Liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza): The Complete Guide

Liraglutide is an injectable medicine that mimics GLP-1, a gut hormone that curbs appetite and helps control blood sugar. It’s injected once a day, unlike semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are weekly. Novo Nordisk sells it under two names: Saxenda, approved for weight management, and Victoza, for type 2 diabetes^[1,2]. Both have FDA-approved generics: Victoza since December 2024 and Saxenda since August 2025^[11,12]. In the SCALE trial, 3,731 adults with obesity or overweight and no diabetes lost an average of 8.4 kg (18.5 lb) in 56 weeks on the Saxenda dose, compared with 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) on placebo^[21]. Its most common side effects are digestive^[1].

Here I bring together what the current US labels on DailyMed, the FDA’s approval records, the European label and the main trials say. I checked every label fact on October 5, 2026; they have a dotted underline and that date. None of this replaces a medical visit: starting, adjusting or stopping liraglutide is a decision for your prescriber, made with you.

What liraglutide is and how it works

Liraglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist: a modified version of the hormone your gut releases when you eat. The US label describes it as having 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1^[1]. According to the US and EU labels, it works like this:Dotted underline: a drug-label fact; hover over it to see the date it was checked.

• Appetite. The US label says liraglutide lowers body weight through decreased calorie intake and does not increase 24-hour energy expenditure^[1]. The EU label adds that it works by increasing feelings of fullness and satiety, while lowering feelings of hunger^[14].
• Blood sugar. It stimulates insulin and lowers glucagon in a glucose-dependent manner, that is, mainly when blood sugar is high^[1].
• Body composition. In the EU label’s words, weight is lost mainly through loss of fat mass, with relatively more visceral fat lost than fat under the skin^[14].

Why it’s daily. The natural hormone lasts only 1.5 to 2 minutes before enzymes break it down^[1]. Liraglutide lasts longer because it is absorbed slowly from under the skin, binds to proteins in the blood and resists those enzymes^[1]. Its half-life is 13 hours, which the US label calls suitable for once-daily dosing^[1]. Semaglutide’s is approximately 1 week, according to the US Wegovy label^[19], and tirzepatide’s is approximately 5 to 6 days in people with overweight or obesity, according to the US Zepbound label^[20]. Both are weekly, and tirzepatide also activates the GIP receptor. I explain the whole family in what GLP-1 medications are.

Saxenda vs. Victoza: what each is approved for

Same active ingredient, same strength (6 mg/mL), same maker. What changes is the approved use and the top dose. The FDA approved Victoza in January 2010 and Saxenda in December 2014^[6,7]. In the EU, Saxenda was authorized in March 2015, and its product information was last updated on July 31, 2025^[16]. This table sums up the US labels, with the EU position where it differs.

BMI is body mass index, in kg/m². The EU label lists prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats (dyslipidemia) and obstructive sleep apnea as examples of weight-related conditions^[14]. For a closer look at the number itself, see what BMI measures.

Three details worth knowing:

• Children. In the US, Saxenda starts at 12. The EU also covers children 6 to 11, a use the US label doesn’t include: it says safety and effectiveness have not been established in patients less than 12 years of age^[1,14].
• Not together with another GLP-1. The Saxenda label says coadministration with other liraglutide-containing products or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist is not recommended^[1]. That includes Xultophy, a combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide.
• Victoza isn’t approved for weight. The Saxenda label states that the efficacy of liraglutide at doses below 3 mg daily has not been established for weight reduction^[1].

Generic Saxenda and generic Victoza

An FDA-approved generic has the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form and route as the brand and must be bioequivalent to it^[13].

• Generic Victoza. The FDA approved the first one, from Hikma, on December 23, 2024^[8,11]. Drugs@FDA rates these generics AP1, meaning therapeutically equivalent to Victoza^[6,8,10].
• Generic Saxenda. The first, from Teva, was approved on August 27, 2025, with an AP2 rating, meaning therapeutically equivalent to Saxenda^[9,12]. Its label carries the same weight-management indication as Saxenda, including children 12 and older^[3].
• Teva’s Victoza-made liraglutide. DailyMed also lists a Teva liraglutide that is marketed under Victoza’s own application and manufactured by Novo Nordisk^[5]. It isn’t a separate generic approval.

As of October 5, 2026, the FDA’s records list these approved generic applications^[10]:

An approval doesn’t guarantee a product is on pharmacy shelves, and the company on the box can differ from the one holding the approval. Not every generic label copies every use of the brand. Hikma’s generic Victoza, for example, lists only the blood sugar indication, without Victoza’s heart-risk one^[2,4]. Your pharmacist can tell you which label applies to the product you get.

