Reference

Compare peptides

Two to four compounds, field by field: identity, United States regulatory status, and what kinds of documents are on file. The table records differences. It does not rank them.

Compound 1

Compound 2

Compound 3 (optional)

Compound 4 (optional)

No winner, no score, no recommendation. Counts describe how many documents of each kind Therapept has indexed — not how well a compound works, and not how much has been published overall.

Link to this comparison: /compare?peptides=finasteride,semaglutide,tirzepatide

Side-by-side comparison of Finasteride, Semaglutide, Tirzepatide
Identity
	Finasteride	Semaglutide	Tirzepatide
Class	Small-molecule 5-alpha-reductase type II inhibitor, supplied as oral tablets	GLP-1 receptor agonist (acylated GLP-1 analogue)	Dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist
Also listed as	Propecia, Proscar, MK-906	Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, NN9535	Mounjaro, Zepbound, LY3298176
Molecular formula	C23H36N2O2	C187H291N45O59	C225H348N48O68
Molecular weight	372.55 g/mol	4114 g/mol	4813.53 Da (FDA label); 4813 g/mol (PubChem)
CAS	98319-26-7	910463-68-2	2023788-19-2
PubChem CID	57363	56843331	156588324
Sequence length	Not recorded	Described structurally, not as a residue list	Described structurally, not as a residue list
Data caveat	None recorded	None recorded	PubChem carries several duplicate deposits named “Tirzepatide” with identical CAS and formula. Full caveat
United States regulatory status
Status	FDA-approved drug substance	FDA-approved drug substance	FDA-approved drug substance
FDA application	NDA 020788 (PROPECIA) — approved 19 December 1997	NDA 209637 (Ozempic), NDA 213051 (Rybelsus), NDA 215256 (Wegovy)	NDA 215866 (Mounjaro), NDA 217806 (Zepbound)
Compounding	No FDA compounding entry recorded	Subject of FDA communications on GLP-1 compounding following resolution of the shortage.	Subject of FDA communications on GLP-1 compounding following resolution of the shortage.
WADA	Not named in this record	Not named in this record	Not named in this record
Research profile
Research purpose	Approved oral androgen-pathway treatment	Glycaemic control and chronic weight management	Dual-incretin glycaemic and weight management
Proposed mechanism	Inhibits type II 5-alpha-reductase, reducing conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. Lower scalp DHT slows follicular miniaturisation in responders.	Mimics the gut hormone GLP-1 at its receptor, increasing glucose-dependent insulin release, slowing stomach emptying and reducing appetite signalling in the hypothalamus.	Activates both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors. GLP-1 contributes appetite suppression and slowed gastric emptying; GIP contributes insulinotropic and adipose effects that are still being characterised.
Human evidence	Randomised trials in men with mild-to-moderate androgenetic alopecia support the approved indication. It is not approved for women.	Multiple randomised controlled trials and cardiovascular outcome trials support the approved indications. This is approved-drug evidence, not research-chemical evidence.	Large randomised Phase 3 programmes (SURPASS and SURMOUNT) underpin two approved indications.
Evidence tier	Approved drug product in the United States	Approved drug product in the United States	Approved drug product in the United States
Known safety concerns	The label carries warnings and precautions, including sexual adverse experiences and effects on prostate-specific antigen. Finasteride is not indicated for women; the label addresses pregnancy risk. This record is not a complete safety profile or a prescribing guide.	Gastrointestinal adverse effects are common and are described in the approved labelling. The label carries warnings and contraindications, including a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2. Rapid weight loss can be accompanied by loss of lean mass; the label and clinical follow-up address this, not a supplement claim.	Gastrointestinal adverse effects are common in the trials and labelling. The label carries warnings and contraindications, including thyroid C-cell tumour contraindications. Gallbladder and pancreatic events are described in the labelling as warnings; this is not a complete safety profile.
Evidence gaps	Reliable prediction of who will respond. The natural history of reported persistent sexual adverse effects after stopping. Long-term outcomes beyond the trial periods.	Long-term outcomes beyond the trial programmes, including weight regain after stopping, are incompletely characterised. Whether any incretin directly causes or worsens hair shedding is not established by controlled evidence indexed here.	Long-term cardiovascular outcome data continue to accrue and differ by population. The relative contribution of GIP versus GLP-1 to weight loss in humans is not fully resolved.
Head-to-head evidence	Dutasteride and finasteride have been compared in trials and reviews, but dutasteride is not FDA-approved for hair loss in the United States.	Tirzepatide has been compared with semaglutide 1 mg in the SURPASS programme. No published head-to-head trial against retatrutide exists.	Tirzepatide has been compared directly with semaglutide 1 mg in SURPASS trials. No head-to-head against retatrutide is published.
Named pathways	5-alpha-reductase type II · DHT synthesis · Androgen receptor signalling	GLP-1 receptor · Gastric emptying · Hypothalamic appetite signalling · Insulin secretion	GIP receptor · GLP-1 receptor · Gastric emptying · Hypothalamic appetite signalling · Insulin secretion
Evidence on file
Records	1Open evidence file	4Open evidence file	3Open evidence file
Human-interventional records	0	2	2
Human-observational records	0	0	0
Animal records	0	0	0
In-vitro records	0	0	0
Reviews	0	0	0
Regulatory documents	1	2	1
Earliest indexed	2022	2016	2021
Latest indexed	2022	2026	2023

Every identity and regulatory value above is taken from the compound’s record, where its sources are listed. Evidence counts are derived from the published evidence file at build time. A missing class means no document of that kind is indexed — not that none exists.

Overlapping pathways

Named in the mechanism discussion for at least two of these compounds: Gastric emptying · GLP-1 receptor · Hypothalamic appetite signalling · Insulin secretion.

Shared biology is not shared evidence. No claim of synergy is made here, and overlapping pathways do not mean the compounds have been studied together.