Research summary

What is semaglutide?

For research use only. The summary below reflects what has been published in the research literature. It is not medical advice or a guide to human use. Semaglutide is sold strictly for research and analytical purposes.

What is semaglutide?

Semaglutide is a peptide GLP-1 receptor agonist, the original single-receptor incretin, given once a week by subcutaneous injection.

It is the most established GLP-1 peptide in weight-loss and metabolism research, and the reference against which dual and triple agonists are compared. Research results vary with dose and duration.

Mechanism of action

Semaglutide is an analogue of human GLP-1 with two modifications that protect it from the DPP-4 enzyme and a fatty-acid chain that binds it to albumin, extending its half-life to around seven days and allowing a weekly dose. It activates a single receptor, the GLP-1 receptor.

Through that receptor it delays gastric emptying, increases satiety in the hypothalamus and brainstem, stimulates insulin secretion only when glucose is high and restrains glucagon secretion. It does not act on the GIP receptor or the glucagon receptor, which is why it is the reference against which dual and triple agonists are measured.

The published titration in obesity starts at 0.25 mg weekly and climbs every four weeks to 2.4 mg; in type 2 diabetes the maintenance doses are lower.

What the published research says

1.
Wilding et al., N Engl J Med, 2021 (STEP 1)PMID 33567185
1,961 adults with overweight or obesity, 68 weeks. Mean weight loss of 14.9% with 2.4 mg weekly against 2.4% with placebo.
2.
Marso et al., N Engl J Med, 2016 (SUSTAIN-6)PMID 27633186
Cardiovascular outcome trial in type 2 diabetes: fewer major cardiovascular events with semaglutide than with placebo over 2 years. It is the kind of long-term safety data that retatrutide does not yet have.
3.
Frías et al., N Engl J Med, 2021 (SURPASS-2)PMID 34170647
Head-to-head comparison in which tirzepatide outperformed semaglutide 1 mg on HbA1c and weight. It defines semaglutide's ceiling against dual agonism.

What side effects does semaglutide have?

Nausea and reduced appetite: the most reported effects, which usually settle with slow titration.
Other gastrointestinal effects at higher doses.
Mild, transient injection-site reactions.

How is semaglutide dosed?

It is dosed once a week and titrated gradually: a conservative research progression is 0.25 → 0.5 → 1 → up to 2 mg, stepping up every four weeks. Each dose is set on the pen.

See the full dosing protocol for semaglutide

How do you get semaglutide?

Body Pharm does not currently have a semaglutide pen in its catalogue. This page serves as research information only. For research use only.

How much does semaglutide cost per month?

This compound is not currently in the Body Pharm catalogue.

How it compares

Semaglutide is not part of Body Pharm's Spanish catalogue; this page describes it as a reference compound because almost all of the class's titration literature was built on it. Against tirzepatide and retatrutide it loses on the magnitude of weight loss in the comparative trials, but wins on years of follow-up, cardiovascular data and regulatory authorisation.

Anyone researching dual or triple agonists tends to use the STEP and SUSTAIN data as the baseline: any result with retatrutide or tirzepatide is read against the semaglutide curve at the same week.

Dosing semaglutide The best peptides for weight-loss research

Buying from the UK? See semaglutide on the UK store, which ships within the UK.

Buying from Germany? See semaglutide on the German store, which ships within Germany and Austria.

Buying from Czechia? See semaglutide on the Czech store, which ships within Czechia.

ByThe Body Pharm research team· Updated 4 October 2026

All Body Pharm products are sold strictly for research and analytical use. Not for human consumption.