Mazdutide and survodutide act on two receptors, GLP-1 and glucagon. Tirzepatide acts on GIP and GLP-1. Retatrutide acts on all three. Tirzepatide is in FDA-approved prescription medicines; the other three are investigational, each with Phase 3 trials on ClinicalTrials.gov. Their masses differ by hundreds of daltons, so a mass spectrometry line tells the four apart.
- Mazdutide and survodutide act at the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors; tirzepatide at GIP and GLP-1; retatrutide at all three.
- Tirzepatide is the only one of the four in FDA-approved medicines, first approved in 2022.
- Retatrutide (TRIUMPH) and survodutide (SYNCHRONIZE) are in registered Phase 3 programs; mazdutide's Phase 3 trials are in China.
- PubChem average masses: mazdutide 4,476 Da, survodutide 4,232 Da, retatrutide 4,731 Da, tirzepatide 4,813 Da.
- A mass spectrometry result separates the four; an HPLC purity figure alone cannot.
Four molecules, three receptors
People searching mazdutide vs retatrutide, or survodutide vs tirzepatide, are usually trying to place four names that turn up in the same headlines. They are four different peptides. They share a family resemblance, because each one is built to act at receptors from the incretin and glucagon system, but the receptor sets differ and so do the molecules.
Three receptors cover all four. GLP-1 is the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor. GIP is the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor. The third is the glucagon receptor itself. Tirzepatide hits GIP and GLP-1. Mazdutide and survodutide hit GLP-1 and glucagon. Retatrutide hits all three, which is why it gets called a triple agonist.
This page compares the four on what can be checked: receptor targets, development stage as registered, and the chemistry a certificate has to match. It says nothing about effects in people, and that is deliberate. Those findings belong to supervised trials of medicines, and this site sells research chemicals.
FOR LABORATORY AND IN-VITRO RESEARCH USE ONLY. NOT FOR HUMAN OR ANIMAL CONSUMPTION. NOT FOR PERSONAL, MEDICAL, DIAGNOSTIC, THERAPEUTIC, OR RECREATIONAL USE.
- Survodutide: GLP-1 and glucagon, about 4,232 Da
- Mazdutide: GLP-1 and glucagon, about 4,476 Da
- Retatrutide: GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon, about 4,731 Da
- Tirzepatide: GIP and GLP-1, about 4,813 Da
Mazdutide vs retatrutide: two receptors against three
Mazdutide was developed under the codes LY3305677 and IBI362. It is built on oxyntomodulin, a peptide the body already makes that activates both the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors. So mazdutide starts from a native dual agonist and is engineered for stability. Its development has been run mainly in China, where the registered Phase 3 trials carry the GLORY and DREAMS names.
Retatrutide, code LY3437943, was designed from a different starting point. The discovery paper describes a single peptide tuned to act at the glucagon, GIP and GLP-1 receptors at once. It is the only one of the four with GIP and glucagon activity together.
For a laboratory the practical difference is the receptor panel. An in-vitro assay built around the glucagon receptor will respond to both molecules. One built around GIP will respond to retatrutide and stay quiet for mazdutide. That single fact separates them better than any marketing description.
Survodutide vs tirzepatide: the same count, different pairs
Both are dual agonists, which is where the confusion starts. They do not share a pair. Survodutide, code BI 456906, acts at the glucagon and GLP-1 receptors, the same two as mazdutide. Tirzepatide, code LY3298176, acts at GIP and GLP-1. GLP-1 is the only receptor the two have in common.
Their regulatory positions are far apart too. Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in prescription medicines the FDA first approved in 2022. Survodutide has no approval anywhere. Its sponsor registered a Phase 3 program under the SYNCHRONIZE name, and several of those trials are listed as completed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Mazdutide vs tirzepatide splits the same way. Mazdutide pairs glucagon with GLP-1, tirzepatide pairs GIP with GLP-1, and only tirzepatide sits in an approved medicine. Retatrutide vs mazdutide is the first comparison again, read from the other side.
The four side by side
The table collects the facts that do not change with the news cycle. Formulas and masses are the PubChem computed values; codes and trial identifiers are as registered.
| Compound | Receptors | Developer code | Formula | Average mass (Da) | Stage, as registered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mazdutide | GLP-1, glucagon | LY3305677, IBI362 | C207H317N45O65 | 4,476 | Phase 3 in China (e.g. NCT05606913); not approved in the US or EU |
| Survodutide | GLP-1, glucagon | BI 456906 | C192H289N47O61 | 4,232 | Phase 3, SYNCHRONIZE (e.g. NCT06066515); not approved |
| Retatrutide | GIP, GLP-1, glucagon | LY3437943 | C221H342N46O68 | 4,731 | Phase 3, TRIUMPH (e.g. NCT05882045); not approved |
| Tirzepatide | GIP, GLP-1 | LY3298176 | C225H348N48O68 | 4,813 | In FDA-approved prescription medicines since 2022 |
Two things stand out. All four are long peptides in the 4,200 to 4,800 Da range, far from small molecules. And within that range the masses are spread out. The closest pair, retatrutide and tirzepatide, still sits about 80 daltons apart.
