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Liraglutide

A
best evidence
Peptide
also called — liraglutide · GLP-1 receptor agonist · brands Victoza (type-2 diabetes), Saxenda (obesity)
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 d

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 · your region
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

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
A
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
A
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
A
Pediatric obesity (adolescents 12+)
Longest pediatric track record in the class
Kelly 2020 (NEJM); FDA-approved · Reduced BMI standard-deviation score
A
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)
—

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). ## 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).

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).
Review status
Not yet reviewed

A credentialed reviewer (PharmD / PhD / MD) will be named before this entry is finalised. Until then, treat it as a working draft. Last updated July 2026.

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

Related compounds
SemaglutideA
Peptide
TirzepatideA
Peptide
RetatrutideB
Peptide
CagrilintideB
Peptide
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Liraglutide (Victoza / Saxenda) — evidence, the pioneer story & status · Vallydia