Liraglutide: research

A daily GLP-1 injection approved for weight management and type 2 diabetes.

Also called: Saxenda, Victoza, NN2211, Xultophy component.

GLP-1 / GIP / glucagon agonists · GLP-1 receptor agonist · Evidence: Approved drug.

438 registered interventional records found before the cutoff, including planned trials and comparator arms. Selected major reports appear below; this is not a completed-trial count.

Studies

Early fixed daily doses. rct, n=193, Adults with type 2 diabetes. 0.75 mg lowered HbA1c by 0.75 percentage points versus placebo. (source)
Higher daily dose finding. rct, n=165, Adults with type 2 diabetes. 0.65, 1.25 and 1.90 mg: −1.27, −1.69 and −1.74 percentage points, respectively. (source)
LEAD-1: added to glimepiride. rct, n=1041, Adults with type 2 diabetes on glimepiride 2–4 mg/day. 0.6/1.2/1.8 mg: −0.6/−1.1/−1.1%; rosiglitazone −0.4%; placebo +0.2%. (source)
LEAD-2: added to metformin. rct, n=1091, Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin 1 g twice daily. 0.6/1.2/1.8 mg: −0.7/−1.0/−1.0%; glimepiride −1.0%; placebo +0.1%. (source)
LEAD-3: monotherapy. rct, n=746, Adults with early type 2 diabetes. 1.2 mg −0.84%; 1.8 mg −1.14%; glimepiride −0.51%. (source)
LEAD-4: metformin plus rosiglitazone. rct, n=533, Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin and rosiglitazone. 1.2 mg −1.5%; 1.8 mg −1.5%; placebo −0.5%. (source)
LEAD-5: versus basal insulin. rct, n=581, Adults on metformin 1 g twice daily and glimepiride 4 mg/day. Liraglutide 1.33%; glargine 1.09%; liraglutide–placebo difference −1.09 percentage points. (source)
LEAD-6: versus twice-daily exenatide. rct, n=464, Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin, a sulfonylurea, or both. Liraglutide −1.12%; exenatide −0.79%. (source)
Obesity dose finding: 1.2–3 mg. rct, n=564, Adults with BMI 30–40 without type 2 diabetes. 1.2/1.8/2.4/3 mg: 4.8/5.5/6.3/7.2 kg; placebo 2.8 kg; orlistat 4.1 kg. (source)
SCALE: obesity and prediabetes. rct, n=3731, Adults with obesity or overweight plus hypertension or abnormal lipids; no diabetes. 8.4±7.3 kg versus 2.8±6.5 kg; last-observation-carried-forward analysis. (source)
SCALE: obesity with type 2 diabetes. rct, n=846, Adults with BMI ≥27 and type 2 diabetes. 3 mg 6.0% or 6.4 kg; 1.8 mg 4.7% or 5.0 kg; placebo 2.0% or 2.2 kg. (source)
SCALE: keeping weight off. rct, n=422, Adults who first lost ≥5% of weight on a low-calorie diet. 6.2% versus 0.2% after a mean 6.0% run-in loss. (source)
SCALE: obstructive sleep apnea. rct, n=359, Adults with obesity and moderate or severe sleep apnea not using CPAP. AHI change −12.2 versus −6.1 events/hour. (source)
SCALE: three-year follow-up. rct, n=2254, Prediabetes subgroup of SCALE obesity, not a separate randomized trial. 26/1472 or 2% versus 46/738 or 6%; hazard ratio 0.21, 95% CI 0.13–0.34. (source)
SCALE: basal insulin users. rct, n=396, Adults with overweight or obesity, type 2 diabetes and basal insulin. −5.8% versus −1.5%. (source)
SCALE: primary-care behavior support. rct, n=282, Adults with obesity receiving intensive behavioral therapy. 7.5% versus 4.0%. (source)
LEADER: heart outcomes. rct, n=9340, Adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk. 608/4668 or 13.0% versus 694/4672 or 14.9%; HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78–0.97. (source)
LEADER: pancreas safety. rct, n=9340, Same LEADER randomized population. 18 or 0.4% versus 23 or 0.5%; 1.1 versus 1.7 events/1000 patient-years. (source)
LEADER: gallbladder safety. rct, n=9340, Same LEADER randomized population. 141/4668 versus 88/4672; HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.23–2.09. (source)
ELLIPSE: youth diabetes. rct, n=135, Ages 10 to <17 with type 2 diabetes; all used metformin. −0.64 percentage points versus +0.42; difference −1.06 points. (source)
SCALE: adolescent obesity. rct, n=251, Ages 12 to <18 with obesity and poor response to lifestyle care. Treatment difference −0.22, 95% CI −0.37 to −0.08. (source)
SCALE: children aged 6–11. rct, n=82, Children aged 6 to <12 with obesity. −5.8% versus +1.6%; difference −7.4 percentage points. (source)
ADJUNCT ONE: type 1 diabetes. rct, n=1398, Adults with type 1 diabetes receiving adjustable insulin. 0.6/1.2/1.8 mg: −0.09/−0.15/−0.20 percentage points. (source)
ADJUNCT TWO: capped insulin. rct, n=835, Adults with type 1 diabetes and capped total daily insulin. 0.6/1.2/1.8 mg: −0.23/−0.22/−0.33%; placebo +0.01%. (source)
LEAN: fatty-liver inflammation. rct, n=52, Adults with biopsy-confirmed NASH. 9/23 or 39% versus 2/22 or 9% among participants with end-of-study biopsies. (source)