Where else it’s approved. In the EU, two copies were authorized on July 15, 2026: Liraglutide STADA, with Victoza as reference, and Ablymico, with Saxenda. The EMA calls them hybrid medicines^[17,18]. Products, registrations and coverage in Spain, Mexico and the rest of Latin America are covered in the Spanish version of this guide (in Spanish). More on how brand and generic names work in GLP-1 generic and brand names.

Pens, strengths and storage

Saxenda, Victoza and their generics come in a prefilled multi-dose pen with 18 mg of liraglutide in 3 mL (6 mg/mL)^[1,2].

Source: section 16 of the US Saxenda and Victoza labels^[1,2].

Never share a pen. Victoza’s label devotes a warning section to it: pens must never be shared between patients, even if the needle is changed, because pen-sharing poses a risk for transmission of blood-borne pathogens^[2]. The Saxenda label carries the same message in its patient counseling section, and the generic labels repeat it^[1,3,4]. The EU leaflet says the same: never share your pen or your needles^[14]. Both US labels also say to remove the needle after each injection and store the pen without one attached^[1,2]. For disposal and flying with pens, see disposing of pens and needles, and travelling.

What the clinical trials show

Most of the data come from the SCALE program, funded by Novo Nordisk. In SCALE and STEP 8, participants also got diet and physical activity counseling^[21,26]. You can see the placebo-controlled results side by side in the trial results chart.

SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes: adults without diabetes

SCALE enrolled 3,731 adults without type 2 diabetes, with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with high blood pressure or dyslipidemia. They weighed 106.2 kg (234.1 lb) on average, 78.5% were women and 61.2% had prediabetes. They took liraglutide 3.0 mg or placebo for 56 weeks^[21].

Source: Pi-Sunyer et al., NEJM 2015^[21].

The 95% CI (confidence interval) is the range where the true effect probably lies. In percentage terms, the EU label gives −8.0% vs. −2.6%^[14]. The paper and the EU label count people who dropped out at their last recorded weight. The US label handles missing data differently (multiple imputation) and reports −7.4% vs. −3.0% for the same trial^[1]. Same study, different math, slightly different numbers.

The 2,254 participants with prediabetes continued for up to 160 weeks. Weight fell 6.1% vs. 1.9%. Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed during treatment in 2% vs. 6% (hazard ratio 0.21; 95% CI 0.13 to 0.34). Only about half completed the trial^[22].

SCALE Diabetes and SCALE Maintenance

SCALE Diabetes followed 846 adults with type 2 diabetes and a BMI of 27 or more for 56 weeks. Weight fell 6.0% on 3.0 mg, 4.7% on 1.8 mg (the top Victoza dose) and 2.0% on placebo. The difference between 3.0 mg and placebo was −4.0 percentage points (95% CI −5.1 to −2.9)^[23].

SCALE Maintenance started with 422 adults who had already lost at least 5% on a low-calorie diet. Over 56 weeks, they lost a further 6.2% on liraglutide and 0.2% on placebo (difference −6.1 points; 95% CI −7.5 to −4.6). Of those on liraglutide, 81.4% kept off the initial loss, compared with 48.9% on placebo^[24]. Because only people who responded well to the diet were included, the US label notes that the results may not reflect those expected in the general population^[1].

Teenagers and children

In SCALE Teens, 251 adolescents aged 12 to 17 with obesity took liraglutide 3.0 mg or placebo for 56 weeks. BMI fell by at least 5% in 43.3% vs. 18.7%, and weight by 4.50 kg (9.9 lb) more than on placebo. Some 10.4% stopped because of side effects, compared with none on placebo^[25].

Children aged 6 to 11 are covered only by the EU label. In 82 children, BMI changed by −5.80% on liraglutide and +1.60% on placebo at 56 weeks (difference −7.40 points; 95% CI −11.56 to −3.24)^[14].

LEADER: heart outcomes in type 2 diabetes

LEADER is the trial behind Victoza’s US heart indication. It enrolled 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, randomized to Victoza 1.8 mg or placebo for a median of 3.5 years, on top of standard care^[2]. The published results were in the NEJM in 2016^[27].

Source: US Victoza label, section 14.3^[2].

A hazard ratio below 1 means fewer events with the drug. Death from any cause had a hazard ratio of 0.85 (0.74 to 0.97)^[2]. Two caveats: LEADER used the Victoza dose (1.8 mg), not the Saxenda dose, and only included people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease or high heart risk^[2]. The Saxenda label cites LEADER as a safety result: no increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events was observed with liraglutide 1.8 mg^[1].

