liraglutide
updated
Liraglutide is a daily GLP-1 medicine with established roles in weight management and type 2 diabetes. Saxenda and Victoza contain the same molecule but have different labels, target exposures, and evidence packages.
GLP-1 receptor agonist
- Prescription medicine
- Once-daily injection
- Saxenda and Victoza are product-specific records
What is the difference between Saxenda and Victoza?
Both products contain liraglutide, but Saxenda is the chronic weight-management product and Victoza is the type 2 diabetes product with its own cardiovascular-risk-reduction indication in labeled adults. Their labels, dose ceilings, age criteria, and trial outcomes must stay attached to the product.
| Product | Primary US use | Evidence base |
|---|---|---|
| Saxenda | Chronic weight management in labeled adults and pediatric patients | Weight-management trials and stopping rules |
| Victoza | Type 2 diabetes; labeled cardiovascular-risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease | Diabetes and cardiovascular outcomes |
Saxenda label · weight management
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Saxenda prescribing information, revised February 2026.
Defines Saxenda's current weight-management indication, exact adult and pediatric continuation thresholds, common adverse reactions, serious warnings, contraindications, and interaction context; it marks the prior suicidal-behavior section removed.
- Participants / model
- Adults and pediatric patients who meet the labeled chronic weight-management criteria
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Saxenda
- Follow-up
- Current label revised February 2026
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
The label's pediatric and adult response rules are not interchangeable.
Read the original sourceVictoza label · type 2 diabetes
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Victoza prescribing information, revised October 2025.
Defines the Victoza type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular-risk-reduction indications and its product-specific dosing and safety record.
- Participants / model
- Adults and labeled pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular indication applies to labeled adults
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Victoza
- Follow-up
- Current label revised October 2025
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
Victoza's diabetes record should not be presented as a Saxenda weight-management result.
Read the original sourceWhat did the main adult weight-management trial find?
In SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes, 3,731 adults without type 2 diabetes were randomized for 56 weeks. Mean weight loss was 8.4 kg with liraglutide and 2.8 kg with placebo, with lifestyle counseling in both groups. The analysis used last-observation-carried-forward imputation, which matters when reading the average.
- Liraglutide
- -8.4kg
- Placebo
- -2.8kg
At least 5% weight loss occurred in 63.2% of the liraglutide group and 27.1% of placebo. Nausea and diarrhea were the most frequent adverse events.
SCALE · 56-week weight trial
Randomized, double-blind trial
Pi-Sunyer X et al. New England Journal of Medicine, 2015.
Among 3,731 adults without type 2 diabetes, mean weight loss at 56 weeks was 8.4 kg with liraglutide and 2.8 kg with placebo; 63.2% versus 27.1% lost at least 5%.
- Participants / model
- Adults with obesity, or overweight plus dyslipidemia or hypertension, without type 2 diabetes
- Treatment
- Daily liraglutide 3.0 mg or placebo plus lifestyle counseling
- Follow-up
- 56 weeks
- Study design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
The reported mean used last-observation-carried-forward imputation; 61.2% of participants had prediabetes.
Read the original sourceHow did daily liraglutide compare with weekly semaglutide?
STEP 8 directly compared the two in 338 adults with overweight or obesity and no diabetes. At 68 weeks, mean weight change was -6.4% with liraglutide and -15.8% with semaglutide. The active-treatment comparison was open label, and discontinuation for any reason was more common with liraglutide.
STEP 8 informs product choice but does not determine treatment for an individual. Liraglutide also has cardiovascular-outcome evidence in high-risk type 2 diabetes and a labeled adolescent weight-management population.
STEP 8 · liraglutide versus semaglutide
Randomized, open-label active-comparator trial
Rubino DM et al. JAMA, 2022.
In 338 adults without diabetes, mean weight change at 68 weeks was -6.4% with daily liraglutide and -15.8% with weekly semaglutide; gastrointestinal events were common in both groups.
