Liraglutide: what the trials show, status and safety
Summary
Liraglutide is a lab-made copy of a natural gut hormone, altered so that it survives in the body for about half a day instead of a few minutes. It has been an approved, prescription-only medicine since 2009, first for type 2 diabetes and later for weight management. In its largest weight trial, adults lost an average of 8.4 kg over 56 weeks, against 2.8 kg on a dummy treatment. In a heart trial in people with diabetes, serious heart events were about 13 percent less common. Its younger relative semaglutide beat it clearly in the one trial that put the two side by side.
Key findings at a glance
- Approved since 2009, and on prescription everywhere examined. Europe licensed it on 30 June 2009. The United States followed on 25 January 2010, approving it as an entirely new active substance [1], [2].
- About 13 percent fewer serious heart events. In 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and a high heart risk, such an event struck 13.0 percent against 14.9 percent. They were followed for a median of 3.8 years [3].
- Body weight fell by 8.4 kg in 56 weeks. That figure comes from 3,731 adults with obesity and without diabetes. On the dummy treatment weight fell by 2.8 kg, a gap of 5.6 kg [4].
- Weight fell by more than twice as much on semaglutide in the head-to-head trial. Over 68 weeks it fell by 15.8 percent against 6.4 percent, a gap of 9.4 percentage points [5].
- In teenagers the score for body mass index fell by 0.22 points more. That trial of 251 young people underpins the American approval from age 12 [6], [7].
- A framed warning in America that Europe does not carry. The American package inserts warn about thyroid tumours in rodents. The European texts have no such box and name only allergy as a bar [8], [1].
- Generic since December 2024, and still short in America. Eleven generic applications have been approved since 23 December 2024. The substance has sat on the American shortage list since 18 July 2023 [9], [10].
What it is
Liraglutide is a peptide of 31 building blocks that copies the human gut hormone GLP-1 in 97 percent of its sequence. Novo Nordisk developed it under the code NN2211, and the chain is brewed in baker's yeast before a fatty tail is attached chemically [8], [11].
Three brand names carry it. Victoza is the brand for type 2 diabetes, Saxenda the brand for weight management, and Xultophy a fixed combination with a long-acting insulin. All three contain the same active substance [8], [12], [9].
That fatty tail is the whole trick. It sticks the peptide to a carrier protein in the blood. The body then clears it over about 13 hours, rather than the few minutes it allows the natural hormone [8].
Quick facts
| Field | Value | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| INN | liraglutide | [8] |
| Development codes | NN2211, NNC 90-1170; the obesity trials ran under NN8022 | [11], [13] |
| Class | Switches on the docking point of the gut hormone GLP-1 | [8] |
| Structure | 31 building blocks, one swapped at position 34, a 16-carbon fatty chain hung on position 26 through a spacer | [8] |
| Formula and mass | C172H265N43O51, 3,751.2 Da | [8], [11] |
| How long it lasts | About 13 hours, meaning the time the blood needs to clear half of it (half-life) | [8] |
| How it is taken | Injected under the skin | [8] |
| How much reaches the blood | About 55 percent; more than 98 percent travels bound to a carrier protein | [8] |
| Status | Approved and prescription-only in all seven markets on this page | [1], [2] |
| Developer | Novo Nordisk A/S | [1] |
| ATC code | A10BJ02; the older record A10BX07 also appears | [1], [14] |
| CAS registry number | 204656-20-2 | [11] |
| UNII | 839I73S42A | [11] |
| PubChem CID | 16134956 | [11] |
| InChIKey | YSDQQAXHVYUZIW-QCIJIYAXSA-N | [11] |
| DrugBank | DB06655 | [14] |
| ChEMBL | CHEMBL1201866; the PubChem synonym list gives CHEMBL4084119 | [14], [11] |
| MeSH | D000069450 | [14] |
| KEGG | D06404 | [14] |
How it works
The approved package insert sets out the mechanism, because it was assessed along with the trials [8].
- The GLP-1 docking point. Liraglutide attaches to the receptor for the gut hormone GLP-1 and switches it on, in the same way the natural hormone does [8].
- Insulin, but only when needed. Inside the insulin-producing cells the switch raises a messenger molecule, and insulin is released only while blood sugar is actually high [8].
- Less of the opposing hormone. Glucagon, which pushes blood sugar up, is released in smaller amounts [8].
- The stomach empties more slowly, which flattens the rise in blood sugar after a meal [8].
- Appetite is regulated centrally. The European text attributes the effect on weight to appetite and fullness signals in the brain [15].
- What the body does with it. It is broken down like any large protein, with no single organ doing the work. No intact substance turns up in urine or stool [8].
Semaglutide and tirzepatide belong to the same family but are not the same thing. Semaglutide carries a longer fatty chain and lasts about a week; tirzepatide switches on a second docking point as well [16], [17].
What the trials found
The heart
Phase 3 RCT, built to show a difference The heart trial enrolled 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and a high heart risk. Their average age was 64, they had had diabetes for 12.8 years on average, and they were followed for a median of 3.8 years [3].