STEP 8: liraglutide vs. semaglutide

STEP 8 compared daily liraglutide 3.0 mg with weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg, the Wegovy dose. It enrolled 338 adults without diabetes at 19 US sites, with an average BMI of 37.5 and weight of 104.5 kg (230.4 lb), for 68 weeks^[26].

Source: Rubino et al., JAMA 2022^[26].

On placebo, weight changed by −1.9%. Limits: the comparison between the two drugs was open-label (participants knew which one they got), the trial was small and in one country, and Novo Nordisk, which makes both, funded it and took part in the analysis^[26].

Combined with exercise

A Danish trial, S-LiTE, started with 195 adults with obesity who had lost 13.1 kg (28.9 lb) on an 8-week diet. For a year they got supervised exercise, liraglutide 3.0 mg, both, or placebo. Compared with placebo, weight was 4.1 kg (9.0 lb) lower with exercise, 6.8 kg (15.0 lb) lower with liraglutide and 9.5 kg (20.9 lb) lower with both. The combination cut body fat percentage by 3.9 points, about twice as much as either approach alone^[28].

What the first months predict

The labels use early weight loss to decide whether to continue, and the US and EU rules differ:

• US adults: the label says to evaluate the change in body weight 16 weeks after initiating Saxenda and discontinue if the patient has not lost at least 4% of baseline body weight^[1].
• US, ages 12 and up: evaluate BMI after 12 weeks on the maintenance dose and discontinue if it hasn’t fallen by at least 1% from baseline^[1].
• EU adults: discontinue after 12 weeks on the 3.0 mg/day dose if patients have not lost at least 5% of their initial body weight; for children and teens, the threshold is 4% of BMI or BMI z score^[14].

The EU label explains why: in SCALE, 67.5% achieved at least 5% weight loss after 12 weeks on the full dose, and 93.4% of those who didn’t fell short of a 10% loss at one year^[14]. That assessment belongs to your prescriber.

How the dose is stepped up, according to the label

The dose goes up gradually to reduce digestive side effects. I reproduce the label schedules below. This isn’t dosing advice: your prescriber sets the schedule based on your tolerance, your indication and your other medicines.

Source: section 2 of the US Saxenda and Victoza labels^[1,2]. The EU schedule for Saxenda is the same, in 0.6 mg steps at least a week apart^[14].

The same sections add:

• If a step isn’t tolerated. The US Saxenda label allows delaying dosage escalation for approximately one additional week, and says to stop if an adult can’t tolerate 3 mg. For teens, it allows a maintenance dose reduced to 2.4 mg daily if 3 mg isn’t tolerated^[1]. The EU label is stricter: if a step isn’t tolerated for two weeks in a row, it says to consider stopping^[14].
• How it’s injected. Once daily, at any time of day, without regard to meals, under the skin of the abdomen, thigh or upper arm, rotating sites within the same area^[1]. Skin reactions are covered in injection site reactions.
• With insulin or sulfonylureas. The prescriber may lower those doses to reduce the risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)^[1,2].

Side effects and how often they happen

The most common ones are digestive. The EU label says they were mild to moderate, transient and that most usually occurred during the first weeks of treatment and diminished within a few days or weeks^[14]. The US Saxenda label lists the reactions seen in at least 2% of adults and more often than on placebo, from five trials with 3,384 adults on Saxenda and 1,941 on placebo. These are the main ones^[1]:

Source: US Saxenda label, Table 2, which also lists headache, dizziness and raised lipase, among others^[1].

A few more figures from the same label:

• Stopping because of side effects: 9.8% on Saxenda vs. 4.3% on placebo, most often because of nausea, vomiting or diarrhea^[1].
• Severe digestive reactions: 4.8% vs. 1.4%^[1].
• Low blood sugar without diabetes: it wasn’t measured systematically. Unconfirmed symptomatic episodes were reported by 1.6% vs. 1.1%^[1]. In people with type 2 diabetes on a sulfonylurea, it was more frequent^[1].
• Teenagers: vomiting affected 34.4% on Saxenda vs. 4.0% on placebo, far more than in adults^[1].
• Heart rate: resting heart rate rose by 2 to 3 beats per minute on average in adults^[1].

On Victoza’s diabetes doses, side effects are less frequent: nausea affected 18% on 1.2 mg and 20% on 1.8 mg, vs. 5% on placebo^[2]. For the common symptoms, see what to eat with nausea, constipation on GLP-1s and the symptom diary.

