GLP-1 vs glp 2
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.
Both are real, both come from the same precursor protein, and they have almost nothing to do with each other in practice. GLP-1 regulates appetite and caloric intake. GLP-2 acts on the intestine. The similar names describe where they were cut from, not what they do.
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.
- GlucagonRaises blood glucose. The hormone the whole family is named after.
- GLP-1Glucagon-like peptide-1. Regulates appetite and caloric intake; the target of every medication on this site.
- GLP-2Glucagon-like peptide-2. Acts on the intestine — increases intestinal blood flow and inhibits gastric acid secretion. Nothing to do with appetite.
- OxyntomodulinAlso cleaved from proglucagon. No approved analogue on the US market.
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.
The practical consequence: there is an approved GLP-2 analogue on the US market, and it is not a weight-loss drug and never has been. Teduglutide is given to people with short bowel syndrome who depend on intravenous nutrition, to improve intestinal absorption. Nobody is prescribed it to lose weight, and comparing it to Wegovy is comparing two drugs that share a naming convention and nothing else.
Common questions
- Is GLP-2 a newer or better version of GLP-1?
- No. The numbers are not versions. Proglucagon is cut into several pieces and the two glucagon-like fragments were numbered in the order they sit on the precursor. GLP-2 is not an upgrade any more than a second chapter is an upgrade of the first.
- Could a GLP-2 drug help with weight?
- It is not indicated for it and its mechanism points the other way — GLP-2 supports intestinal absorption. This site does not speculate beyond what labels state.
- Do any drugs target both?
- No product approved in the US targets GLP-1 and GLP-2 together. Tirzepatide targets GLP-1 and GIP, which is a different second target entirely.
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.
- This page carries no product-specific dosing figures. The labels behind everything on this site are listed on the sources page, and the originals live on DailyMed.
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.
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