Function
While Liraglutide is approved for type 2 diabetes and weight management, improving glycemic control and inducing weight loss through GLP-1–mediated insulinotropic, glucagonostatic, and appetite-suppressing actions6880, Retatrutide is an investigational agent that produces very large body-weight reductions in early trials by simultaneously engaging GLP-1R, GIPR, and GCGR to enhance satiety, energy expenditure, and glycemic control2575.
Mechanism
While Liraglutide works as a human GLP-1 analog with a single amino-acid substitution (Lys34→Arg) and a C16 palmitoyl fatty acid attached to Lys26 via a glutamate linker, producing a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist6880, Retatrutide is a triple incretin agonist peptide derived from a GIP backbone and engineered to activate GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors, with non-natural residues and fatty-acid conjugation that confer long half-life and balanced multi-receptor signaling256575.