- Participants / model
- Adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, without diabetes
- Treatment
- Daily liraglutide 3.0 mg or weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg, with matched placebo arms and lifestyle support
- Follow-up
- 68 weeks
- Study design
- Randomized phase 3b trial; active-treatment comparison open label
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
This was a direct efficacy comparison under a specific titration and trial design, not a universal treatment ranking.
Read the original sourceDoes a daily injection affect persistence?
A retrospective US claims study of 56,715 adults with type 2 diabetes estimated 360-day persistence at 40.4% for liraglutide and 67.0% for weekly semaglutide. That observational comparison cannot show that injection frequency alone caused discontinuation, because products, patients, coverage, and calendar time also differed.
Claims study · daily versus weekly persistence
Retrospective observational database study
Uzoigwe C et al. Diabetes Therapy, 2021.
Among 56,715 treatment-naive adults with type 2 diabetes, estimated 360-day persistence was 67.0% for weekly semaglutide and 40.4% for liraglutide.
- Participants / model
- US adults with type 2 diabetes initiating a GLP-1 receptor agonist in 2018 or 2019 claims data
- Treatment
- Observed initiation of semaglutide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, or exenatide
- Follow-up
- Up to 360 days
- Study design
- Retrospective claims-database comparison
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
Confounding, indication, coverage, and calendar-time differences prevent attributing persistence solely to injection frequency.
Read the original sourceWhen does the Saxenda label say to reassess benefit?
For adults, the current label says to stop if baseline body weight has not fallen by at least 4% at 16 weeks after starting. For patients age 12 years and older, it says to stop if BMI has not fallen by at least 1% after 12 weeks on the maintenance dose. The clocks and endpoints are different.
Saxenda label · weight management
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Saxenda prescribing information, revised February 2026.
Defines Saxenda's current weight-management indication, exact adult and pediatric continuation thresholds, common adverse reactions, serious warnings, contraindications, and interaction context; it marks the prior suicidal-behavior section removed.
- Participants / model
- Adults and pediatric patients who meet the labeled chronic weight-management criteria
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Saxenda
- Follow-up
- Current label revised February 2026
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
The label's pediatric and adult response rules are not interchangeable.
Read the original sourceWhat did the adolescent trial show, including after stopping?
SCALE Teens randomized 251 adolescents with obesity for 56 weeks plus a 26-week off-treatment follow-up. The BMI standard-deviation score favored liraglutide by -0.22 at week 56. After discontinuation, BMI standard-deviation score rose more in the former liraglutide group than placebo, a between-group difference of 0.15.
At least 5% BMI reduction occurred in an estimated 43.3% with liraglutide and 18.7% with placebo. Gastrointestinal events and treatment discontinuations were more common with liraglutide. This population was adolescent, pubertal, and treated with lifestyle therapy.
SCALE Teens · adolescent BMI and withdrawal
Randomized, double-blind trial
Kelly AS et al. New England Journal of Medicine, 2020.
In 251 adolescents with obesity, the week-56 BMI standard-deviation-score difference favored liraglutide by -0.22; after discontinuation, the former liraglutide group had a greater increase than placebo by 0.15.
- Participants / model
- Pubertal adolescents age 12 to under 18 with obesity and poor response to lifestyle therapy alone
- Treatment
- Daily liraglutide up to 3.0 mg or placebo plus lifestyle therapy
- Follow-up
- 56 weeks on treatment plus 26 weeks off treatment
- Study design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
The primary endpoint was BMI standard-deviation score, and response varied substantially.
Read the original sourceWhat did LEADER prove about cardiovascular outcomes?
LEADER randomized 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk. Over a median 3.8 years, cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack, or nonfatal stroke occurred in 13.0% with liraglutide and 14.9% with placebo, a hazard ratio of 0.87.
Cardiovascular death was also lower in the liraglutide group. This evidence supports the Victoza cardiovascular indication in a defined diabetes population; it does not prove cardiovascular-event prevention in otherwise healthy weight-loss users.
LEADER · cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes
Randomized, double-blind outcomes trial
Marso SP et al. New England Journal of Medicine, 2016.