A serious heart event struck 13.0 percent of the treated group, 608 people of 4,668, against 14.9 percent on the dummy treatment, 694 of 4,672. That is 13 percent less risk (hazard ratio 0.87), and the range around it runs from 3 to 22 percent less (0.78 to 0.97, p = 0.01) [3].
Deaths were fewer too. Death from a heart cause occurred in 4.7 percent against 6.0 percent (hazard ratio 0.78, range 0.66 to 0.93, p = 0.007). Death from any cause occurred in 8.2 percent against 9.6 percent (0.85, range 0.74 to 0.97, p = 0.02) [3].
Not everything moved. Heart attacks people survived (hazard ratio 0.88, range 0.75 to 1.03), strokes people survived (0.89, range 0.72 to 1.11) and admissions for heart failure showed no clear difference. Stomach and bowel complaints were the commonest reason for stopping [3].
This result was written into the American labelling in August 2017 [18].
Weight
Phase 3 RCT The largest weight trial randomised 3,731 adults with obesity, or with excess weight plus a related condition, and without diabetes. They averaged 45 years, weighed 106.2 kg and had a body mass index of 38.3; 78.5 percent were women [4].
After 56 weeks the treated group had lost 8.4 kg on average, with a spread of 7.3 kg, against 2.8 kg with a spread of 6.5 kg. The gap is 5.6 kg, with a 95 percent confidence interval from 5.1 to 6.0 kg (p < 0.001) [4].
Late-stage trial in 3,731 adults with obesity and without diabetes, over 56 weeks. The difference is 5.6 kg, with a 95 percent confidence interval from 5.1 to 6.0 kg, p < 0.001. Source [4].
At least a twentieth of their weight came off in 63.2 percent of them against 27.1 percent. More than a tenth came off in 33.1 percent against 10.6 percent (p < 0.001 for both). Serious events occurred in 6.2 percent against 5.0 percent [4].
The American labelling reports the same trial as a percentage. Weight fell by 7.4 percent against 3.0 percent, a difference of 4.5 percentage points (range 3.8 to 5.2, p < 0.0001). The gap between the two sets of figures comes from a different way of filling in missing data [12].
Phase 3 RCT A second trial enrolled 846 adults who also had type 2 diabetes. Over 56 weeks weight fell by 6.0 percent in the higher dose arm and 4.7 percent in the lower one, against 2.0 percent on the dummy treatment. The effect is smaller in this group, so the two sets of figures are not interchangeable [19].
Phase 3 RCT, maintenance design A third trial took 422 adults who had already lost at least a twentieth of their weight on a low-calorie diet. Over the next 56 weeks the treated group lost a further 6.2 percent against 0.2 percent, a gap of 6.1 percentage points (range 4.6 to 7.5, p < 0.0001) [20].
Because that entry requirement selected people who had already responded to dieting, the American labelling states that the result does not carry over to the general population [20], [12].
Against semaglutide
Phase 3b RCT, the drug comparison unblinded One trial put the two substances side by side in 338 adults with obesity and without diabetes, over 68 weeks at 19 American centres. Each drug was blinded against its own dummy treatment, but participants knew which of the two drugs they were on [5].
Weight fell by 15.8 percent on semaglutide against 6.4 percent on liraglutide, a gap of 9.4 percentage points (range 6.8 to 12.0, p < 0.001). On the dummy treatment it fell by 1.9 percent [5].
Late-stage trial in 338 adults with obesity and without diabetes, over 68 weeks. The difference is 9.4 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence interval from 6.8 to 12.0, p < 0.001. Everyone knew which of the two drugs they were taking. Source [5].
Losses of at least a tenth of body weight reached 70.9 percent against 25.6 percent, and of at least a fifth 38.5 percent against 6.0 percent. Twice as many people stopped treatment on liraglutide, 27.6 percent against 13.5 percent [5].
Diabetes appearing later
Phase 3 RCT The weight trial ran on to 160 weeks in the 2,254 participants who had raised blood sugar at the start. Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in 2 percent of the treated group, 26 people of 1,472, against 6 percent, 46 of 738 [21].
Diabetes took 2.7 times as long to appear (range 1.9 to 3.9, p < 0.0001), which corresponds to a hazard ratio of 0.21 (range 0.13 to 0.34). Weight at week 160 was down 6.1 percent against 1.9 percent, a difference of 4.3 percentage points [21].
Half the participants did not finish. Of the 2,254, only 1,128 reached week 160, and nobody was followed up after dropping out, which the authors themselves flag as a limitation [21].
Young people
Phase 3 RCT A trial in 251 teenagers aged 12 to 17 with obesity measured the body mass index score rather than raw weight. It ran for 56 weeks, plus 26 weeks of follow-up. The score fell by 0.22 points more than on the dummy treatment (range 0.08 to 0.37, p = 0.002) [6].
A fall in body mass index of at least a twentieth was reached by 43.3 percent against 18.7 percent. A fall of at least a tenth was reached by 26.1 percent against 8.1 percent. In absolute terms the difference in body weight was 4.50 kg [6].
The effect did not hold after the drug stopped. The body mass index score climbed back faster in the group that had been treated, by 0.15 points more (range 0.07 to 0.23) [6].
