Liraglutide
Liraglutide is an earlier GLP-1 medicine given as a daily injection. Saxenda is the brand approved for weight management, and Victoza is approved for type 2 diabetes.
Liraglutide (known as Victoza, Saxenda)
Also searched as: liraglutide injection, daily GLP-1 shot, liraglutide pen, lyraglutide.
Educational information. This page does not give dosing instructions or tell you what to take. Ask a prescriber about your own care.
In plain English
Liraglutide is a lab-made version of the gut hormone GLP-1, the same hormone that semaglutide copies. It tells the brain you are full, slows the stomach so food leaves it more gradually, and helps the pancreas release insulin when blood sugar is high.
It is given as a once-daily injection under the skin, which is the main practical difference from the weekly injections that came later. Saxenda is the brand approved for weight management. Victoza contains the same drug but is approved for type 2 diabetes.
Brand names and products
A generic name identifies the drug itself. A brand name identifies one company's product. One drug can come in several products with different forms and approved uses, so the brand name often tells you more about what a prescription is for.
| Brand name | Maker | Form | U.S. approved use | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saxenda | Novo Nordisk | Daily injection | Weight management | FDA-approved for weight management |
| Victoza | Novo Nordisk | Daily injection | Type 2 diabetes | FDA-approved, but not for obesity |
Approved and investigational. Each product above is approved only for the use shown. A product approved for type 2 diabetes is not approved for weight management. This page covers approved products. Other uses and doses of liraglutide may be under study. This atlas has not recorded them, so none are described here.
How it works
Liraglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor. In the brain this reduces appetite and food intake. In the gut it slows gastric emptying. In the pancreas it raises insulin and lowers glucagon when glucose is high.
Forms and approval status
| Form | How it is taken | U.S. status |
|---|---|---|
| Liraglutide injection (Saxenda) | Once daily. Daily injection under the skin from a prefilled pen. Follow the label and your prescriber for how to use it. | Approved in the U.S. for weight management in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, and in children 12 and older who weigh more than 60 kg and have obesity. |
What the trials found
These are group averages from published trials in adults without diabetes unless stated. See how to read trial numbers before comparing.
SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes
Average change in body weight, in kilograms. Every bar uses one scale, 0 to 10 kilograms.
- People studied
- 3,731 adults without type 2 diabetes who had a body mass index of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with high cholesterol or high blood pressure
- Length
- 56 weeks
- Compared with
- Placebo, with lifestyle counseling in both groups
- What was measured
- Average change in body weight at week 56, in kilograms
- Analysis approach
- Missing values filled in with the last recorded weight (last observation carried forward). The difference was 5.6 kg (95% confidence interval 5.1 to 6.0).
- Other results
- Weight loss of at least 5%: 63.2% with liraglutide vs 27.1% with placebo. More than 10%: 33.1% vs 10.6%.
- Safety
- Nausea and diarrhea were the most common side effects and were mostly mild or moderate. Serious events: 6.2% with liraglutide vs 5.0% with placebo.
- Limits
- Funded by the manufacturer. Participants did not have diabetes. Average starting weight was 106.2 kg and 78.5% were women. Group averages do not predict one person's result.
Sources: Pi-Sunyer X 2015
STEP 8
Average change in body weight. Every bar uses one scale, 0 to 25 percent.
- People studied
- 338 adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, without diabetes, at 19 U.S. sites
- Length
- 68 weeks
- Compared with
- Daily liraglutide 3.0 mg and a pooled placebo group. Semaglutide and liraglutide were compared open label.
- What was measured
- Average percent change in body weight at week 68
- Analysis approach
- Mean change from baseline. The placebo comparison was a supportive secondary result.
- Other results
- Weight loss of at least 10%: 70.9% with semaglutide vs 25.6% with liraglutide. At least 15%: 55.6% vs 12.0%. At least 20%: 38.5% vs 6.0%.
- Safety
- Gastrointestinal events: 84.1% with semaglutide vs 82.7% with liraglutide. Stopping treatment for any reason: 13.5% vs 27.6%.
- Limits
- The two active drugs were compared open label. Several authors work for Novo Nordisk, which makes semaglutide. Group averages do not predict one person's result.
Sources: Rubino DM 2022
Safety
Based on the FDA-approved label for Saxenda. The official label is the controlling source for warnings. The points below are a summary and may be incomplete.
Boxed warning and label notes
- Liraglutide injection (Saxenda): Boxed warning: risk of thyroid C-cell tumors. Liraglutide causes these tumors in rodents, and it is unknown whether it does in humans. Not for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.
Warnings labels describe
- The Saxenda label carries a boxed warning: liraglutide causes thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents, and it is unknown whether it does in humans. It is contraindicated with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2, and after a serious allergic reaction to liraglutide or its ingredients.
- The label's warnings and precautions list acute pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease, low blood sugar, increased heart rate, kidney injury from dehydration, severe stomach and bowel reactions, allergic reactions, and aspiration during anesthesia or deep sedation.
- The label says to advise a pregnant patient of the risk to the fetus and to stop Saxenda when pregnancy is recognized. Anyone planning a pregnancy should talk to their prescriber.
Most common in trials
- Digestive side effects are the most common type reported for this drug class. Saxenda-specific figures are not yet added to this atlas.
Less common but serious
- Pancreatitis
- Gallbladder problems
- Dehydration with kidney injury
- Severe allergic reactions
- Increased heart rate
What is still unknown
- How liraglutide compares with tirzepatide in a head-to-head weight-loss trial. None is recorded here. In STEP 8, weekly semaglutide led to more weight loss than daily liraglutide.
- How much weight returns after stopping, and how that varies between people.
Compiled from public information: FDA-approved labels, manufacturer websites, ClinicalTrials.gov and published journal articles. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
Sources
- Saxenda (liraglutide) injection: prescribing information Novo Nordisk, on DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Label version 6/2026. Official FDA label on DailyMed
- DailyMed: current FDA drug labels U.S. National Library of Medicine. Regulator
- Drugs@FDA: approved drug products U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Regulator
- A randomized, controlled trial of 3.0 mg of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes) Pi-Sunyer X, et al. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(1):11-22. PMID 26132939. Funding: Novo Nordisk. Journal article
- Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes (STEP 8) Rubino DM, et al. JAMA. 2022;327(2):138-150. PMID 35015037. Funding: Novo Nordisk. Journal article
- Mechanisms of action and therapeutic application of glucagon-like peptide-1 Drucker DJ. Cell Metab. 2018;27(4):740-756. PMID 29617641. Journal article
- Victoza (liraglutide) injection: prescribing information Novo Nordisk, on DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Label version 10/2025. Official FDA label on DailyMed