FIGHT: advanced heart failure. rct, n=300, Recently hospitalized adults with reduced heart pumping function. Mean rank 146 versus 156; P=0.31, no benefit. (source)
LIVE: stable heart failure. rct, n=241, Adults with stable heart failure and ejection fraction ≤45%. Ejection-fraction difference −0.8 percentage points, 95% CI −2.1 to 0.5. (source)
GRADE: long-term glucose control. rct, n=5047, Adults with type 2 diabetes for <10 years, taking metformin. Liraglutide 26.1, glargine 26.5, glimepiride 30.4, sitagliptin 38.1 events/100 participant-years. (source)
ELAD: Alzheimer’s disease. rct, n=204, Adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and no diabetes. Difference −0.17, 95% CI −0.39 to 0.06; P=0.14, primary endpoint not met. (source)
AWARD-6: versus liraglutide. rct, n=599, Adults with type 2 diabetes taking metformin ≥1500 mg/day. Dulaglutide −1.42%; liraglutide −1.36%; met the noninferiority criterion. (source)
DURATION-6: versus liraglutide. rct, n=912, Adults with type 2 diabetes on oral medicines. Exenatide −1.28%; liraglutide −1.48%; exenatide did not meet noninferiority. (source)
Class evidence: heart and kidney outcomes. meta-analysis, n=85373, Participants in 11 large randomized GLP-1 trials. HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81–0.93 versus placebo. (source)
Class evidence: gallbladder harms. meta-analysis, n=103371, Participants in 76 randomized GLP-1 trials. RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.23–1.52; higher risk in weight-loss trials, RR 2.29. (source)
Thyroid cancer: Scandinavian cohort. cohort, n=437077, 145,410 GLP-1 initiators versus 291,667 DPP-4 initiators. 76 versus 184 cases; HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.66–1.31. (source)
Poison-center reports: dosing harm. cohort, n=13924, Single-substance GLP-1 exposures reported to US poison centers. 91.7% had no or mild effects; 8.0% had moderate effects, 42 had major effects, and two died. (source)
Cochrane: early GLP-1 trials. systematic-review, n=6899, Participants in 17 randomized trials. About 1 percentage point lower across GLP-1 analogues. (source)
Early 0.5-to-2 mg titration. rct, n=144, Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin. Fasting glucose difference −3.9 mmol/L; HbA1c difference −0.8 percentage points. (source)
DUAL I: insulin plus liraglutide. rct, n=1663, Insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin with or without pioglitazone. Combination −1.9%; degludec −1.4%; liraglutide −1.3%. (source)
DUAL VII: versus basal-bolus insulin. rct, n=506, Adults on glargine 20–50 units/day plus metformin. Both groups fell from 8.2% to 6.7%; met noninferiority. (source)
DUAL II: liraglutide’s added effect. rct, n=413, Adults with type 2 diabetes on basal insulin and metformin. Combination −1.9%; degludec −0.9%; adjusted difference −1.1 percentage points. (source)
DUAL III: after a daily GLP-1. rct, n=438, Adults with type 2 diabetes on maximum daily liraglutide or twice-daily exenatide plus oral drugs. Combination 7.8% to 6.4%; unchanged GLP-1 7.7% to 7.4%; adjusted difference −0.94 points. (source)
DUAL IV: on a sulfonylurea. rct, n=435, Insulin-naive adults on sulfonylurea, with or without metformin. 6.4% versus 7.4%; adjusted difference −1.02 points. (source)
DUAL V: versus more glargine. rct, n=557, Adults uncontrolled on glargine 20–50 units/day and metformin. Combination −1.81%; glargine −1.13%; adjusted difference −0.59 points. (source)
DUAL VI: how often to adjust. rct, n=420, Insulin-naive adults on metformin with or without pioglitazone. 8.2% to 6.1% versus 8.1% to 6.0%; met noninferiority. (source)
DUAL VIII: durability. rct, n=1012, Insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes on oral drugs. 189/506 or 37% versus 335/506 or 66%; HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.38–0.54. (source)
DUAL IX: with an SGLT2 drug. rct, n=420, Adults with type 2 diabetes taking an SGLT2 inhibitor and oral background therapy. Adjusted difference −0.36 percentage points, 95% CI −0.50 to −0.21. (source)
Japanese fixed-combination phase 3. rct, n=819, Insulin-naive Japanese adults on an oral diabetes medicine. Combination −26 mmol/mol; degludec and liraglutide each about −20 mmol/mol. (source)
Japanese basal-insulin intensification. rct, n=210, Japanese adults on 20–50 units of basal or premixed insulin. Combination −21.3 mmol/mol; degludec −7.1 mmol/mol; adjusted difference −13.98 mmol/mol. (source)
Japanese monotherapy phase 3. rct, n=492, Japanese adults with type 2 diabetes, age ≥20. Dulaglutide–placebo difference −1.57 points; dulaglutide–liraglutide difference −0.10 points. (source)