Tolerance was the weak point. Stomach and bowel events affected 64.8 percent against 36.5 percent, and 13 young people, 10.4 percent, stopped because of a side effect, against none on the dummy treatment [6].
Blood sugar
Phase 3 RCT, active comparator One trial treated 746 adults with liraglutide alone. The long-term blood sugar marker fell by 1.1 percentage points in the higher dose arm and 0.8 in the lower one, against 0.5 on the comparator drug glimepiride. It reached the target below 7 percent in 51, 43 and 28 percent of them [8].
Phase 3 RCT, everyone knew who got what Another trial compared liraglutide with exenatide in 464 adults over 26 weeks. The marker fell by 1.12 points against 0.79, a difference of 0.33 (range 0.18 to 0.47, p < 0.0001). Weight fell much the same in both groups, by 3.24 kg against 2.87 kg [22].
The same trial found a weak spot. Blood sugar control after breakfast and after the evening meal was worse on liraglutide. Nausea passed off sooner, and mild low-sugar episodes were rarer, at 1.93 against 2.60 events per person per year [22].
How long people stayed on it
Observational A study followed 2,005 people in France, Germany and Italy for 24 months as they started an injected diabetes drug. A meaningful change of treatment occurred in 45.2 percent of the liraglutide group, 448 of 991, against 28.2 percent of the dulaglutide group, 286 of 1,014 [23].
After statistical adjustment, staying on treatment was more likely with the weekly comparator (hazard ratio 0.69, range 0.56 to 0.86). Blood sugar and weight changed by much the same amount in both groups, at 1.09 against 1.08 percentage points and 3.3 against 3.5 kg [23].
Being an observational study, it cannot rule out that the two groups differed in ways nobody measured [23].
The thyroid question in people
Observational, surrogate marker Calcitonin is a hormone made by the thyroid cells in which the rodent tumours arise. It was measured every three months for up to two years in more than 5,000 participants [24].
The values started at the low end of normal and stayed there. After two years the estimated averages were at most 1.0 ng/l, far below the upper limits of normal. No consistent pattern showed by dose, by time or by treatment group [24].
The authors conclude that these data give no sign of an effect in people, and that the rodent findings may not carry over. A marker in the blood is not a tumour count, and two years is not a lifetime [24].
What is still unknown
- The rodent thyroid tumours. Whether they mean anything for people is unresolved, and the package inserts say so plainly [8].
- Hard heart outcomes in obesity without diabetes. No long-term trial has tested that question for this substance; the heart trial was run in people with diabetes [3].
- What happens after week 160. Half of the three-year participants dropped out and were not followed up [21].
- How much the head-to-head trial is worth. It enrolled 338 people at 19 centres, and everyone knew which drug they were on [5].
- The eye question. The regulatory review of sudden optic-nerve damage covered semaglutide only, and its authors state that other drugs of the class were not examined. Nothing about liraglutide follows from that either way [25].
Side effects and safety
Stomach and bowel complaints dominate, and they are the main reason people stop. The figures below are from the pooled weight trials in adults as printed in the American labelling, with 3,384 people treated against 1,941 on the dummy treatment [12].
| Event | Liraglutide | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Feeling sick | 39.3% | 13.8% |
| Diarrhoea | 20.9% | 9.9% |
| Constipation | 19.4% | 8.5% |
| Vomiting | 15.7% | 3.9% |
| Reaction where the needle went in | 13.9% | 10.5% |
| Headache | 13.6% | 12.6% |
| Upset stomach | 9.6% | 2.7% |
| A raised digestive enzyme in the blood | 5.3% | 2.2% |
| Stomach and bowel complaints overall | 68% | 39% |
In teenagers the same complaints ran higher still: feeling sick affected 42.4 percent against 14.3 percent, and vomiting 34.4 percent against 4 percent [12].
Further points from the package inserts and the regulatory record:
- The framed warning about thyroid tumours. In rats and mice, liraglutide causes tumours of a particular thyroid cell. The more the animals get, and the longer they get it, the more often it happens, at amounts comparable to those used in people. Whether this matters for people is unknown [8].
- Who must not have it in America. Anyone who has had that thyroid cancer or has it in the family. Also anyone with a particular inherited hormone syndrome, and anyone who has reacted severely to it [8].
- Sudden inflammation of the pancreas. In the adult weight trials it was confirmed in 9 people of 3,291 against 2 of 1,843. The British regulator tightened the warning for the whole class on 29 January 2026, naming cases in which tissue died and cases that ended in death [12], [26].
- Gallbladder trouble. Gallstones occurred in 2.2 percent against 0.8 percent and an inflamed gallbladder in 0.8 percent against 0.4 percent, most of them ending in surgery. The excess remained after accounting for how much weight people had lost [12].
- A faster pulse. The resting heart rate rose by 2 to 3 beats a minute on average. A rise of more than 10 beats at two visits in a row occurred in 34 percent against 19 percent [12].
- Blood sugar dropping too low. The risk rises when the drug is combined with insulin or with medicines that push insulin out. In children and teenagers with diabetes, 21.2 percent had a blood sugar reading below 54 mg per decilitre. None of those episodes was severe [8].