Among 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, three-point MACE occurred in 13.0% with liraglutide and 14.9% with placebo over median 3.8 years, hazard ratio 0.87.
- Participants / model
- Adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk
- Treatment
- Liraglutide or placebo added to standard care
- Follow-up
- Median follow-up 3.8 years
- Study design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cardiovascular-outcomes trial
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
This diabetes and cardiovascular-risk population is not interchangeable with otherwise healthy weight-management users.
Read the original sourceVictoza label · type 2 diabetes
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Victoza prescribing information, revised October 2025.
Defines the Victoza type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular-risk-reduction indications and its product-specific dosing and safety record.
- Participants / model
- Adults and labeled pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular indication applies to labeled adults
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Victoza
- Follow-up
- Current label revised October 2025
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
Victoza's diabetes record should not be presented as a Saxenda weight-management result.
Read the original sourceDid liraglutide reduce visceral fat on imaging?
A 40-week randomized trial enrolled 185 adults with overweight or obesity, high cardiovascular risk, and no type 2 diabetes. Among 128 with follow-up imaging, MRI-measured visceral fat changed -12.49% with liraglutide and -1.63% with placebo.
The imaging analysis excluded randomized participants without follow-up imaging, and the sample was 92% women. Its body-composition estimate therefore comes mostly from women with complete imaging follow-up.
MRI trial · visceral fat
Randomized, double-blind phase 4 trial
Neeland IJ et al. Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, 2021.
Among 128 participants with follow-up imaging from 185 randomized, MRI visceral fat changed -12.49% with liraglutide and -1.63% with placebo over a median 36.2 weeks.
- Participants / model
- Adults with overweight or obesity, high cardiovascular risk, and no type 2 diabetes; final imaging sample 92% women
- Treatment
- Daily liraglutide 3.0 mg or placebo plus diet and physical-activity counseling
- Follow-up
- 40-week treatment plan; median imaging follow-up 36.2 weeks
- Study design
- Single-center randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 4 trial
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
Only randomized participants with follow-up imaging entered the efficacy analysis.
Read the original sourceWhich side effects and interactions deserve attention?
Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, injection reactions, headache, dyspepsia, and abdominal pain are common with Saxenda. Its February 2026 label also covers pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, dehydration-related kidney injury, heart-rate increase, severe gastrointestinal reactions, hypersensitivity, aspiration during anesthesia or deep sedation, and hypoglycemia with insulin or secretagogues.
The boxed warning concerns thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents. Human relevance is unknown, and the product is contraindicated with personal or family medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.
What happened to the suicidal-behavior warning?
On January 13, 2026, FDA said its review found no increased risk of suicidal ideation or behavior with GLP-1 receptor agonists and requested removal of that warning from Saxenda, Wegovy, and Zepbound. The February 2026 Saxenda label marks the section removed.
FDA 2026 update · warning removal
FDA Drug Safety Communication
US Food and Drug Administration, January 13, 2026.
FDA said its comprehensive review did not identify an increased risk of suicidal ideation or behavior with GLP-1 receptor agonists and requested removal of the warning from Saxenda, Wegovy, and Zepbound labeling.
- Participants / model
- Users represented in FDA's reviewed clinical-trial, observational, and postmarketing evidence
- Treatment
- GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines
- Follow-up
- Communication issued January 13, 2026
- Study design
- Regulatory safety review communication
This updates earlier precautionary label language; ordinary mental-health symptoms still warrant appropriate care independent of drug causality.
Read the original sourceSaxenda label · weight management
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Saxenda prescribing information, revised February 2026.
Defines Saxenda's current weight-management indication, exact adult and pediatric continuation thresholds, common adverse reactions, serious warnings, contraindications, and interaction context; it marks the prior suicidal-behavior section removed.
- Participants / model
- Adults and pediatric patients who meet the labeled chronic weight-management criteria
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Saxenda
- Follow-up
- Current label revised February 2026
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
The label's pediatric and adult response rules are not interchangeable.
