Compound record · Metabolic (incretin-based)

Liraglutide

Also Saxenda · Victoza · Lira · Biolide

GLP-1 receptor agonist

Metabolic (incretin-based)Evidence · StrongApproved medicine (for specific indications)

Once-daily GLP-1 medicine with a decade of use and generic versions

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Record reviewed 1 September 2026 · 6 references

In the AERVYN range

1 pen carries Liraglutide

Single-compound pen
Liraglutide
Peptide pen · 18 mg / 3 mL
£235 · In stock

Class: GLP-1 receptor agonist
Route: Daily subcutaneous injection
Trial participants: > 5,000 in SCALE; 9,340 in LEADER
Licensed weight loss: ≈ 8% mean at 56 weeks (SCALE, 3.0 mg)
Prescription: Required in UK, US, EU, AU, CA

01 Overview

What Liraglutide is

Summary

Liraglutide is a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist authorised for type 2 diabetes (Victoza, 1.2–1.8 mg) and, at 3.0 mg daily, for weight management in adults and adolescents from 12 years (Saxenda). It was the first GLP-1 medicine licensed for obesity, has cardiovascular-outcome data in type 2 diabetes (LEADER), and generic versions are now authorised in the UK, EU and US. Weight loss is smaller than with the newer weekly incretin medicines.

Mechanism

Mimics the gut hormone GLP-1 with a half-life of about 13 hours (a fatty-acid side chain binds albumin and slows breakdown): increases glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppresses glucagon, slows gastric emptying and reduces appetite through hypothalamic and brainstem pathways.

Routes studiedSubcutaneous injection

Anti-dopingNot prohibited

02 Evidence by goal

What has been shown, for which goal

Grades follow one scale across the site. Strong overall means: multiple large randomised controlled trials or regulatory approval for this use.

Weight management
Strong
In SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes (n = 3,731), 3.0 mg daily produced a mean 8.0% weight loss at 56 weeks versus 2.6% with placebo; 63.2% lost ≥ 5% versus 27.1%. In the head-to-head STEP 8 trial, semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly produced 15.8% weight loss versus 6.4% with liraglutide 3.0 mg.
Fat loss / body composition
Moderate
SCALE body-composition sub-studies reported that weight lost was predominantly fat mass with a smaller reduction in lean mass; in a dedicated MRI trial (n = 185) visceral fat fell by approximately 12% versus 2% with placebo at 40 weeks.
Longevity
Moderate
LEADER (n = 9,340) in type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk showed a 13% relative reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (HR 0.87) and a 22% reduction in cardiovascular death over a median 3.8 years with 1.8 mg daily. There is no cardiovascular-outcome trial of the 3.0 mg dose in people without diabetes.
General wellbeing
Limited
Weight-related quality-of-life and physical-function scores improved modestly in SCALE trials; no direct evidence for energy or fatigue as a primary outcome.

03 Regulatory status

Where it is authorised, and for what

Status is recorded per jurisdiction from regulator sources and reviewed by hand. It is never inferred from another region's decision.

United Kingdom

Authorised

Authorised (MHRA) for type 2 diabetes (Victoza) and weight management (Saxenda and generics); prescription-only.

Saxenda 3.0 mg is licensed for weight management in adults with BMI ≥ 30, or ≥ 27 with a weight-related comorbidity, and in adolescents from 12 years with obesity. NICE TA664 (2020) recommends it within specialist weight-management services for adults with BMI ≥ 35 (≥ 32.5 in some ethnic groups), non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and high cardiovascular risk. Generic liraglutide products have been authorised since 2024. Prescription-only medicine.

StatusAuthorised

Status last reviewed1 September 2026

SourceOur maintained database — never inferred

04 Dosing research

What the evidence says about exposure

Published human studies and the doses, routes and durations they used — reported as research information, not a recommendation.

Research information — not a recommendation. These are the exposures used in published human studies, reported so you can see what has been tested. They are not dosing instructions and do not apply to any individual.

Study 01

SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes — liraglutide 3.0 mg in adults without diabetes

Pi-Sunyer X et al., N Engl J Med 2015;373:11–22 · Source

Phase 32015

Design: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Population: Adults without diabetes with BMI ≥ 30, or ≥ 27 with dyslipidaemia or hypertension
Participants: n = 3,731
Duration: 56 weeks
Route: Subcutaneous injection

Doses studied: 0.6 mg once daily, increased by 0.6 mg each week over 5 weeks to 3.0 mg once daily
Outcome at this exposure: Mean weight change −8.0% (8.4 kg) vs −2.6% (2.8 kg) with placebo; 63.2% lost ≥ 5% vs 27.1%; 33.1% lost ≥ 10% vs 10.6%.
Adverse events observed: Nausea (40.2% vs 14.7%), diarrhoea, constipation and vomiting most common, mostly mild-to-moderate and transient; discontinuation for adverse events 9.9% vs 3.8%; gallbladder-related events and a small number of pancreatitis cases were more frequent with liraglutide.