- Kidney damage after fluid loss. Sudden kidney injury has been reported, mostly in people who became dehydrated through vomiting or diarrhoea, and in some cases dialysis was needed [8].
- Stomach contents reaching the lungs. Rare reports describe food left in the stomach during anaesthesia despite the usual fasting. The labelling states that the evidence is too thin to draw practical conclusions from [8], [15].
- A thyroid finding in the diabetes trials. A papillary thyroid cancer was reported in 7 treated adults against 1 on comparator treatment, 1.5 against 0.5 cases per 1,000 person-years. Most were smaller than a centimetre and were found during the screening the trial required [8].
- A warning against shared pens. The labelling states that a pen holding several doses must never be passed between people, even with a fresh needle, because blood-borne infections travel that way [8].
The European frequency table sorts the same picture differently. Headache, feeling sick, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation count as very common, meaning more than 1 person in 10. Inflammation of the pancreas and delayed stomach emptying count as uncommon, severe allergic reactions and kidney failure as rare [15].
Why this page lists no doses
Liraglutide is available on prescription only in every market where it is licensed. Choosing an amount is a matter for the approved product information and for the doctor writing the prescription. This page therefore refers to dose levels only as the lower or the higher tested level, and reports what was measured at each.
Development and approval status
Approval and evidence timeline
- 2009European approval for type 2 diabetes on 30 JuneSwitzerland follows on 11 December, ref [1]
- 2010American approval on 25 January, as an entirely new active substanceCanadian marketing begins on 27 May, ref [2]
- 2014-2015A second application covers weight managementUnited States 23 December 2014, European Union 23 March 2015, refs [27], [15]
- 2016The heart trial reports fewer serious eventsWritten into the American labelling in August 2017, refs [3], [18]
- 2019-2020Approvals extend to children and teenagersDiabetes from age 10 in 2019, weight from age 12 in 2020, refs [28], [7]
- 2023The substance enters the American shortage list on 18 JulyNine of eleven entries still current on 10 September 2026, ref [10]
- 2024The first generic version is approved on 23 DecemberEleven generic applications by 2026, ref [9]
- 2026Pancreatitis warnings tightened across the class in BritainDrug Safety Update of 29 January, ref [26]
- 2009 — Europe authorises the diabetes product on 30 June, and Switzerland on 11 December [1], [29].
- 2010 — the FDA approves it on 25 January as an entirely new active substance, and Canadian marketing starts on 27 May [2], [30].
- 2014 and 2015 — a separate application covers weight management, approved on 23 December 2014 in the United States and on 23 March 2015 in the European Union [27], [15].
- 2017 — the heart result is added to the American labelling in August. The supplement was approved on 25 August and the approval letter is dated 28 August [2], [18].
- 2019 and 2020 — the approved age drops to 10 years for diabetes and to 12 years for weight management [28], [7].
- 2023 — the substance appears on the American shortage list on 18 July [10].
- 2024 — the first generic version is approved on 23 December [9].
- 2026 — the British regulator tightens the pancreatitis warnings for the whole class on 29 January [26].
| Market | Status | Earliest date confirmed | Legal status |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Approved | 2010-01-25 | Prescription |
| European Union | Approved | 2009-06-30 | Prescription |
| Germany | Approved | 2009-06-30 | Prescription |
| United Kingdom | Approved | Not dated here | Prescription |
| Australia | Scheduled | 2026-05-28 | Prescription |
| Canada | Marketed | 2010-05-27 | Prescription |
| Switzerland | Approved | 2009-12-11 | Prescription |
Three entries need a word of explanation. The British date is missing because the register listing carries no first-approval date. Eight products were listed there on 10 September 2026, all on prescription [31].
The Australian date is that of the current poisons instrument, not of first registration, because the register itself was unreachable [32]. In Switzerland the weight-management brand is absent from the list of authorised packs [29].
The generic products do not all carry the same approved uses. Two of the American generic labels checked here cover type 2 diabetes from age 10 without the heart indication, while a third carries the weight indication instead [33].
Who pays is a separate question. In Germany the statutory health insurers cover the diabetes use but not the weight use, which the law classes as a lifestyle medicine [34].
The shortage, and what follows from it. While a medicine is listed as short, American law lets pharmacies and outsourcing facilities copy it. The relevant clauses sit in sections 503A and 503B of the federal food and drug act. Liraglutide has been listed since 18 July 2023. On 10 September 2026 nine of the eleven entries still carried the status current [10].
That is the opposite of the position for semaglutide, whose shortage was declared resolved on 21 February 2025 [35]. The exception here lapses as soon as the agency declares the liraglutide shortage resolved too [10]. Liraglutide does not appear on the separate list of bulk substances for compounding, which covers substances with no approval of their own [36].
Two entries on that list are marked as to be discontinued: the American weight-management brand, entered on 25 August 2026, and a generic product entered on 14 May 2026 [10]. The wider framework is set out under are peptides legal and FDA-approved peptides.
Every entry in this section describes the position on 10 September 2026.
Anti-doping
Liraglutide is not banned in sport. It does not appear on the 2026 prohibited list, in or out of competition, and no medical exemption is needed for the substance as such [37].
