TL;DR: Three peptides, three names you have probably heard. The simple version: semaglutide works on one pathway, tirzepatide on two, and retatrutide on three. Newer ones work on more pathways, which has tended to mean a bigger effect in studies. Here is the easy side-by-side.
The 30-Second Version
- Semaglutide — the original. Works on one pathway.
- Tirzepatide — the next step. Works on two.
- Retatrutide — the newest. Works on three.
That is the headline. If you only remember one thing, remember the counting: one, two, three. The rest of this guide explains what that actually means.
How Do They Compare?
Here is the quick side-by-side. Retatrutide is in the last column because it is the newest and the one most people are asking about.
| Semaglutide | Tirzepatide | Retatrutide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways it works on | One | Two | Three |
| In a nutshell | The original | The dual one | The triple one |
| How new it is | Established | Newer | Newest |
| Approved for medical use? | Yes, in many countries | Yes, in many countries | Not yet — still in trials |
| Stocked by Helix North (research) | Not stocked | Yes | Yes |
What Does "Pathways" Mean?
Think of a pathway as a switch in the body that affects things like appetite and blood sugar. Each of these peptides flips one or more of those switches.
Semaglutide flips one switch. Tirzepatide flips two. Retatrutide flips three. Flipping more switches at once is the main reason the newer ones have shown bigger effects in research — there is simply more going on.
A Closer Look At Each One
Semaglutide — the original
Semaglutide was the first of these three to become widely known. It works on a single pathway tied to appetite and blood sugar, and it has been studied the longest. Helix North does not stock semaglutide — it is here as the starting point the other two build on.
Tirzepatide — the dual one
Tirzepatide came next and added a second pathway on top of the first. In studies, working on two pathways instead of one tended to produce a bigger effect. For research, we stock it as Tirzepatide 10 mg, 20 mg, and 30 mg.
Retatrutide — the triple one
Retatrutide is the newest and the one getting the most attention. It works on three pathways at once — the two tirzepatide uses, plus a third. It is still going through clinical trials, so it is not approved for medical use yet and remains a research compound. We stock it as Retatrutide 10 mg and 20 mg. Working with it in the lab? See our step-by-step guide to reconstituting retatrutide.
The easiest way to keep these three straight: count the pathways. One, two, three — oldest to newest.
Which One Should You Read About Next?
This guide is the quick overview. For a deeper side-by-side of any two, we have a full write-up on each pairing:
- Retatrutide vs Tirzepatide — the two newest, head to head.
- Retatrutide vs Semaglutide — the newest against the original.
- Tirzepatide vs Semaglutide — the first two generations compared.
Are They Tested?
Every research vial we ship is third-party tested for purity, and you can see the results before you buy. You can read more about how we test on our quality page.
Everything Helix North sells is for laboratory research only — not for human consumption.