Safety signals reviewed by regulators

Thyroid tumors: the US boxed warning

Saxenda, Victoza and the generics open with a boxed warning, the FDA’s most prominent kind. It says that liraglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures in both genders of rats and mice, and that it’s unknown whether it causes them, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans^[1,2]. For that reason, in the US it’s contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC and in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2), a rare inherited condition^[1,2]. The labels ask prescribers to explain the symptoms, such as a mass in the neck, trouble swallowing, shortness of breath or persistent hoarseness, and say routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection^[1,2].

The EU takes a different position. Its label notes the tumors were not seen in monkeys treated for 20 months and that the relevance for humans is likely to be low but cannot be completely excluded. In the EU it isn’t a contraindication, though the label advises caution with existing thyroid disease^[14].

Suicidal thoughts: no causal link found

The EMA reviewed the question from July 2023. In April 2024, its safety committee (PRAC) concluded that the evidence does not support a causal link with suicidal thoughts or self-harm^[30]. On January 13, 2026, the FDA said it had found no increased risk either, after analyzing 91 trials with 107,910 patients, and asked for the warning to be removed from Saxenda, Wegovy and Zepbound^[31]. The current Saxenda label no longer includes it^[1]. If you notice changes in your mood, tell your doctor.

Anesthesia, sedation and a full stomach

Liraglutide slows stomach emptying. Both US labels describe rare postmarketing reports of pulmonary aspiration in people on GLP-1 drugs having surgery or procedures under general anesthesia or deep sedation, despite fasting. They ask patients to inform healthcare providers prior to any planned surgeries or procedures^[1,2]. The EU label carries the same warning^[14].

Counterfeit and illegal products

This isn’t in the label but in regulator alerts. On September 3, 2025, the EMA warned of a sharp rise in illegal medicines marketed as GLP-1 drugs, naming liraglutide, which may not contain what they claim^[32]. The FDA’s guidance on unapproved GLP-1 products warns about counterfeits and products labeled “for research purposes”, and says to buy prescription medicines only from state-licensed pharmacies^[33]. That’s why this site has no purchase links or advice on where to get it.

Contraindications and warnings in the label

In the US, liraglutide is contraindicated with a personal or family history of MTC or MEN 2, and with a serious hypersensitivity reaction to liraglutide or to any of the excipients^[1,2]. In the EU, the only contraindication is allergy to liraglutide or its ingredients^[14]. The main warnings in section 5 of the US Saxenda label are^[1]:

• Acute pancreatitis. The label describes persistent or severe abdominal pain (sometimes radiating to the back), with or without nausea or vomiting, and says to stop if it’s suspected. Adjudicated cases occurred in 0.3% on Saxenda vs. 0.1% on placebo. The EU label adds: don’t restart if it’s confirmed^[14].
• Gallbladder disease. Gallstones affected 2.2% on Saxenda vs. 0.8% on placebo, and gallbladder inflammation 0.8% vs. 0.4%. Most needed surgery, and weight loss explained only part of the excess.
• Heart rate. The label asks for regular checks and says to stop Saxenda if resting heart rate rises in a sustained way.
• Kidney injury from dehydration. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can dehydrate you; some cases needed dialysis. More in hydration on GLP-1s.
• Severe digestive reactions. Not recommended in patients with severe gastroparesis.
• Serious allergic reactions, such as anaphylaxis and angioedema.
• Low blood sugar with insulin or sulfonylureas, and in teenagers^[1,2].

The EU label also says use is not recommended from age 75, with other weight-loss products, with severe kidney or liver impairment, with class IV heart failure, inflammatory bowel disease or diabetic gastroparesis. In people with diabetes, Saxenda must not be used as a substitute for insulin^[14].

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

The US Saxenda label says weight loss offers no benefit to a pregnant patient and may cause fetal harm, and that Saxenda should be stopped once a pregnancy is recognized^[1]. Animal studies showed harm to the fetus^[1,2]. The EU is firmer: liraglutide should not be used during pregnancy, and treatment should be stopped if a patient wishes to become pregnant or becomes pregnant^[14].

On breastfeeding, the US labels say there are no human data and that the benefits of breastfeeding should be weighed against the need for the drug^[1,2]. The EU label says Saxenda should not be used during breast-feeding, because of lack of experience^[14]. If you’re planning a pregnancy, talk to your prescriber before anything changes.