It is not even watched. Unlike semaglutide and tirzepatide, whose markers the 2026 monitoring programme names, liraglutide is absent from that programme too. The German anti-doping annex does not list it either [37], [38].
None of that says anything about safety or about medicines law, both of which apply regardless. The wider picture is at peptides banned in sport.
Compared with related peptides
| Peptide | Docking points | Status | Strongest weight result in its own trial | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liraglutide | GLP-1 | Approved in seven markets | −7.4% at 56 weeks, SCALE, n = 3,731 [12] | About 13 hours [8] |
| Semaglutide | GLP-1 | Approved in many markets | −14.9% at 68 weeks, STEP 1, n = 1,961 [39] | About 1 week [16] |
| Tirzepatide | GIP and GLP-1 | Approved in many markets | −20.9% at 72 weeks, SURMOUNT-1, n = 2,539 [40] | About 5 days [17] |
| Retatrutide | GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon | Late-stage trials, approved nowhere | −24.2% at 48 weeks, phase 2, n = 338 [41] | About 6 days [42] |
| Cagrilintide | Amylin and calcitonin receptors | Late-stage trials, approved nowhere | −10.8% at 26 weeks, phase 2, n = 706 [43] | 159 to 195 hours [44] |
| Mazdutide | GLP-1 and glucagon | Approved in China, nowhere else | −14.0% at 48 weeks, GLORY-1, n = 610 [45] | Not stated here |
Those six figures come from six different trials. The people enrolled, the length of treatment, the starting weights and the statistical method all differ, so that column ranks trials rather than drugs.
Only one of these comparisons has been run head to head, against semaglutide, and it went clearly against liraglutide [5]. What sets liraglutide apart is age rather than size of effect.
It came first, and it is the only one here with a completed heart-outcome trial of its own [3]. It is also the only one with generic versions on the market [9].
The daily rhythm follows from the chemistry. A 16-carbon fatty chain holds the peptide to a carrier protein for about 13 hours, where the longer chains of the newer substances hold theirs for days [8], [16].
Common misconceptions
- "Liraglutide and semaglutide are interchangeable." They are two substances with separate approvals from the same maker. In the one head-to-head weight trial, semaglutide reached 15.8 percent against 6.4 percent [5], [16].
- "The two brands contain different drugs." They contain the same active substance and differ in approved use and in the strengths licensed. Both labels advise against combining several products of this kind [8], [12].
- "The warnings are the same everywhere." They are not. America carries a framed warning about thyroid tumours and two conditions that rule the drug out; Europe carries neither, and names only allergy [8], [1].
- "It is natural GLP-1." It is a deliberately altered copy, brewed in yeast, with one building block swapped and a fatty chain attached by chemistry. That chain is why it lasts about 13 hours instead of minutes [8].
- "A generic and a grey-market product are both just the cheap version." A generic is examined for identity, purity, equivalence and manufacturing standard before approval [9], [31]. A market-surveillance study of this drug class found 134 of 317 online pharmacies to be illegal, and checked purchases for sterility, contamination and content [46].
- "Because it is on a shortage list, copies are the same medicine." The shortage listing removes a legal bar for licensed compounders. It says nothing about what any given preparation contains. Reports of accidental overdose across this class are raised for every substance in it, liraglutide included [10], [47], [48].
- "It is banned in sport because it takes weight off." It appears on no prohibited list and in no monitoring programme [37], [38].
Frequently asked questions
Is liraglutide a prescription medicine?
Yes, in every market on this page. It is licensed in the United States, the European Union, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Switzerland, and in all of them it is dispensed on prescription only. Being sold as a research chemical does not change that; it is an approved medicine, not a research substance.
How much weight did people lose in the liraglutide trials?
In the largest trial, 3,731 adults with obesity and without diabetes lost an average of 8.4 kg over 56 weeks, against 2.8 kg on a dummy treatment. The American labelling reports the same trial as a fall of 7.4 percent against 3.0 percent. In adults who also had type 2 diabetes the figure was smaller, at 6.0 percent.
Did liraglutide reduce heart attacks and strokes?
In one clearly defined group it reduced serious heart events as a whole. Among 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and a high heart risk, such an event struck 13.0 percent against 14.9 percent, about 13 percent less risk (hazard ratio 0.87, range 0.78 to 0.97). Heart attacks and strokes counted separately showed no clear difference.
What are the most common side effects of liraglutide?
Feeling sick, diarrhoea, constipation and vomiting. Across the pooled adult weight trials, 39.3 percent felt sick against 13.8 percent on the dummy treatment, and stomach and bowel complaints of any kind affected about 68 percent against 39 percent. In teenagers the rates were higher still.
What is the boxed warning on liraglutide about?
The American package inserts carry a framed warning about tumours of a particular thyroid cell. In rats and mice, liraglutide causes them, more often the more the animals get and the longer they get it, at amounts comparable to those used in people. Whether the same happens in people is unknown. The European texts carry no such warning at all.
Is liraglutide the same as semaglutide?
