- 3
- Receptors retatrutide switches on
- 2
- Receptors mazdutide and survodutide switch on
- 19
- Candidates screened before survodutide was picked
The short answer
What is the difference between retatrutide, mazdutide and survodutide?
The number of hormone receptors each one switches on. Retatrutide works on three: the receptors for GLP-1, GIP and glucagon [1]. Mazdutide and survodutide work on two: GLP-1 and glucagon [4] [2].
An agonist is a molecule that switches a receptor on. That is why you see retatrutide called a triple agonist and the other two called dual agonists. The labels count receptors. They do not rank the compounds.
So the gap is GIP. GLP-1 and GIP are hormones the gut releases after a meal. Glucagon is made in the pancreas and acts mainly on the liver. Mazdutide and survodutide leave the GIP receptor out. Retatrutide adds it.
All three are synthetic peptides, linked to different companies in the papers. Retatrutide comes from Eli Lilly [1]. Survodutide comes from Boehringer Ingelheim [2]. Mazdutide carries a Lilly code and an Innovent Biologics code, and its trials were run in China [4].
The three side by side
| Retatrutide | Mazdutide | Survodutide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receptors | GLP-1, GIP and glucagon | GLP-1 and glucagon | GLP-1 and glucagon |
| Called a | Triple agonist | Dual agonist | Dual agonist |
| Codes in papers | LY3437943 | IBI362, LY3305677 | BI 456906 |
| Company in the papers | Eli Lilly | Innovent Biologics | Boehringer Ingelheim |
| First paper here | 2022, Cell Metabolism | 2021, EClinicalMedicine | 2022, Molecular Metabolism |
Retatrutide
Where does retatrutide come from?
Eli Lilly scientists described retatrutide in 2022 under the code LY3437943. They tested it in cells carrying each receptor, then in mice, then in a first small study in people [1].
Other labs have used it since. A German team took heart tissue from mice, kept it beating in an organ bath, and measured whether retatrutide changed how it beat [7]. A Japanese research company put it in the same mouse study as semaglutide and tirzepatide [8].
Retatrutide is the only one of the three in our catalog. It comes as a white freeze-dried powder, kept frozen and away from light until it is reconstituted for lab work.
For how it lines up against its two-receptor cousin from the same company, see retatrutide vs tirzepatide. The plain-English background is in the retatrutide guide.
Survodutide
Where does survodutide come from?
Boehringer Ingelheim scientists described it in 2022 under the code BI 456906. Their rationale drew on oxyntomodulin, a gut peptide that switches on both the glucagon and GLP-1 receptors. They tested the new peptide in cell assays and then in animal studies [2].
A 2024 paper from the same company explained how it was chosen. The team started with 19 candidate dual agonists and narrowed them down with lab tests: hamster cells built to carry the human receptors, mouse cells, and rat liver cells [3].
Both of those papers are lab and animal work. For a research comparison, that makes them a good place to start: the cell tests show which receptors the peptide engages before any study in people [2] [3].
Oxyntomodulin is worth knowing because it shows the idea. The body already makes a peptide that switches on the glucagon and GLP-1 receptors together. Survodutide follows that two-receptor pattern, and mazdutide works on the same pair. Retatrutide goes one step further and adds GIP.
- 01
Start with 19 candidates
Peptides built to switch on both the glucagon and GLP-1 receptors.
- 02
Test in cells
Hamster cells carrying the human receptors, plus mouse and rat cells.
- 03
Test in animals
Check that each receptor is engaged in a living animal.
- 04
Pick one
Three went to deeper profiling. BI 456906 went forward and was later named survodutide.
Mazdutide
Where does mazdutide come from?
Mazdutide shows up in papers under two codes, IBI362 and LY3305677. The papers call it a GLP-1 and glucagon dual agonist [4].
The early papers print both codes side by side. Later papers use the name mazdutide, with IBI362 next to it [6]. If you are reading older work, search for the codes as well as the name, or you will miss papers.
The early papers on it are trials in people, run in China with Innovent Biologics [4] [5] [6]. We sell research material, so this page does not cover what those trials found.
The family
Why do these three get compared?
They belong to the same family of lab-made peptides built on gut hormones. Each one is designed to switch on more than one receptor at a time. A 2025 review in the journal Peptides covers the whole family, from one-receptor compounds to the newer multi-receptor ones [9].
The useful way to sort them is by receptor count. Two receptors for mazdutide and survodutide, three for retatrutide. When a paper names more than one of them, check which result goes with which compound.
Papers also test a multi-receptor peptide next to other gut-hormone peptides in the same animals. One example put retatrutide next to semaglutide and tirzepatide in the same mouse study [8]. Side-by-side work like that shows how compounds with different receptor counts compare under the same conditions.
Two receptors or three
- Mazdutide
- Survodutide
- GLP-1 and glucagon
- No GIP
- Retatrutide
- GLP-1, GIP and glucagon
- Adds GIP to the pair
In our catalog
Which of these does SBz carry?
We stock retatrutide in 10, 30 and 60 mg vials, sold for laboratory research only. We do not carry mazdutide or survodutide. Our GLP-1 category lists every related compound we do stock, and each product page posts its lab certificate as results come in.
If you are planning a comparison study, write down the codes and the receptor counts at the start, so your notes match the papers you cite.
- Check which compound each result belongs to
- Check how many receptors it works on
- Check what it was tested in: cells, animal tissue, mice or people
- Match the code in the paper to the name
Questions
Common questions
Is mazdutide the same as retatrutide?
No. Mazdutide works on two receptors, GLP-1 and glucagon. Retatrutide works on three, adding GIP.
Is survodutide the same as mazdutide?
No. They are different peptides, linked to different companies in the papers. Both work on the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors.
What do the codes mean?
Drug makers name a compound with a code before it gets a name. LY is Eli Lilly, BI is Boehringer Ingelheim and IBI is Innovent Biologics.
Do you sell mazdutide or survodutide?
No. We stock retatrutide, for laboratory research only.