Study 02

SCALE Diabetes — liraglutide 3.0 mg and 1.8 mg in adults with type 2 diabetes

Davies MJ et al., JAMA 2015;314:687–699 · Source

Phase 32015

Design: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Population: Adults with type 2 diabetes and BMI ≥ 27
Participants: n = 846
Duration: 56 weeks
Route: Subcutaneous injection

Doses studied: 3.0 mg or 1.8 mg once daily after weekly 0.6 mg escalation steps
Outcome at this exposure: Mean weight change −6.0% (3.0 mg) and −4.7% (1.8 mg) vs −2.0% with placebo; HbA1c fell by approximately 1.3 and 1.1 percentage points vs 0.3.
Adverse events observed: Gastrointestinal events most common; hypoglycaemia more frequent than placebo, mainly in people also taking sulfonylureas; small numbers of pancreatitis and gallbladder events.

Study 03

LEADER — cardiovascular outcomes with liraglutide in type 2 diabetes

Marso SP et al., N Engl J Med 2016;375:311–322 · Source

Phase 32016

Design: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, event-driven
Population: Adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk
Participants: n = 9,340
Duration: Median 3.8 years
Route: Subcutaneous injection

Doses studied: 1.8 mg once daily (or maximum tolerated dose) added to standard care
Outcome at this exposure: Major adverse cardiovascular events 13.0% vs 14.9% (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78–0.97); cardiovascular death HR 0.78; all-cause death HR 0.85.
Adverse events observed: Gastrointestinal events leading to discontinuation were more frequent; acute gallstone disease 3.1% vs 1.9%; acute pancreatitis was not increased (0.4% vs 0.5%).

05 Safety

Adverse effects and contraindications

Common effects seen in trials or reports, serious effects that warrant urgent review, and conditions under which use is not appropriate or needs assessment.

Common adverse effects

Nausea
Diarrhoea
Constipation
Vomiting
Dyspepsia and abdominal pain
Headache
Fatigue
Dizziness
Injection-site reactions
Increased heart rate
Hypoglycaemia (mainly with diabetes medicines)

Serious adverse effects

Acute pancreatitis (including necrotising and fatal post-marketing reports)
Gallbladder disease (gallstones, cholecystitis)
Acute kidney injury from dehydration
Severe hypoglycaemia when combined with insulin or sulfonylureas
Sustained increase in resting heart rate
Severe allergic reactions including anaphylaxis and angioedema (rare)
Aspiration during anaesthesia due to retained stomach contents (class warning)

Contraindications

Personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2Do not use
The US label contraindicates use with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 (boxed warning based on rodent thyroid C-cell tumours).
Previous pancreatitisDo not use
Not studied in people with a history of pancreatitis; labels advise caution or alternative treatment. Acute pancreatitis, including necrotising and fatal cases, has been reported with GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Gastroparesis (slow stomach emptying)Do not use
Not recommended in gastroparesis — further slowing of gastric emptying is expected.
Thyroid diseaseCaution
Thyroid adverse events such as goitre were reported in diabetes trials, particularly with pre-existing thyroid disease; the UK SmPC advises caution and any thyroid cancer history must be clarified.
Pancreatic diseaseCaution
Pancreatic disease warrants specialist assessment before considering any GLP-1 medicine.
Gallbladder diseaseCaution
Cholelithiasis and cholecystitis were more frequent than placebo in weight-management trials and occur more often with rapid weight loss.
DiabetesCaution
Hypoglycaemia risk rises with insulin or sulfonylureas; Saxenda is not a substitute for insulin and type 1 diabetes is outside the licence.
Diabetic retinopathy (eye disease)Caution
Rapid improvement in glucose control has been associated with temporary worsening of diabetic retinopathy in people with type 2 diabetes.
Kidney diseaseCaution
Acute kidney injury has been reported, usually with dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea; Saxenda is not recommended in end-stage kidney disease.
Liver diseaseCaution
Experience in severe hepatic impairment is limited and use is not recommended by the UK SmPC.
Gastrointestinal diseaseCaution
Not studied in inflammatory bowel disease or severe gastrointestinal disease; slowed gastric emptying may worsen symptoms.
Cardiovascular diseaseCaution
Resting heart rate rises by 2–3 bpm on average; the SmPC advises stopping if a clinically relevant sustained increase occurs. Not studied in NYHA class IV heart failure.
Mental health conditionCaution
Weight-management trials excluded people with major depression or recent suicidal ideation; labels advise monitoring for depression or suicidal thoughts.
Current or previous eating disorderCaution
Appetite-suppressing medicines require specialist assessment where there is a current or previous eating disorder.

Do not use = should not be used · Caution = needs assessment

06 Interactions

Medicine classes that need review

Grouped by how seriously the combination should be taken. Class labels match the medicines questionnaire in the assessment.

Major
Moderate
Minor

Major

Combination should be reviewed by a prescriber before use.