No. Both are altered copies of the same gut hormone made by the same company, but they are separate substances with separate approvals. Liraglutide matches the natural hormone in 97 percent of its sequence and lasts about 13 hours; semaglutide matches it in 94 percent and lasts about a week.
Why does this page list no liraglutide doses?
Because liraglutide is available on prescription wherever it is licensed, and choosing an amount belongs to the approved product information and to the doctor writing the prescription. This page refers to dose levels only as the lower or the higher tested level, and reports what was measured at each.
Is liraglutide banned in sport?
No. It appears nowhere on the 2026 prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency, in or out of competition, and no medical exemption is required for it. It is not in the monitoring programme either, which does name markers of semaglutide and tirzepatide. Nothing about safety follows from that.
Are there generic versions of liraglutide?
Yes. The first American generic application was approved on 23 December 2024, and eleven had been approved by September 2026. Six generic brands were listed in the British register on 10 September 2026, all on prescription. The generic labels do not all carry the same approved uses as the originals.
Was liraglutide studied in children and teenagers?
Yes, in two settings. A trial in 251 teenagers aged 12 to 17 with obesity found the body mass index score fell by 0.22 points more than on the dummy treatment. Separately, the approved age for the diabetes use dropped to 10 years in 2019. In the teenage trial, side effects caused 10.4 percent to stop, against nobody on the dummy treatment.
Sources
- European Medicines Agency, EPAR Victoza (liraglutide), EMEA/H/C/001026, authorised 30 June 2009, marketing authorisation holder Novo Nordisk A/S, ATC A10BJ02, revision 25, legal status prescription only; product information sections 4.1, 4.3, 4.4 and 9. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/victoza
- Drugs@FDA / openFDA, NDA 022341 (liraglutide injection, diabetes application), approval and supplement history. Original approval 25 January 2010 as a new molecular entity; latest labelling supplement 14 October 2025. https://api.fda.gov/drug/drugsfda.json?search=application_number:%22NDA022341%22
- Marso SP, Daniels GH, Brown-Frandsen K et al. (2016). Liraglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (LEADER). New England Journal of Medicine 375(4):311-322. PMID 27295427. DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa1603827
- Pi-Sunyer X, Astrup A, Fujioka K et al. (2015). A randomized, controlled trial of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes). New England Journal of Medicine 373(1):11-22. PMID 26132939. DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa1411892
- Rubino DM, Greenway FL, Khalid U et al. (2022). Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes (STEP 8). JAMA 327(2):138-150. PMID 35015037. DOI 10.1001/jama.2021.23619
- Kelly AS, Auerbach P, Barrientos-Perez M et al. (2020). A randomized, controlled trial of liraglutide for adolescents with obesity (SCALE Teens). New England Journal of Medicine 382(22):2117-2128. PMID 32233338. DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa1916038
- FDA approval letters, NDA 206321/S-011 (2020) and NDA 206321/S-012, S-013, S-014 (2020); the first removes the limitations-of-use statement, the second adds the paediatric indication from age 12 on the basis of trial NN8022-4180. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2020/206321Orig1s012,%20s013,%20s014ltr.pdf
- VICTOZA (liraglutide) injection — US Prescribing Information. Novo Nordisk Inc., SPL version 31, published 17 November 2025. DailyMed setid 5a9ef4ea-c76a-4d34-a604-27c5b505f5a4. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=5a9ef4ea-c76a-4d34-a604-27c5b505f5a4
- Drugs@FDA / openFDA, active-ingredient search LIRAGLUTIDE, retrieved 10 September 2026. Fourteen applications: NDA 022341, NDA 206321, BLA 208583 (fixed combination with insulin degludec, 21 November 2016) and eleven abbreviated applications, the first of them ANDA 215503 (Hikma) approved 23 December 2024. https://api.fda.gov/drug/drugsfda.json?search=products.active_ingredients.name:%22LIRAGLUTIDE%22&limit=100
- openFDA Drug Shortages, active ingredient liraglutide, retrieved 10 September 2026. Eleven entries; nine were first posted on 18 July 2023 and carried the status Current, while two are marked To Be Discontinued, first posted on 14 May and on 25 August 2026. Reasons on file: delay in shipping of the drug, and discontinuation of the manufacture of the drug. https://api.fda.gov/drug/shortages.json?search=generic_name:%22liraglutide%22&limit=50
- PubChem, compound CID 16134956 (Liraglutide), properties and synonym list. Molecular formula C172H265N43O51, molecular weight 3751, InChIKey YSDQQAXHVYUZIW-QCIJIYAXSA-N, CAS 204656-20-2, UNII 839I73S42A, development codes NN2211 and NNC 90-1170, ChEBI 71193. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/16134956
- SAXENDA (liraglutide) injection — US Prescribing Information. Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries LP, SPL version 22, published 15 June 2026. DailyMed setid 3946d389-0926-4f77-a708-0acb8153b143. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=3946d389-0926-4f77-a708-0acb8153b143
- ClinicalTrials.gov API v2, individual records retrieved 10 September 2026 with the sponsor field checked in each case: NCT01179048, NCT01272219, NCT01272232, NCT00781937, NCT02918279 and NCT04074161, sponsor Novo Nordisk A/S throughout. The registry lists several hundred further studies of this substance. https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?intr=liraglutide
- Wikidata, Q2526479 (liraglutide); source of the DrugBank identifier DB06655, ChEMBL CHEMBL1201866, KEGG D06404, MeSH D000069450 and of the historical ATC code A10BX07 alongside A10BJ02. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2526479
