Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist developed by Novo Nordisk and FDA-approved as Ozempic (type 2 diabetes), Wegovy (obesity), and Rybelsus (oral T2D). It mimics the GLP-1 hormone, increasing insulin release, slowing gastric emptying, and reducing appetite. The research-grade material sold by peptide vendors is the same molecule but is not pharmaceutical-grade.
Research notes
How does Semaglutide work?
Semaglutide is a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist developed by Novo Nordisk. It's the first compound in the modern GLP-1 weight-loss class, FDA-approved across three brand names — Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus — for partly overlapping indications.
What doses are used in research?
Standard escalation goes 0.25 → 0.5 → 1.0 → 1.7 → 2.4 mg weekly. The 2.4 mg dose is the peak per-week weight-loss target used in the STEP trials.
Which vendors carry Semaglutide?
Semaglutide remains the best-covered compound in the research-vendor market — every audited vendor lists it. Pricing has compressed significantly through 2025–2026 as more vendors entered. Lower-tier vendors increasingly differentiate on price; top-tier vendors compete on COA quality.
What it's researched for
- weight loss
- type 2 diabetes
- cardiovascular risk reduction
Where to source it
ALL 9 VENDORS →RANKED BY COMPOSITE SCORE · PRICES ARE SNAPSHOTS FROM THE PRICE INDEX · PER-MG IS A WITHIN-COMPOUND COMPARATOR
Frequently asked about Semaglutide
What is semaglutide?
Semaglutide is a synthetic peptide that mimics the human GLP-1 hormone. It binds the GLP-1 receptor with high affinity, increases insulin secretion, slows gastric emptying, and reduces appetite. It was developed by Novo Nordisk and is FDA-approved under three brand names.
What's the difference between Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus?
All three are semaglutide. Ozempic is the once-weekly subcutaneous injection approved for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is the higher-dose once-weekly subcutaneous injection approved for obesity. Rybelsus is the oral daily tablet approved for T2D. Research-grade semaglutide from peptide vendors is the same molecule but is not labeled or distributed for human use.
Is research-grade semaglutide the same as Ozempic?
The molecule is the same; the formulation, sterility chain, and regulatory oversight are not. Pharmaceutical Ozempic is sterile, dose-standardized, and dispensed under prescription. Research-grade semaglutide is laboratory material with vendor-published COAs but no pharmaceutical-grade quality system. The compounded-pharmacy 503A pathway in the US is a separate regulatory question.
What doses are used in semaglutide research?
Published research most often references 0.25–2.4 mg weekly subcutaneous, mirroring the FDA-approved Wegovy titration ladder (0.25 → 0.5 → 1.0 → 1.7 → 2.4 mg). Half-life is approximately 7 days. Doses are cited as research-protocol references, not human-use recommendations.
What is the typical purity of research-grade semaglutide?
Janoshik Analytical and vendor COAs in our corpus typically show 96–99% purity by HPLC for semaglutide from audited vendors. Identity is usually confirmed by mass spectrometry. Per-vendor data is in the leaderboard further down this page.