GLP-1 receptor agonist

Liraglutide

Established

Also known as Saxenda, Victoza

The daily GLP-1 that proved the class before semaglutide.

Cited sources: 3
Human-tested claims: 2 of 2
Best evidence: Tier 1 · Established
Status: Approved

A once-daily acylated GLP-1 analog, FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes (2010) and chronic weight management (2014). It delivers less weight loss than its weekly successors but carries a completed cardiovascular-outcomes trial and a long safety record. Now largely a generic-era benchmark.

metabolicGLP-1approved

How it works

Liraglutide is native GLP-1 with a fatty-acid chain attached, so it binds albumin and survives about a day instead of minutes. It slows gastric emptying, raises glucose-dependent insulin release, and acts on appetite circuits in the brain – the same mechanism semaglutide later stretched to a weekly schedule.

Sequence: HAEGTFTSDVSSYLEGQAAKEFIAWLVRGRGGLP-1(7-37) with Lys34→Arg and a C16 palmitoyl chain on Lys26 via a γ-glutamyl spacer.

What it's studied for

One claim per card, each with its own tier and source. Tiers 1 and 2 are human data. Tiers 3 and 4 are not yet.

Produced 8.0% mean body-weight loss vs 2.6% on placebo over 56 weeks in adults without diabetes (SCALE).
Established
[1]Pi-Sunyer et al., 2015 (NEJM, SCALE)(opens in a new tab)
Reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (hazard ratio 0.87) in type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk (LEADER).
Established
[2]Marso et al., 2016 (NEJM, LEADER)(opens in a new tab)

Safety & limitations

Nausea, diarrhea and constipation lead the adverse-event list and fade for most people. The label carries the class boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents, and contraindicates use with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.

[3]FDA label – Saxenda (accessdata)

In the LEADER outcomes trial, serious adverse events were no more frequent than placebo over a median of nearly four years, the longest controlled exposure for any GLP-1 agonist at the time.

[2]Marso et al., 2016 (NEJM, LEADER)

Regulatory & legal status

Approved

FDA-approved as Victoza for type 2 diabetes (2010) and as Saxenda for chronic weight management (2014). Generic liraglutide is now available.

[3]FDA label – Saxenda (accessdata)

Frequently asked

Why choose liraglutide over semaglutide?

Usually cost or availability: it is older and generic. On weight loss it is clearly weaker. On cardiovascular protection in type 2 diabetes it has its own positive outcomes trial, so it is not a lesser drug on every axis.

Is the daily injection a disadvantage?

For adherence, yes, compared with weekly agents. Pharmacologically the daily schedule just reflects a shorter half-life; the receptor and the effects are the same.

References

Written by Twenty Residues editorial. Medical review: pending; a named reviewer is being assigned.

Last updated October 1, 2026.

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Update history

2026-10-01 — Entry added.