- European Medicines Agency, EPAR Saxenda (liraglutide), EMEA/H/C/003780, authorised 23 March 2015, revision 19, product information file dated 31 July 2025; sections 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 4.8 table 4 and 9. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/saxenda
- OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection — US Prescribing Information. Novo Nordisk, revision 01/2025. DailyMed setid adec4fd2-6858-4c99-91d4-531f5f2a2d79. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=adec4fd2-6858-4c99-91d4-531f5f2a2d79
- MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) injection — US Prescribing Information. Eli Lilly and Company, revision 8/2026. DailyMed setid d2d7da5d-ad07-4228-955f-cf7e355c8cc0. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=d2d7da5d-ad07-4228-955f-cf7e355c8cc0
- FDA approval letter, NDA 022341/S-027, 28 August 2017; adds the indication to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, on the basis of the LEADER trial. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2017/022341Orig1s027ltr.pdf
- Davies MJ, Bergenstal R, Bode B et al. (2015). Efficacy of liraglutide for weight loss among patients with type 2 diabetes (SCALE Diabetes). JAMA 314(7):687-699. PMID 26284720. DOI 10.1001/jama.2015.9676
- Wadden TA, Hollander P, Klein S et al. (2013). Weight maintenance and additional weight loss with liraglutide after low-calorie-diet-induced weight loss (SCALE Maintenance). International Journal of Obesity 37(11):1443-1451. PMID 23812094. DOI 10.1038/ijo.2013.120
- le Roux CW, Astrup A, Fujioka K et al. (2017). 3 years of liraglutide versus placebo for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight management in individuals with prediabetes: a randomised, double-blind trial. The Lancet 389(10077):1399-1409. PMID 28237263. DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30069-7
- Buse JB, Rosenstock J, Sesti G et al. (2009). Liraglutide once a day versus exenatide twice a day for type 2 diabetes (LEAD-6). The Lancet 374(9683):39-47. PMID 19515413. DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60659-0
- Giorgino F, Bhattacharya I, Sapin H et al. (2023). The real-world observational prospective study of health outcomes with dulaglutide and liraglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes (TROPHIES): final, 24-month analysis. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 25(12):3690-3701. PMID 37700627. DOI 10.1111/dom.15244
- Hegedüs L, Moses AC, Zdravkovic M et al. (2011). GLP-1 and calcitonin concentration in humans: lack of evidence of calcitonin release from sequential screening in over 5000 subjects treated with liraglutide. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 96(3):853-860. PMID 21209033. DOI 10.1210/jc.2010-2318
- MHRA. Semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus): risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Drug Safety Update, 5 February 2026; states that other GLP-1 agonists were not included in that review. https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/semaglutide-wegovy-ozempic-and-rybelsus-risk-of-non-arteritic-anterior-ischemic-optic-neuropathy-naion
- MHRA. GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists: strengthened warnings on acute pancreatitis, including necrotising and fatal cases. Drug Safety Update, 29 January 2026; the substances named are dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide. https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/glp-1-receptor-agonists-and-dual-glp-1-slash-gip-receptor-agonists-strengthened-warnings-on-acute-pancreatitis-including-necrotising-and-fatal-cases
- Drugs@FDA / openFDA, NDA 206321 (liraglutide injection, weight-management application), approval and supplement history. Original approval 23 December 2014; latest labelling supplement 2 June 2026. https://api.fda.gov/drug/drugsfda.json?search=application_number:%22NDA206321%22
- FDA approval letter, NDA 022341/S-031, 2019; expands the approved age range for type 2 diabetes to 10 years and older, in fulfilment of a written request. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2019/022341Orig1s031ltr.pdf
- Swissmedic, list of authorised packs for human medicines, as at 31 August 2026, evaluated locally. Authorisation number 59329, holder Novo Nordisk Pharma AG, first authorised 11 December 2009, valid until 28 February 2027, ATC A10BJ02, dispensing category B, medicinal-product code biotechnological. The fixed combination is listed under 65041. The weight-management brand is absent from the file; a control query for the two listed entries succeeded. https://www.swissmedic.ch/swissmedic/de/home/services/listen_neu.html
- Health Canada, Drug Product Database, active-ingredient query liraglutide and the product, status and schedule endpoints for drug codes 83627, 92226 and 96506, retrieved 10 September 2026. The diabetes product (DIN 02351064) has been marketed since 27 May 2010 and the weight product (DIN 02437899) since 27 May 2015; both are prescription and schedule D. The fixed combination was cancelled post market on 31 December 2025. https://health-products.canada.ca/api/drug/activeingredient/?lang=en&type=json&ingredientname=liraglutide
- electronic medicines compendium, product listing for liraglutide, retrieved 10 September 2026. Eight products, all prescription-only medicines, including six generic brands from Biocon Pharma UK, Sun Pharmaceutical, Zentiva and Cipla EU. The diabetes brand did not appear in the result list. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/search?q=liraglutide
- Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard — June 2026) Instrument 2026, authorised version F2026L00633, registered 28 May 2026. Checked in full text: LIRAGLUTIDE appears in schedule 4, prescription-only medicine, without exemption. Australian register numbers could not be verified because the agency's register was unreachable on 10 September 2026.