Read the original sourceSaxenda label · weight management
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Saxenda prescribing information, revised February 2026.
Defines Saxenda's current weight-management indication, exact adult and pediatric continuation thresholds, common adverse reactions, serious warnings, contraindications, and interaction context; it marks the prior suicidal-behavior section removed.
- Participants / model
- Adults and pediatric patients who meet the labeled chronic weight-management criteria
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Saxenda
- Follow-up
- Current label revised February 2026
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
The label's pediatric and adult response rules are not interchangeable.
Read the original sourceWhat does GLP-1 receptor activation explain?
Liraglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor. It lowers energy intake, improves glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppresses inappropriate glucagon release, and slows gastric emptying. Those actions explain both clinical benefits and practical issues such as gastrointestinal symptoms and oral-drug timing.
Its roughly 13-hour half-life supports daily administration.
Saxenda label · weight management
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Saxenda prescribing information, revised February 2026.
Defines Saxenda's current weight-management indication, exact adult and pediatric continuation thresholds, common adverse reactions, serious warnings, contraindications, and interaction context; it marks the prior suicidal-behavior section removed.
- Participants / model
- Adults and pediatric patients who meet the labeled chronic weight-management criteria
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Saxenda
- Follow-up
- Current label revised February 2026
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
The label's pediatric and adult response rules are not interchangeable.
Read the original sourceVictoza label · type 2 diabetes
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Victoza prescribing information, revised October 2025.
Defines the Victoza type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular-risk-reduction indications and its product-specific dosing and safety record.
- Participants / model
- Adults and labeled pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular indication applies to labeled adults
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Victoza
- Follow-up
- Current label revised October 2025
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
Victoza's diabetes record should not be presented as a Saxenda weight-management result.
Read the original sourceStudies and sources
Saxenda label · weight management
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Saxenda prescribing information, revised February 2026.
Defines Saxenda's current weight-management indication, exact adult and pediatric continuation thresholds, common adverse reactions, serious warnings, contraindications, and interaction context; it marks the prior suicidal-behavior section removed.
- Participants / model
- Adults and pediatric patients who meet the labeled chronic weight-management criteria
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Saxenda
- Follow-up
- Current label revised February 2026
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
The label's pediatric and adult response rules are not interchangeable.
Read the original sourceVictoza label · type 2 diabetes
FDA prescribing information
Novo Nordisk. Victoza prescribing information, revised October 2025.
Defines the Victoza type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular-risk-reduction indications and its product-specific dosing and safety record.
- Participants / model
- Adults and labeled pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular indication applies to labeled adults
- Treatment
- Once-daily prescription liraglutide injection sold as Victoza
- Follow-up
- Current label revised October 2025
- Study design
- Regulatory prescribing information
Victoza's diabetes record should not be presented as a Saxenda weight-management result.
Read the original sourceSCALE · 56-week weight trial
Randomized, double-blind trial
Pi-Sunyer X et al. New England Journal of Medicine, 2015.
Among 3,731 adults without type 2 diabetes, mean weight loss at 56 weeks was 8.4 kg with liraglutide and 2.8 kg with placebo; 63.2% versus 27.1% lost at least 5%.
- Participants / model
- Adults with obesity, or overweight plus dyslipidemia or hypertension, without type 2 diabetes
- Treatment
- Daily liraglutide 3.0 mg or placebo plus lifestyle counseling
- Follow-up
- 56 weeks
- Study design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
The reported mean used last-observation-carried-forward imputation; 61.2% of participants had prediabetes.
Read the original sourceSTEP 8 · liraglutide versus semaglutide
Randomized, open-label active-comparator trial
Rubino DM et al. JAMA, 2022.
In 338 adults without diabetes, mean weight change at 68 weeks was -6.4% with daily liraglutide and -15.8% with weekly semaglutide; gastrointestinal events were common in both groups.