Insulin
Lantus, NovoRapid, Humalog, Tresiba
Combined use increases hypoglycaemia risk; insulin doses are usually reduced under supervision.
Sulfonylurea
Gliclazide, glimepiride, glipizide
Combined use increases hypoglycaemia risk; sulfonylurea dose reduction is often needed.
GLP-1 / incretin medicine
Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Saxenda
The SmPC states Saxenda should not be used with another GLP-1 receptor agonist — duplicate mechanism with no safety data.

Moderate

Monitoring or dose review is usually advised.

Anticoagulant (blood thinner)
Warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban
Delayed gastric emptying can alter absorption; more frequent INR monitoring is recommended when starting alongside warfarin.
Thyroid hormone
Levothyroxine, liothyronine
Levothyroxine exposure may change with slowed gastric emptying; thyroid function should be monitored.
Narrow-therapeutic-index medicine
Lithium, digoxin, ciclosporin
Medicines that depend on rapid absorption or have a narrow therapeutic window may need closer monitoring.

Minor

Generally compatible; awareness is sufficient.

Oral contraceptive
Combined pill, progestogen-only pill
Liraglutide delayed absorption of a combined pill but did not reduce overall exposure to a clinically relevant degree; vomiting can still reduce pill effectiveness.
Other glucose-lowering medicine
Metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, DPP-4 inhibitors
Generally compatible with metformin; glucose monitoring advised when combined.

07 Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Status in pregnancy

Not recommended

Should not be used during pregnancy; labels advise stopping if pregnancy occurs or is planned. Not recommended while breastfeeding. Because the half-life is about 13 hours, no prolonged wash-out period is specified.

08 Monitoring

What is usually monitored

Parameters that trials and product information track. A clinician decides what applies to an individual.

01Weight and BMI trend — the SmPC advises stopping if less than 5% of body weight is lost after 12 weeks on 3.0 mg daily
02Gastrointestinal tolerability during the weekly 0.6 mg escalation steps
03Resting heart rate at routine reviews
04Blood glucose if on insulin or sulfonylureas
05Hydration and kidney function during vomiting or diarrhoea
06Thyroid function if on levothyroxine
07Mood and mental health

09 Combinations

What is known about combining it

Notes on pairing with other compounds in the directory: whether the combination has been studied in people, and where mechanisms overlap.

Semaglutide
No human studies
Overlap · Both are GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Duplicate mechanism — two incretin medicines should not be combined; labels state they must not be used together.
Tirzepatide
No human studies
Overlap · Both act on GLP-1 receptors.
Duplicate mechanism with no safety data; outside every licence.
Retatrutide
No human studies
Overlap · Retatrutide already includes GLP-1 receptor activity.
No rationale or data for combining; retatrutide is itself unauthorised.
Cagrilintide
No human studies
Overlap · Both reduce appetite and slow gastric emptying.
Liraglutide 3.0 mg was the active comparator, not a partner, in the cagrilintide phase 2 trial; there are no human data on combining them.
Survodutide
No human studies
Overlap · Both include GLP-1 receptor activity.
Duplicate incretin mechanism with no human data; survodutide is investigational.
CJC-1295
No human studies
No human studies of GLP-1 medicines combined with growth-hormone secretagogues.
Ipamorelin
No human studies
No human studies of GLP-1 medicines combined with growth-hormone secretagogues.
BPC-157
No human studies
No human data on this combination; BPC-157 itself lacks human efficacy data.

Discuss any proposed combination with a qualified healthcare professional.

10 Source considerations

Supply, quality and legitimacy

How the compound reaches people in practice, and what that means for product quality.

01Prescription-only medicine in every major jurisdiction — legitimate supply requires a prescription from a licensed prescriber.
02Authorised generic liraglutide pens (e.g. from Biocon or Teva) are regulated products; 'research-grade' liraglutide vials sold online are not.
03Regulators have warned about falsified GLP-1 pens sold through unregulated online sellers and social media.

11 Questions for your clinician

Take these to your appointment

Specific to this compound. The personal assessment adds questions drawn from your own history and medicines.

01Do I meet the licensed eligibility criteria, and would a weekly medicine with larger weight loss be more appropriate for me?
02How will my diabetes medicines or blood thinners be adjusted?
03What is the plan for the weekly dose steps and for managing nausea?
04When will we review whether the 5% weight-loss threshold at 12 weeks has been met?
05What happens when treatment stops, and is there a maintenance plan?

The personal assessment tailors this list to your responses.

12 Alternatives

Compounds with stronger evidence or firmer regulatory footing

Listed for overlapping goals. Whether any is appropriate depends on your history — the assessment maps that for you.

13 References

Sources behind this record

Regulator documents and peer-reviewed publications used to derive every grade and statement above.

The Peptide Checkup provides educational information and a structured summary of published research and regulatory status. It is not medical advice, does not diagnose or treat any condition, and does not replace a consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.

Personal assessment

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