PEPTOKING
EN

Liraglutide

GLP-1 receptor agonist

Status

Approved

Approved by the FDA and EMA for type 2 diabetes (Victoza, 2009 to 2010) and weight management (Saxenda, 2014 to 2015), with FDA-approved generics since December 2024; liraglutide injection is still on the FDA drug shortage list in September 2026, and Novo Nordisk is discontinuing US Saxenda in January 2027.

Evidence

Strong

Large randomized trials support both diabetes (LEAD program, LEADER outcomes trial) and weight management (SCALE program, adolescent trial) uses.

Liraglutide is a once-daily injected GLP-1 analog carrying a palmitic acid side chain. It is approved as Victoza for type 2 diabetes, including cardiovascular risk reduction, and as Saxenda at a higher dose for chronic weight management in adults and children.

Structure

31 residues
  1. aK20C16 fatty acid (palmitoyl) via γGlu spacer (albumin binding)

Point at a bead, or focus the chain and use the arrow keys, to name it. Pick a chemistry to highlight it.

Sequence as text
H-H-A-E-G-T-F-T-S-D-V-S-S-Y-L-E-G-Q-A-A-K-E-F-I-A-W-L-V-R-G-R-G-OH

What it is used for

  • Type 2 diabetes in adults and children 10 and older, glycemic control (approved)
  • Reducing major cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes with cardiovascular disease (approved)
  • Chronic weight management in adults and adolescents (approved)

How it works

Liraglutide shares 97% of its sequence with human GLP-1, with Arg in place of Lys34 and a 16-carbon palmitic acid attached through a glutamic acid spacer to Lys26. Native GLP-1 lasts only minutes, but liraglutide self-associates under the skin, binds plasma proteins and resists the enzymes DPP-4 and NEP, giving a half-life of about 13 hours and once-daily dosing. Activating GLP-1 receptors increases glucose-dependent insulin secretion, lowers glucagon and slows stomach emptying.

How strong the evidence is

StrongSeveral large randomised controlled trials in people.

In LEADER (9,340 people with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk), liraglutide reduced major cardiovascular events versus placebo (13.0% vs 14.9%) and cardiovascular deaths (4.7% vs 6.0%) over a median 3.8 years. The SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial (3,731 adults) found mean weight loss of 8.4 kg with 3.0 mg daily versus 2.8 kg with placebo at 56 weeks. In 251 adolescents with obesity, liraglutide 3.0 mg reduced BMI more than placebo over 56 weeks.

Risks and side effects

  • Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation, especially when starting
  • Boxed warning: thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents; contraindicated with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2
  • Acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease and acute kidney injury from dehydration
  • Hypoglycemia with insulin or sulfonylureas, and increased heart rate
  • Risk of pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia or deep sedation

Label dosing

Label: Victoza starts at 0.6 mg daily for one week, then 1.2 mg daily (up to 1.8 mg), while Saxenda starts at 0.6 mg daily and rises weekly to 3 mg daily.

Summarised from the official prescribing information. Not a recommendation: dosing is decided with a prescriber.

Regulatory status

RegionYearApproved for
USFDA2010Type 2 diabetes (children 10 and older from 2019); cardiovascular risk reduction added in 2017
USFDA2014Chronic weight management (adolescents 12 and older from 2020)
EUEMA2009Type 2 diabetes in adults, adolescents and children 10 and older
EUEMA2015Weight management in adults, adolescents 12 and older, and children 6 to 11

Status by country

JurisdictionStatusSource
USUnited StatesAuthorised medicineSource 10
EUEuropean UnionAuthorised medicineSource 7
UKUnited KingdomAuthorised medicineSource 11
AUAustraliaAuthorised medicineSource 12
CACanadaAuthorised medicineSource 13
Whether a medicine containing it is authorised, checked in each regulator’s records on Oct 1, 2026.

