Liraglutide is a once-daily injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist developed by Novo Nordisk, approved by the FDA as Victoza for type 2 diabetes (2010) and as Saxenda for chronic weight management (2014). It was the first GLP-1 drug approved specifically for weight loss and remains the reference point that once-weekly drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide are usually compared against. Its weight loss (about 8 percent at the approved dose) is meaningfully smaller than what newer once-weekly drugs achieve, and it requires a daily injection rather than a weekly one.
Research snapshot
| Category | Current information |
|---|---|
| Peptide category | GLP-1 receptor agonist |
| Primary research interest | Type 2 diabetes glycemic control; chronic weight management |
| Highest available evidence | Tier 1 – FDA-approved via large phase 3 trials, including a dedicated cardiovascular outcomes trial |
| Human research available | Yes – extensive, over a decade of real-world use |
| Development status | Approved (Victoza 2010, Saxenda 2014); generics/biosimilars emerging as patents expire |
| Regulatory status | FDA-approved (US); also approved in the EU and numerous other countries |
| Last reviewed | 2026 |
Technical identity
| Technical property | Information |
|---|---|
| Primary name | Liraglutide |
| Alternative names | Victoza (brand), Saxenda (brand), NN2211 (code name), liraglutide acetate |
| Peptide sequence | 31 amino acid analogue of human GLP-1(7-37), 97% sequence homologous to the native hormone, with a C16 (palmitic acid) fatty acid attached via a glutamic acid spacer to a lysine side chain at position 26 |
| Amino-acid length | 31 residues |
| Molecular formula | C172H265N43O51 |
| Molecular weight | 3751.2 g/mol |
| CAS Registry Number | 204656-20-2 |
| PubChem CID | 16134956 |
| Chemical modifications | C16 fatty acid (palmitic acid) acylation via a glutamic acid spacer, promoting albumin binding and self-association |
| Peptide class | GLP-1 receptor agonist, long-acting (once-daily) |
| Primary biological target | GLP-1 receptor |
| Developer or originator | Novo Nordisk |
| Development status | FDA-approved (Victoza, Saxenda); approved in EU and many other countries |
What it is
Liraglutide is a synthetic analogue of human GLP-1, a naturally occurring gut hormone, modified with a fatty acid side chain that allows it to bind albumin in the blood, extending its activity from the 1 to 2 minute half-life of native GLP-1 to about 13 hours, enough for once-daily dosing. Novo Nordisk developed it (originally as NN2211). The FDA approved it in 2010 under the brand name Victoza for type 2 diabetes, and in December 2014 under the brand name Saxenda, at a higher maximum dose, for chronic weight management in adults; a pediatric indication for weight management and for type 2 diabetes followed later. It was the first member of the modern GLP-1 drug class (which now includes semaglutide, tirzepatide, and others) to be approved specifically for weight loss.
How does it work?
Plain-English explanation
Liraglutide mimics GLP-1, a hormone the gut releases after eating that tells the brain “you’re full,” slows how fast the stomach empties, and helps the pancreas release insulin when blood sugar is high. Because the drug version lasts much longer than the natural hormone, a once-daily injection keeps that “full” signal active around the clock.
Technical explanation
Liraglutide is 97 percent homologous to native human GLP-1(7-37), with a C16 fatty acid (palmitic acid) attached via a glutamic acid spacer to a lysine residue, promoting self-association into heptamers at the injection site and reversible albumin binding in circulation, both of which slow absorption and clearance. This gives it a half-life of about 13 hours, long enough for once-daily but not once-weekly dosing, unlike semaglutide, which carries a larger fatty diacid and binds albumin more strongly, extending its half-life to about a week.
Potential benefits and research applications
Weight loss in obesity and overweight
What is being investigated: sustained weight loss from daily GLP-1 receptor activation. How the effect might occur: appetite suppression and slowed gastric emptying. Evidence: the pivotal SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial, 3,731 adults with obesity or overweight and a weight-related comorbidity, without diabetes, over 56 weeks, found mean weight loss of about 8.0 percent on liraglutide 3.0 mg daily against 2.6 percent on placebo, with 63.2 percent of the liraglutide group losing 5 percent of body weight or more against 27.1 percent on placebo. Strength: has been shown in a large, published, FDA-approval-supporting trial. Limitation: its weight loss is smaller than more recently approved once-weekly drugs (semaglutide, roughly 15 percent; tirzepatide, roughly 21 percent), and it requires a daily rather than weekly injection.
Glycemic control in type 2 diabetes
What is being investigated: blood sugar control and cardiovascular risk reduction in type 2 diabetes. How the effect might occur: the same GLP-1 receptor mechanism improving insulin secretion after meals. Evidence: liraglutide (as Victoza) has been FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes since 2010, supported by its own trial programme, and the LEADER cardiovascular outcomes trial showed a reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk. Strength: has been shown in a large, dedicated cardiovascular outcomes trial supporting an FDA label update. Limitation: the cardiovascular benefit was established for the diabetes-dose formulation (Victoza) in a high cardiovascular risk population, not specifically for the higher-dose weight-management formulation (Saxenda).
Pediatric weight management and type 2 diabetes
What is being investigated: safety and effectiveness of liraglutide in adolescents. How the effect might occur: the same appetite and glycemic mechanisms as in adults. Evidence: the FDA approved Saxenda for weight management in adolescents aged 12 and older, and a pediatric type 2 diabetes indication was approved for ages 10 and older, both based on dedicated pediatric trials. Strength: has been shown in FDA-reviewed pediatric trials supporting formal pediatric labeling. Limitation: pediatric use requires close medical supervision, and long-term outcomes data in children are more limited than the extensive adult experience with this drug.