Where each one stands in development
Development stage is the fact most often stated loosely, so it helps to tie each claim to a registration.
Tirzepatide finished its Phase 3 SURPASS program years ago. The trials, such as SURPASS-4 (NCT03730662), are listed as completed, and the first FDA label carrying the molecule is dated 2022.
Retatrutide is in Phase 3 under the TRIUMPH name. NCT05882045 is one of the registered trials. The FDA has approved nothing containing it.
Survodutide has a Phase 3 program of its own. The registry lists a 726-participant trial (NCT06066515) and a cardiovascular safety study of more than 5,500 participants (NCT06077864) as completed, with a newer Phase 3b study not yet recruiting.
Mazdutide is furthest along in China. DREAMS-2 (NCT05606913) is listed as completed, and further Phase 3 trials such as GLORY-2 (NCT06164873) are registered there. Nothing containing it is approved in the United States or the European Union.
A registry entry tells you a trial exists, its size and its status. It is the right source for stage. Results are a separate matter and are not reproduced here.
What a certificate for each one has to show
Because the four masses are so far apart, identity is the easy part, provided the certificate actually reports a mass. A mass spectrometry result with an observed value beside the theoretical one settles which of the four is in the vial. A peptide sold as retatrutide that reads near 4,476 Da is mazdutide, or something else, and no purity figure can rescue that lot.
Purity by HPLC cannot do that job. It reports how much of the detected peak area is the main peak, and a clean single peak of the wrong peptide looks exactly like a clean single peak of the right one. That is why our purity vs identity guide treats them as separate questions.
Long acylated peptides also usually ionize with several charges at once, so the raw spectrum shows a ladder of peaks rather than one. A good report either deconvolutes that ladder to a single mass or names the charge state it read. The LC-MS identity guide walks through how to read both.
Checking a lot of any of the four
The checks are the same for all four, and they take a few minutes.
Match the lot number on the vial to the lot number on the report. Find the observed mass and compare it with the value in the table above, allowing for the charge state the lab reports. Confirm the purity result names its method and wavelength. Then look for the issuing laboratory's name and a way to confirm the report with that lab directly.
Our records follow that pattern. The retatrutide and tirzepatide pages show each size with its lot, and their certificates sit on the retatrutide certificate page and the tirzepatide certificate page. The mazdutide and survodutide records list their lots the same way, and the survodutide certificate guide covers what that report should carry field by field.
A seller who will not show the report before you pay leaves you with nothing to check. That holds whichever of the four you are comparing.
Why this page stops at chemistry
A lot of comparison pages for these names go on to compare what happened to people in the trials. We leave that out on purpose. Those numbers describe medicines given under medical supervision, and quoting them next to research material would borrow clinical evidence for something sold for laboratory work only.
What a laboratory can use is here: which receptors each peptide acts at, what stage its sponsor has registered, and which formula and mass a lot has to match. If you need the trial designs, the registry entries linked in the sources are the place to read them in full. For retatrutide specifically, how retatrutide works goes deeper into the receptor pharmacology.
Bottom line
Mazdutide and survodutide pair GLP-1 with glucagon. Tirzepatide pairs GIP with GLP-1. Retatrutide takes all three. Only tirzepatide is in approved medicines. For a buyer the deciding line on any certificate is the mass, because these four are hundreds of daltons apart and a purity figure alone cannot tell them apart.
Common questions
What is the difference between mazdutide and retatrutide?
Is survodutide the same kind of molecule as tirzepatide?
Which of the four is approved by the FDA?
How can a certificate tell these four peptides apart?
Are mazdutide and survodutide interchangeable since they hit the same receptors?
More documentation guides
Sources
- Coskun T, et al. LY3437943, a novel triple glucagon, GIP, and GLP-1 receptor agonist: from discovery to clinical proof of concept. Cell Metabolism 34(9):1234-1247 (2022) doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2022.07.013. Retatrutide's receptor profile at the glucagon, GIP and GLP-1 receptors.
- Coskun T, et al. LY3298176, a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist. Molecular Metabolism (2018) . Tirzepatide's dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor profile.
- FDA, MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) prescribing information, 2022 . The first FDA label for a medicine containing tirzepatide, cited only for approval status.
- PubChem compound records: mazdutide (CID 167312357), survodutide (CID 171378821), retatrutide (CID 171390338), tirzepatide (CID 166567236). Molecular formulas and computed average masses for the four compounds, read 2026-10-28.
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05882045, retatrutide Phase 3 (TRIUMPH program). Registration showing retatrutide's Phase 3 stage.
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06066515 and NCT06077864, survodutide (BI 456906) Phase 3. Registered Phase 3 trials of survodutide, listed as completed; NCT06077864 is the cardiovascular safety study.
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05606913, IBI362 (mazdutide) Phase 3, DREAMS-2. A completed Phase 3 trial of mazdutide run in China; GLORY-2 is NCT06164873.
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03730662, tirzepatide (LY3298176) SURPASS-4. A completed Phase 3 trial from tirzepatide's SURPASS program.