Status of every peptide by country

Trials of Liraglutide to watch

  1. Phase 2Active, not recruiting

    INFLAM MOTION(opens the source in a new tab)

    A Trial to Investigate the Safety and Efficacy of Intra-articular 4P004 Injection in Subjects With Knee Synovitis and Osteoarthritis

    Primary completion Aug 31, 2026129 participantsSponsor: 4Moving BiotechNCT07225829

  2. Phase 3Recruiting

    Liraglutide for delirium after surgery(opens the source in a new tab)

    Liraglutide in Preventing Delirium in Diabetic Elderly After Cardiac Surgery

    Primary completion expected Mar 31, 2027260 participantsSponsor: The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical SchoolNCT06361238

All trials to watch

Timeline

  1. 2027

    1. Liraglutide for delirium after surgery

  2. 2026

    1. INFLAM MOTION
    2. ResearchAmerican College of Physicians names semaglutide and tirzepatide first-line obesity drugs
    3. RegulatoryFDA proposes barring outsourcing facilities from compounding semaglutide and tirzepatide
    4. SafetyUK regulator strengthens GLP-1 warnings on severe, necrotising and fatal pancreatitis
    5. SafetyFDA asks makers to drop suicidal-thoughts warning from GLP-1 weight-loss drug labels

  3. 2025

    1. RegulatoryWHO issues first guideline on GLP-1 medicines for obesity, with conditional backing
    2. RegulatoryWHO adds semaglutide, tirzepatide and other GLP-1 drugs to its essential medicines list
    3. MarketFDA approves first generic GLP-1 for weight loss, a copy of Saxenda (liraglutide)
    4. ResearchVeterans study maps GLP-1 drug benefits and risks across 175 health outcomes

  4. 2024

    1. SafetyEMA safety committee finds no causal link between GLP-1 drugs and suicidal thoughts

  5. 2015

    1. Approved, EU (EMA)Weight management in adults, adolescents 12 and older, and children 6 to 11
Show 3 earlier events

  1. 2014

    1. Approved, US (FDA)Chronic weight management (adolescents 12 and older from 2020)

  2. 2010

    1. Approved, US (FDA)Type 2 diabetes (children 10 and older from 2019); cardiovascular risk reduction added in 2017

  3. 2009

    1. Approved, EU (EMA)Type 2 diabetes in adults, adolescents and children 10 and older

Sources

  1. 01Victoza (liraglutide) injection: prescribing information(opens the source in a new tab) DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  2. 02Saxenda (liraglutide) injection: prescribing information(opens the source in a new tab) DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2026
  3. 03Liraglutide (D06404): sequence and structure entry(opens the source in a new tab) KEGG DRUG
  4. 04Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes (LEADER)(opens the source in a new tab) New England Journal of Medicine, 2016
  5. 05A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management (SCALE)(opens the source in a new tab) New England Journal of Medicine, 2015
  6. 06A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Liraglutide for Adolescents with Obesity(opens the source in a new tab) New England Journal of Medicine, 2020
  7. 07Victoza: EPAR (European public assessment report)(opens the source in a new tab) European Medicines Agency, 2026
  8. 08Saxenda: EPAR (European public assessment report)(opens the source in a new tab) European Medicines Agency, 2026
  9. 09FDA drug shortages data: liraglutide injection (includes Saxenda discontinuation notice)(opens the source in a new tab) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (openFDA), 2026
  10. 10Drugs@FDA: Victoza (NDA 022341) approval history(opens the source in a new tab) U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026
  11. 11Saxenda 6 mg/ml solution for injection in pre-filled pen: Summary of Product Characteristics(opens the source in a new tab) electronic medicines compendium (emc), 2025
  12. 12VICTOZA liraglutide (rys) 6mg/mL solution for injection pre-filled pen (153980)(opens the source in a new tab) Therapeutic Goods Administration
  13. 13Drug Product Database: Victoza (DIN 02351064)(opens the source in a new tab) Health Canada, 2026
  1. In clinical trialsAmycretinUnimolecular GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonistNo single sequence68 WADA banned
  2. Not approvedAOD-9604Modified growth hormone fragment (research peptide)16 WADA banned
  3. In clinical trialsCagrilintideLong-acting amylin analog (amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist)37 WADA banned
  4. ApprovedDulaglutideGLP-1 receptor agonist (Fc fusion protein)31
  5. ApprovedExenatideGLP-1 receptor agonist39

Educational information, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.