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GLP-1 vs glp-2 vs glp-3

You are deciding between two options.

Reference and calculator, not medical advice. This page explains how something works; it does not tell you what to take. Last reviewed August 2026.

Two of these three exist. Here is the complete family, which is shorter than most people expect and stops well before it reaches a third glucagon-like peptide.

What proglucagon actually produces

GLP-1 and GLP-2 are both cut from the same precursor protein. This is the complete list of what that protein yields.

There is no GLP-3. The numbering stops at two because only two glucagon-like peptides are produced. No such hormone appears in the physiology literature, and a search of the FDA drug label database returns zero results for it.

What GLP-2 actually is

A real hormone from the same precursor protein as GLP-1, with an approved analogue — but for an entirely unrelated condition.

FDA-approved medication
Yes
Approved for
Short Bowel Syndrome in adults and children aged 1 and over who depend on parenteral support.
Example
Gattex (teduglutide), Takeda
Difference that matters
Acts on the intestine, not on appetite. It is not a weight-loss drug and is not prescribed as one.

This page describes what each thing is and what it is approved for. It does not compare how well they work, because that is a question for a prescriber with your history in front of them.

Set side by side, the two real ones split cleanly. GLP-1 acts on appetite and caloric intake, and its receptor is present in brain regions involved in appetite regulation — that is what the Wegovy label states. GLP-2 acts on the gut, increasing intestinal blood flow and inhibiting gastric acid secretion. One is the basis of every medication on this site; the other treats a rare malabsorption condition.

A search of the FDA drug label database for GLP-3 returns nothing, and the peptide does not appear in the physiology literature describing what proglucagon produces. There is no third entry to add to the table.

Common questions

Why were they numbered at all if there are only two?
They were numbered as they were discovered and mapped onto the precursor protein, in the order they appear along it. A sequence of two is still a sequence.
Which one is in Ozempic and Zepbound?
GLP-1. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist; tirzepatide targets GLP-1 and GIP. Neither touches GLP-2.
Is oxyntomodulin a drug?
Not one approved in the US. It is a fourth proglucagon-derived peptide and appears in research, but there is no marketed analogue to compare.

Sources and last review

This page is general reference rather than a dosing table, so it quotes no figures from a label. Nothing here is reviewed by a clinician, and this site does not employ one — which is exactly why what I do publish stays traceable to its source.

Transcribed from the labels above and checked by me — Gavin, who builds this site, takes a GLP-1, and is not a clinician. Last reviewed August 2026. Found an error? [email protected] — I treat corrections as bugs. How this site is built and funded.

Citing this page

The figures here are transcribed from FDA-approved labels and each links to its source. If you are writing about this, quote the label rather than this site where you can — and if this page saved you the transcription, a link is appreciated.

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