What to eat and how to protect muscle

The labels pair liraglutide with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity^[1]. With less appetite, the goal isn’t to eat as little as possible but to eat well: enough protein, fiber, fluids and nutrients in smaller portions. If you’re skipping meals out of fear of symptoms, or your relationship with food is getting worse, ask a health professional for help.

Weight is lost mainly, not only, as fat^[14], and in S-LiTE adding exercise doubled the drop in body fat^[28]. I go through the numbers in protein and muscle on GLP-1s, and put it into practice in what to eat on GLP-1 medications. The protein calculator gives you a rough daily target to discuss with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

What happens when you stop liraglutide

In the trials that measured it, people regained part of the weight after stopping. The decision to stop, reduce or switch belongs to your prescriber.

• Teenagers. SCALE Teens had 26 weeks of follow-up off treatment. According to the EU label, weight regain was observed with liraglutide vs placebo; BMI SDS (a score of BMI adjusted for age and sex) rose 0.15 units more (95% CI 0.07 to 0.23)^[14].
• Adults, one year later. In the S-LiTE follow-up, 109 participants came back. Those who had stopped liraglutide alone regained 6.0 kg (13.2 lb) more than those who had stopped exercise (95% CI 2.1 to 10.0 kg). Compared with randomization, those who had combined both weighed 5.1 kg (11.2 lb) less than the liraglutide-alone group (95% CI −10.0 to −0.2 kg)^[29].

Limits: the Danish follow-up is small and lost part of the participants. I compare these data with semaglutide and tirzepatide in stopping GLP-1s and weight regain.

If treatment is paused, the US labels say that if more than 3 days have elapsed since the last dose, it should be restarted at 0.6 mg to reduce digestive side effects^[1,2]. That restart is your prescriber’s call.

Liraglutide vs. semaglutide and tirzepatide

Liraglutide is daily; semaglutide and tirzepatide are weekly^[1,19,20], and each has its own guide: semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). The only head-to-head trial is STEP 8 (above), where semaglutide led to more than twice the weight loss^[26]; there’s none against tirzepatide. Comparing figures from different trials misleads, because the population, length and analysis change; I explain why in how much weight you lose on GLP-1s. Semaglutide vs. tirzepatide is in Ozempic vs. Mounjaro.

Liraglutide also has FDA-approved generics^[10,11,12]; for the others, see GLP-1 generic and brand names. Which drug fits is a clinical decision that depends on each person’s indication, history, tolerance and access.

Frequently asked questions

Are Saxenda and Victoza the same drug?

Same molecule, strength and maker. Saxenda is approved for weight management (up to 3 mg a day) and Victoza for type 2 diabetes (up to 1.8 mg a day), plus, in the US, lowering heart risk in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease^[1,2].

Is there a generic Saxenda?

Yes. The FDA approved Teva’s on August 27, 2025, and two more in February 2026, all rated AP2, therapeutically equivalent to Saxenda^[9,10,12].

Does Victoza work for weight loss?

It’s approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight. In SCALE Diabetes, 1.8 mg reduced weight by 4.7%, vs. 6.0% with 3.0 mg and 2.0% with placebo^[23], and the Saxenda label says efficacy below 3 mg hasn’t been established for weight reduction^[1].

What happens if a dose is missed?

The US labels say resume the once-daily regimen as prescribed with the next scheduled dose, without an extra dose to make up for it^[1,2]. The EU label differs: if it’s been less than 12 hours since the usual time, take it as soon as possible; otherwise, skip it^[14]. If in doubt, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Does liraglutide cause thyroid cancer?

It caused thyroid tumors in rats and mice; the US labels say it’s unknown whether it does in people, and the EU considers the human relevance likely low but not excluded^[1,14]. If you have a thyroid history, tell your doctor.

Is it safe to buy liraglutide online?

Regulators warn about counterfeit and illegal GLP-1 products, including liraglutide, and the FDA advises using only state-licensed pharmacies^[32,33].

Do I need to tell my doctor before surgery or an endoscopy with sedation?

Yes. The US and EU labels describe aspiration during general anesthesia or deep sedation with GLP-1 drugs, and the US labels ask patients to report any planned procedure^[1,14]. What to do with the medicine is up to the team treating you. To prepare the visit, use the doctor visit checklist.

Before you decide anything, talk to your prescriber

Liraglutide has benefits measured in large trials, well-described side effects, less weight loss than semaglutide in the only direct comparison and, in the US, generic versions. The indication, the schedule and the decision to continue or stop belong to your doctor, with you. I’ll review this page every quarter, and sooner if a label changes or a regulator publishes something new.