraglutide | ~$615/mo per third-party pricing reports | Yes (diabetes label) |
| Ozempic, cash at pharmacy | ~$900-$1,100/mo | Yes (diabetes label) |
| Mounjaro / Zepbound, retail list | $1,899/mo on one platform’s pricing page | Yes |
Watch the two traps in that table. First, “from” prices rise with dose — a Wegovy pen that starts at $199 can hit $399 at maintenance doses. Second, several platforms stack a membership fee of $39 to $149 a month on top of the medication, which can push the cheapest brand-name combo past $300 a month all-in. Our best GLP-1 programs ranking scores platforms on exactly those fees.
How to Choose From the GLP-1 Drug List
Five molecules, one decision. Run it in this order.
Start with the label. If you have type 2 diabetes, Ozempic or Mounjaro may be insurable at a copay. If weight is the diagnosis, only Saxenda, Wegovy, and Zepbound match the indication — and Wegovy and Zepbound own the modern trial data.
Then pick your format and budget. Weekly shot beats daily for adherence; pills beat both for needle-phobia but run cash-only at $149 to $299 a month. If the budget forces compounded, go in knowing it is not FDA-approved and the seller’s fine print matters more than its homepage price.
Finally, set your timeline. Both flagship trials ran 68 to 72 weeks, and dose escalation alone takes 4 months or more. Our guide to how fast GLP-1s work maps the month-by-month expectations, so you can judge a program by its 12-month total — not its first-month teaser price.