- Liraglutide injection — US prescribing information, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., DailyMed setid 2100ec49-57b2-4330-ab5f-057ce9b7e4d0, and Meitheal Pharmaceuticals Inc., setid 0efc3a89-211a-4496-baab-e8265e07de2b; both carry the type 2 diabetes indication from age 10 without the cardiovascular indication. The Teva label, setid 625ac780-70a9-41e4-a892-bcba0f803f1c, carries the weight-management indication instead.
- Section 34(1) sentence 7 of the German Social Code Book V, the statutory exclusion of medicines for weight reduction, appetite suppression and body-weight regulation from statutory health insurance cover.
- FDA. FDA clarifies policies for compounders as national GLP-1 supply begins to stabilize. Drug alerts and statements; the semaglutide shortage was declared resolved on 21 February 2025 and the transition periods for compounders lapsed on 22 April and 22 May 2025. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-alerts-and-statements/fda-clarifies-policies-compounders-national-glp-1-supply-begins-stabilize
- FDA, bulk drug substances used in compounding under section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, retrieved 10 September 2026. Liraglutide appears in none of the three categories, which is consistent with its status as an approved active substance. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/bulk-drug-substances-used-compounding-under-section-503a-fdc-act
- World Anti-Doping Agency, The 2026 Prohibited List, in force 1 January 2026. Checked in full text on 10 September 2026: no hit for liraglutide, GLP-1 or glucagon; the nearest entry in class S4 covers insulins and insulin-mimetics, which liraglutide is not. Liraglutide is also absent from the 2026 monitoring programme, which names markers of semaglutide and tirzepatide only. https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list
- Annex to section 2(3) of the German Act against Doping in Sport, published at BGBl. 2023 I no. 67, pages 1 to 5. Checked in full text: no hit for liraglutide; neither the section on peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics nor the section on metabolic modulators lists a GLP-1 receptor agonist. https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/antidopg/anlage.html
- Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S et al. (2021). Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). New England Journal of Medicine 384(11):989-1002. PMID 33567185. DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
- Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN et al. (2022). Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-1). New England Journal of Medicine 387(3):205-216. PMID 35658024. DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2206038
- Jastreboff AM, Kaplan LM, Frías JP et al. (2023). Triple-hormone-receptor agonist retatrutide for obesity — a phase 2 trial. New England Journal of Medicine 389(6):514-526. PMID 37366315. DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2301972
- Urva S, Coskun T, James Loh M et al. (2022). LY3437943, a novel triple GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist in people with type 2 diabetes: a phase 1b multiple-ascending-dose trial. The Lancet 400(10366):1869-1881. PMID 36354040. DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02033-5
- Lau DCW, Erichsen L, Francisco AM et al. (2021). Once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity: a phase 2 dose-finding trial. The Lancet 398(10317):2160-2172. PMID 34798060. DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01751-7
- Enebo LB, Berthelsen KK, Kankam M et al. (2021). Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of concomitant administration of multiple doses of cagrilintide with semaglutide for weight management: a phase 1b trial. The Lancet 397(10286):1736-1748. PMID 33894838. DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00845-X
- Ji L, Jiang H, Bi Y et al. (2025). Once-weekly mazdutide in Chinese adults with obesity or overweight (GLORY-1). New England Journal of Medicine 392(22):2215-2225. PMID 40421736. DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2411528
- Ashraf AR, Mackey TK, Vida RG et al. (2024). Multifactor quality and safety analysis of GLP-1 receptor agonist products sold by online sellers without a prescription: market surveillance, content analysis and product purchase evaluation study. Journal of Medical Internet Research 26:e65440. PMID 39509151. DOI 10.2196/65440
- McIntyre RS, Mansur RB, Rosenblat JD et al. (2026). Increased reporting of accidental overdose with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists: a population-based study. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety. PMID 39552465. DOI 10.1080/14740338.2024.2430306
- Sen S, Ramsingh D, Kim J (2025). Navigating the clinical benefits, risks and emerging controversies with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology 38(4):404-412. PMID 40493797. DOI 10.1097/ACO.0000000000001522
Cite this page
The facts on this page were checked on 10 September 2026, and the register searches behind the status table were run on that date. Approved medicines gain new uses and new warnings over time, so the version and the date matter as much as the text [13].
myPeptides Research & Editing. (2026). Liraglutide: what the trials show, status and safety. Version 1.0, 10 September 2026. myPeptides Peptide Register. Retrieved from https://mypep.app/peptides/liraglutide
How pages in this register are compiled and graded is described under methodology; the full register is at peptides.
| Version | Date | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026-09-10 | Initial publication |
Last verified: 10 September 2026. Next review: on a labelling change in any covered market, on any change to the American shortage listing, or on any change in the anti-doping classification.