GLP-1 & Metabolic Research Peptides

The four compounds, what they actually target, and what has been tested

Retatrutide is the one compound here whose CAS number and molecular weight our own lab register does not record. Rather than copy a figure from somewhere we have not checked, that cell says so. The register has held the wrong compound identifiers three times on this project, so an unverified number would be worse than a blank.

The Retatrutide figure came from Janoshik, whose reports carry a verification key, so that one can be checked independently rather than taken on our word. An HPLC purity result covers identity and purity of the material in the tested lot. It does not measure sterility, endotoxin or heavy metals. We hold the report and send it on request.

Three of four have no figure. We could have put the manufacturer's own claimed purity on this page and left you to assume it was independent. We haven't.

"GLP-1" is not one thing, and one of these isn't a GLP-1 at all

The label gets used as though it describes the whole shelf. It doesn't, and the differences are mechanical rather than marketing.

Semaglutide acts at a single receptor, GLP-1.¹ Tirzepatide is a dual agonist at both GIP and GLP-1 receptors, and the published characterisation describes it as imbalanced and biased between the two rather than acting equally on each.² Retatrutide adds a third, glucagon, making it a triple hormone receptor agonist.³

Cagrilintide is the one that doesn't belong to that series. It's an amylin analogue,⁴ a different hormone system entirely. It sits in this category because that's where buyers look for it, not because it shares a mechanism with the other three. If your model specifies a receptor target, that distinction decides whether this compound is relevant to you at all.

Two of these exist as approved medicines. This is not those medicines.

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are active ingredients in licensed prescription products approved in various markets. Those products went through clinical trial programmes, are manufactured under pharmaceutical conditions, and are prescribed and supervised.

Research-grade material of the same molecule is not the same product, and trial results for the licensed medicine do not transfer to a vial bought online. Anyone citing those trials to describe research material is stretching the evidence past what it supports.

Retatrutide is different in a way worth understanding: no approved retatrutide product exists anywhere. The published work is trial-stage. A 2024 phase 2a randomised trial studied it in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.³ That's a trial of an investigational compound, not evidence about a research vial, and we're naming it so you know what stage the science is at rather than to borrow its conclusions.

Regulatory status in Canada

Health Canada regulates injectable peptides as drugs and has stated in writing that labelling one "for research use only" doesn't remove it from that regulation.⁵ Every compound on this page is supplied for laboratory research use only, and nothing here is approved for human or veterinary use.

This category carries more regulatory exposure than most of the catalogue, because two of the four molecules already exist as approved medicines. Where that is true, selling an unapproved version attracts more scrutiny, not less. We publish no dosing, no protocols and no stacks.

Buying GLP-1 peptides in Canada

All four ship as single lyophilised vials, anywhere in Canada. Two are in stock today, Retatrutide and Tirzepatide. Semaglutide and Cagrilintide are listed but out of stock, and their pages show current availability rather than this one.

Tirzepatide has the widest strength range in the whole catalogue, ten variations from 5mg to 120mg. Compare on price per milligram rather than price per vial, because a cheaper vial is often a smaller one. Each is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water, which we stock separately.

When you order, the batch reference travels on the packing slip, so where a report exists it's the report for the vial you open.

The neighbouring set is peptides for weight loss and body composition, which holds the two small molecules and the mitochondrial peptide rather than the incretin analogues.

Browse the full range, or contact us with a compound name to ask for a certificate before you buy.

Common questions

What are GLP-1 peptides? Compounds that act at the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor, sometimes alongside others. Here that covers a single agonist, a dual agonist and a triple agonist, plus one amylin analogue that isn't an incretin compound at all.

Which of these has a certificate of analysis? One. Retatrutide, at 99.562% with Janoshik, batch GYC42DWH. The other three are untested and their pages say so.

Is your semaglutide the same as the prescription medicine? No. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in licensed products in some markets. What we supply is research-grade material of the same molecule, made under different conditions, with no prescription, no supervision and no approval. The same applies to tirzepatide.

Why is Cagrilintide in this category? Because that's where people look for it. It's an amylin analogue rather than an incretin analogue, so mechanically it belongs with neither of the other three. We'd rather file it here and tell you than file it correctly and have it go unfound.

Are they safe? No safety profile has been established for any of these as supplied here, and a purity assay isn't a safety assessment. An HPLC result covers identity and purity in one lot. It doesn't measure sterility, endotoxin or heavy metals.

Are they legal in Canada? Health Canada regulates injectable peptides as drugs, and research use labelling doesn't change that. Nothing here is approved for use in a person, we won't supply dosing, and buying a vial doesn't make its use lawful. That applies with extra force to molecules that already exist as prescription products.

How long does reconstituted material last? Much less time than sealed lyophilised powder. Reconstitution shortens the usable life considerably, which is why the vials ship as dry powder.

Sources

1. Knudsen LB, Lau J. "The Discovery and Development of Liraglutide and Semaglutide." Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2019. doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00155. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31031702/
2. Willard FS et al. "Tirzepatide is an imbalanced and biased dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist." JCI Insight, 2020. doi:10.1172/jci.insight.140532. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32730231/
3. Sanyal AJ et al. "Triple hormone receptor agonist retatrutide for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a randomized phase 2a trial." Nature Medicine, 2024. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03018-2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38858523/
4. Carvas AO et al. "Cagrilintide lowers bodyweight through brain amylin receptors 1 and 3." EBioMedicine, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2025.105836. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40609154/
5. Health Canada. "Think twice before injecting peptides bought online: unauthorized products can seriously harm your health." Advisory, 9 April 2026: "This type of labelling does not make these products legal or exempt from regulatory requirements." https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/think-twice-injecting-peptides-bought-online-unauthorized-products-can-seriously-harm