A quiet analytical research laboratory at night, racks of glass vials along a dim bench.

Metabolic Health and the Incretin Era

Approved incretin medicines such as semaglutide and tirzepatide have changed metabolic medicine and shown what peptide engineering and delivery can achieve. They are prescription drugs. Vegalab does not make, compound or sell them; this page explains what they teach about delivering peptides.

What the approved drugs achieved

Native GLP-1 lasts about 2 minutes in plasma. Semaglutide, engineered for DPP-4 resistance and albumin binding, lasts about a week and produced mean weight loss of about 15% at 68 weeks in the STEP 1 trial. Tirzepatide, a GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, produced mean loss of about 21% at its highest dose in SURMOUNT-1. Both are approved by FDA for type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management under separate brand names.

The oral frontier

Oral semaglutide shows that an oral peptide is possible and how hard it is: bioavailability of about 0.4 to 1% with SNAC, strict fasting administration rules and much higher doses than the injection. Non-peptide oral GLP-1 agonists such as orforglipron take a chemistry route instead. Next-generation candidates, including triple agonists and amylin analogs, are in clinical trials and are not approved. Each approach carries different manufacturing costs and dosing constraints.

Where supplements fit

Supplements do not replicate incretin drugs, and products marketed as natural GLP-1 alternatives often overstate modest evidence. Compounds such as berberine have been studied for glucose metabolism with small trials. Compounded and research-grade semaglutide sold outside the approved supply chain has been the subject of FDA warnings. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Vegalab makes no such claims.

Key facts

Semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly produced mean body weight reduction of 14.9% at 68 weeks versus 2.4% with placebo (Wilding et al. 2021, N Engl J Med 384:989)
Tirzepatide 15 mg weekly produced mean weight reduction of 20.9% at 72 weeks (Jastreboff et al. 2022, N Engl J Med 387:205)
Oral semaglutide has an absolute bioavailability of about 0.4 to 1% (FDA label, Rybelsus 2019)
FDA has warned consumers about unapproved and compounded semaglutide products and dosing errors (FDA, Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss)

How our delivery technology applies

Incretins set the benchmark for our Peptide Delivery Program. Semaglutide's oral form shows the two problems encapsulation must address: protease degradation, which layered shielding can reduce, and epithelial permeability, which still needs a co-released enhancer. We use approved GLP-1 data as reference points for partner programs. We do not formulate incretins for consumer sale or as supplements.

Pharma partners: discuss oral peptide feasibility with our team.