- Participants / model
- Adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, without diabetes
- Treatment
- Daily liraglutide 3.0 mg or weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg, with matched placebo arms and lifestyle support
- Follow-up
- 68 weeks
- Study design
- Randomized phase 3b trial; active-treatment comparison open label
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
This was a direct efficacy comparison under a specific titration and trial design, not a universal treatment ranking.
Read the original sourceSCALE Teens · adolescent BMI and withdrawal
Randomized, double-blind trial
Kelly AS et al. New England Journal of Medicine, 2020.
In 251 adolescents with obesity, the week-56 BMI standard-deviation-score difference favored liraglutide by -0.22; after discontinuation, the former liraglutide group had a greater increase than placebo by 0.15.
- Participants / model
- Pubertal adolescents age 12 to under 18 with obesity and poor response to lifestyle therapy alone
- Treatment
- Daily liraglutide up to 3.0 mg or placebo plus lifestyle therapy
- Follow-up
- 56 weeks on treatment plus 26 weeks off treatment
- Study design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
The primary endpoint was BMI standard-deviation score, and response varied substantially.
Read the original sourceLEADER · cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes
Randomized, double-blind outcomes trial
Marso SP et al. New England Journal of Medicine, 2016.
Among 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, three-point MACE occurred in 13.0% with liraglutide and 14.9% with placebo over median 3.8 years, hazard ratio 0.87.
- Participants / model
- Adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk
- Treatment
- Liraglutide or placebo added to standard care
- Follow-up
- Median follow-up 3.8 years
- Study design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cardiovascular-outcomes trial
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
This diabetes and cardiovascular-risk population is not interchangeable with otherwise healthy weight-management users.
Read the original sourceMRI trial · visceral fat
Randomized, double-blind phase 4 trial
Neeland IJ et al. Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, 2021.
Among 128 participants with follow-up imaging from 185 randomized, MRI visceral fat changed -12.49% with liraglutide and -1.63% with placebo over a median 36.2 weeks.
- Participants / model
- Adults with overweight or obesity, high cardiovascular risk, and no type 2 diabetes; final imaging sample 92% women
- Treatment
- Daily liraglutide 3.0 mg or placebo plus diet and physical-activity counseling
- Follow-up
- 40-week treatment plan; median imaging follow-up 36.2 weeks
- Study design
- Single-center randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 4 trial
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
Only randomized participants with follow-up imaging entered the efficacy analysis.
Read the original sourceClaims study · daily versus weekly persistence
Retrospective observational database study
Uzoigwe C et al. Diabetes Therapy, 2021.
Among 56,715 treatment-naive adults with type 2 diabetes, estimated 360-day persistence was 67.0% for weekly semaglutide and 40.4% for liraglutide.
- Participants / model
- US adults with type 2 diabetes initiating a GLP-1 receptor agonist in 2018 or 2019 claims data
- Treatment
- Observed initiation of semaglutide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, or exenatide
- Follow-up
- Up to 360 days
- Study design
- Retrospective claims-database comparison
- Funding
- Novo Nordisk
Confounding, indication, coverage, and calendar-time differences prevent attributing persistence solely to injection frequency.
Read the original sourceFDA 2026 update · warning removal
FDA Drug Safety Communication
US Food and Drug Administration, January 13, 2026.
FDA said its comprehensive review did not identify an increased risk of suicidal ideation or behavior with GLP-1 receptor agonists and requested removal of the warning from Saxenda, Wegovy, and Zepbound labeling.
- Participants / model
- Users represented in FDA's reviewed clinical-trial, observational, and postmarketing evidence
- Treatment
- GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines
- Follow-up
- Communication issued January 13, 2026
- Study design
- Regulatory safety review communication
This updates earlier precautionary label language; ordinary mental-health symptoms still warrant appropriate care independent of drug causality.
Read the original sourceWhy is liraglutide in S tier?
S reflects approved uses, the 3,731-person SCALE weight-management trial, and the 9,340-person LEADER cardiovascular-outcomes trial. Saxenda and Victoza use different target exposures and evidence packages.
read Liraglutide in the reptides guide, chapter 16: 14 pages, free to read.