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Liraglutide

lead outcome

Type-2 diabetes glycemic control

grades vary by outcome ↓

Peptide

also called — liraglutide · GLP-1 receptor agonist · brands Victoza (type-2 diabetes), Saxenda (obesity) · Saxenda (obesity brand) · Victoza (type-2 diabetes brand)

metabolictype-2 diabetesobesity / weightcardiovascular (all approved)

Reference entry — NOT a sellable lane. An FDA-approved prescription drug (now also generic), not a cosmetic or research peptide. It earns its place in the register for two reasons that are genuinely historic: it was the first GLP-1 approved for obesity, and it was the first GLP-1 to go generic. No dosing published here.

In brief

Liraglutide is the pioneer GLP-1 — the first in wide use and the first approved for obesity (Saxenda, 2014), the drug that opened the field for semaglutide and tirzepatide. It is FDA-approved for type-2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular risk (grade A), and in 2024–2025 became the first GLP-1 to go generic, meaningfully widening access. Its trade-offs are honest: it's a daily injection and less potent than the newer drugs (~8% weight loss vs semaglutide ~15% and tirzepatide ~22%) — eclipsed on efficacy, but proven, long-tracked, and now affordable.

Legal standing, by region

United States

Approved / prescription

FDA- and EMA-approved (Victoza, Saxenda, and generics). Unlike semaglutide/tirzepatide, it is not caught in the shortage/compounding situation — approved generics exist.

Evidence, by outcome

How we grade →

An honest grade per outcome — drawn from the evidence, not any catalogue. Hype and undemonstrated marketing claims grade low.

OutcomeEvidence base · effectGrade

Type-2 diabetes glycemic control

Slightly less than semaglutide (SUSTAIN-10)

Phase 3 (LEAD programme); FDA-approved · Robust HbA1c reduction

Chronic weight management (obesity)

Less than semaglutide (~15%) / tirzepatide (~22%); daily injection; head-to-head STEP 8 = 6.4% vs 15.8%

SCALE Phase 3 (~8.4% at 56 wk); FDA-approved (first GLP-1 for obesity) · Meaningful weight loss

Cardiovascular risk reduction (T2D + CVD)

In T2D + established CVD only — not generalisable to non-diabetic obesity (unlike semaglutide's SELECT)

LEADER (n=9,340); FDA-approved · 13% reduction in major CV events

Pediatric obesity (adolescents 12+)

Longest pediatric track record in the class

Kelly 2020 (NEJM); FDA-approved · Reduced BMI standard-deviation score

Safety

GI effects; gallbladder events (1–2%); rare pancreatitis; boxed thyroid C-cell warning (rodent); more injection-site reactions (7× the injections of a weekly drug)

Large trials + 15+ years post-marketing · Well-characterised (longest record in class)

—

Disclosure

Vallydia sells its own cosmetic serums, and some ingredients graded here belong to the same categories as those products. Grades are drawn from the published evidence by the method we publish, and applied to our own ingredients on the same terms — our copper-peptide serum is graded no more kindly than the peptides it competes with. We disclose the interest so you can weigh it.

Trade names shown here (for example Matrixyl, Argireline, Syn-Ake) are the property of their respective owners and are used only to identify the ingredient under discussion. Their appearance implies no affiliation with, or endorsement by, the proprietor.

Evidence changes

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Identity

an acylated GLP-1 analog — a ~31-amino-acid peptide (< 40 aa → peptide) based on human GLP-1 with a palmitoyl fatty-acid chain that binds albumin, giving a ~13-hour half-life and therefore a once-daily injection (the defining contrast with semaglutide's once-weekly). It is marketed under the trade names Victoza (type-2 diabetes) and Saxenda (obesity/weight management).

Mechanism (as proposed)

a GLP-1 receptor agonist — enhances glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppresses glucagon, slows gastric emptying, and reduces appetite. The palmitoyl-albumin design gives a ~13-hour half-life → daily dosing (vs semaglutide's weekly), which is also why it clears faster (an advantage before surgery or pregnancy).

Chemical identifiers

Cross-reference identifiers for the authoritative external databases — not a recipe, and nothing about how to use it.

CAS204656-20-2

PubChem CID16134956

InChIKeyYSDQQAXHVYUZIW-QCIJIYAXSA-N

SMILESCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)N[C@@H](CCC(=O)NCCCC[C@@H](C(=O)N[C@@H](CCC(=O)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC1=CC=CC=C1)C(=O)N[C@@H]([C@@H](C)CC)C(=O)N[C@@H](C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC2=CNC3=CC=CC=C32)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](C(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCNC(=N)N)C(=O)NCC(=O)N[C@@H](CCCNC(=N)N)C(=O)NCC(=O)O)NC(=O)[C@H](C)NC(=O)[C@H](C)NC(=O)[C@H](CCC(=O)N)NC(=O)CNC(=O)[C@H](CCC(=O)O)NC(=O)[C@H](CC(C)C)NC(=O)[C@H](CC4=CC=C(C=C4)O)NC(=O)[C@H](CO)NC(=O)[C@H](CO)NC(=O)[C@H](C(C)C)NC(=O)[C@H](CC(=O)O)NC(=O)[C@H](CO)NC(=O)[C@H]([C@@H](C)O)NC(=O)[C@H](CC5=CC=CC=C5)NC(=O)[C@H]([C@@H](C)O)NC(=O)CNC(=O)[C@H](CCC(=O)O)NC(=O)[C@H](C)NC(=O)[C@H](CC6=CN=CN6)N)C(=O)O

ChEMBLCHEMBL4084119

via PubChem exact-name match (Liraglutide) · high confidence

Sources — 5 cited

01Marso SP, et al. Liraglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type-2 diabetes (LEADER). N Engl J Med. 2016.

02Pi-Sunyer X, et al. (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes — liraglutide for weight management.) N Engl J Med. 2015.

03Rubino DM, et al. (STEP 8 — semaglutide vs liraglutide head-to-head for weight loss.) JAMA. 2022.

04Kelly AS, et al. (Liraglutide for adolescents with obesity.) N Engl J Med. 2020.

05FDA prescribing information (Victoza/Saxenda) and generic approvals (Teva/Hikma, 2024–2025).

Updated 2026-07-13

Grades reflect the published evidence, not our interest. No dosing, reconstitution, or administration is published for research compounds — that restraint is deliberate.

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This site provides neutral scientific reference and sells only products lawful in your region. Nothing here is medical advice, a recommendation, or an offer to supply unapproved medicines. No dosing or administration is published for research compounds. Cosmetic peptides per Regulation (EC) 1223/2009. Unapproved injectable peptides are neither sold nor advertised in the EU (Directive 2001/83/EC, Title VIII). © 2026 Vallydia.