Pharmacology & biology

Dual agonist

Also known as: co-agonist · twincretin

A single molecule that activates two different receptors — for example tirzepatide at both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors.

In plain terms

A dual agonist is one molecule, not two drugs in a vial. That distinction matters: the ratio of activity at each receptor is fixed by the molecule’s chemistry and cannot be adjusted by changing the dose.

Compounds where this comes up

Peptide

Tirzepatide

Guides that use this term

Semaglutide vs tirzepatide: what the head-to-head trial found

SURMOUNT-5 compared them directly over 72 weeks: tirzepatide produced 20.2% weight loss versus 13.7% for semaglutide. What that number does and does not settle.

Educational reference only. Pepperz does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, prescribing guidance, or dosing recommendations.