What dosage information circulates?
Figures in this section summarize amounts and schedules reported in published research or circulating online. Their inclusion documents what is reported and does not establish that a regimen is verified, safe, effective, or appropriate.
Liraglutide is FDA-approved and dispensed by prescription under two brand names with two different maximum doses, so its dosing is published in FDA-approved labeling rather than circulating primarily through informal channels.
| Reported use or research objective | Route reported | Amount reported | Frequency reported | Reported duration | Evidence or source category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic weight management (Saxenda, approved) | Subcutaneous | Titrated from 0.6 mg to a 3.0 mg daily maintenance dose over 5 weeks | Once daily | Ongoing/chronic | FDA-approved prescribing information |
| Type 2 diabetes (Victoza, approved) | Subcutaneous | Titrated from 0.6 mg to a 1.2 or 1.8 mg daily maintenance dose | Once daily | Ongoing/chronic | FDA-approved prescribing information |
| Pivotal SCALE trial dosing | Subcutaneous | 3.0 mg daily maintenance | Once daily | 56 weeks | Published human clinical trial |
Amounts studied in human research
For weight management (Saxenda), the approved regimen titrates from 0.6 mg once daily by subcutaneous injection, increasing by 0.6 mg each week, to a maintenance dose of 3.0 mg once daily by week 5, the regimen used in the pivotal SCALE trial. For type 2 diabetes (Victoza), the approved regimen titrates from 0.6 mg once daily to a maintenance dose of 1.2 mg or 1.8 mg once daily, a lower ceiling than the weight-management dose.
Practitioner and community-reported protocols
Not consistently reported. As an older, widely prescribed, FDA-approved drug available through normal pharmacy channels, liraglutide has not generated the same grey-market or research-chemical dosing culture seen with newer, harder-to-prescribe or unapproved compounds in this class.
What circulates E5
Not consistently reported. As an older, widely prescribed, FDA-approved drug available through normal pharmacy channels, liraglutide has not generated the same grey-market or research-chemical dosing culture seen with newer, harder-to-prescribe or unapproved compounds in this class.
Its dosing comes from an FDA-approved label rather than circulating figures: a titration from 0.6 mg once daily to a 3.0 mg daily maintenance dose (Saxenda, weight management) or to a 1.2 or 1.8 mg daily maintenance dose (Victoza, type 2 diabetes).
Recorded as an observation about what is published elsewhere. No figure here is a dose, a protocol, or a recommendation, and nothing in this section is evidence that any amount is safe or effective.
Side effects, risks, and limitations
The most common side effects in the SCALE trial were gastrointestinal: nausea (40.2 percent), diarrhea (20.9 percent), constipation (20.0 percent), and vomiting (16.3 percent), generally most pronounced during dose titration. Liraglutide carries a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors, based on findings in rodent studies; whether this risk applies to humans is unknown, and the drug is contraindicated in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2. It is also contraindicated in pregnancy. As with other GLP-1 drugs, it carries warnings for pancreatitis and gallbladder disease.
Regulatory and developmental status
Liraglutide is FDA-approved under two brand names: Victoza (2010) for type 2 diabetes, including a pediatric indication for ages 10 and older, and Saxenda (December 2014) for chronic weight management in adults, later extended to adolescents aged 12 and older. It is also approved in the European Union and numerous other countries. Generic and biosimilar versions have become available in various markets as patents have expired.
Frequently asked questions
What is liraglutide?
A once-daily injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist, sold as Victoza for type 2 diabetes and Saxenda (a higher dose) for chronic weight management. It was the first GLP-1 drug FDA-approved specifically for weight loss.
How does it work?
It mimics GLP-1, a natural gut hormone, reducing appetite, slowing digestion, and improving insulin release after meals, the same basic mechanism used by semaglutide and other drugs in this class.
What dosage has been studied?
For weight management (Saxenda), a titration from 0.6 mg to a 3.0 mg daily maintenance dose over 5 weeks. For diabetes (Victoza), a titration from 0.6 mg to a 1.2 or 1.8 mg daily maintenance dose.
How much weight loss has been shown?
About 8 percent mean weight loss at 56 weeks in the pivotal SCALE trial, less than the roughly 15 percent seen with semaglutide or the roughly 21 percent seen with tirzepatide.
Is it approved?
Yes. The FDA approved it in 2010 (Victoza, type 2 diabetes) and again in 2014 (Saxenda, chronic weight management), and it is approved in many other countries as well.
What side effects have been reported?
Mostly gastrointestinal (nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting), plus a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodent studies (human relevance unknown) and warnings for pancreatitis and gallbladder disease.
How does it compare to semaglutide or tirzepatide?
It produces meaningfully less weight loss than semaglutide or tirzepatide and requires a daily rather than weekly injection, but it has a longer real-world track record, having been approved for type 2 diabetes since 2010.
What remains unknown?
Whether the thyroid C-cell tumor risk seen in rodents applies to humans has not been established either way, and very long-term (multi-decade) outcomes data are still accumulating.
Bottom line
Liraglutide is a well-established, FDA-approved GLP-1 receptor agonist with over a decade of real-world use as both a diabetes drug (Victoza) and a weight-management drug (Saxenda). Its roughly 8 percent weight loss is modest compared with newer once-weekly options, and it requires daily injections, but it has one of the longest safety track records in its drug class, including a dedicated cardiovascular outcomes trial. It carries a boxed warning for a thyroid tumor risk observed in rodents whose relevance to humans remains unresolved.