Liraglutide dosage

Typical reported dose: 0.6 mg once a day to start, up to 3 mg

Saxenda: weekly 0.6 mg steps: 0.6 mg once daily, then 1.2 mg once daily, then 1.8 mg once daily, then 2.4 mg once daily once daily, under the skin. Drug label. Studied in: Adults meeting the Saxenda weight-management indication. (source)
Victoza: 0.6, 1.2, then optional 1.8 mg: 0.6 mg once daily, then 1.2 mg once daily, then 1.8 mg once daily once daily, under the skin. Drug label. Studied in: Adults with type 2 diabetes. (source)
Xultophy: start at 10 dose units: Start 10 dose units daily; then adjust by 2 dose units once or twice weekly. once daily, under the skin. Drug label. Studied in: Adults with type 2 diabetes naive to basal insulin or a GLP-1 medicine. (source)
Xultophy: start at 16 dose units: Start 16 dose units daily; then adjust by 2 dose units once or twice weekly. once daily, under the skin. Drug label. Studied in: Adults with type 2 diabetes switching from basal insulin or a GLP-1 medicine. (source)
Early study: 0.045 mg daily: 0.045 mg once daily; fixed assigned dose. once daily, under the skin. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults with type 2 diabetes. (source)
Early study: 0.225 mg daily: 0.225 mg once daily; fixed assigned dose. once daily, under the skin. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults with type 2 diabetes. (source)

These are doses reported in labels, trials or user reports, not a personal plan. Check the source behind each one.

Work out syringe units with the dosing calculator

Liraglutide side effects and risks

Reported side effects

Nausea: Saxenda 3 mg: 39.3% versus placebo 13.8%., moderate. Small meals and fluids may help; review persistent symptoms before increasing the dose. (source)
Diarrhea: Saxenda 3 mg: 20.9% versus placebo 9.9%., moderate. Small meals and fluids may help; review persistent symptoms before increasing the dose. (source)
Constipation: Saxenda 3 mg: 19.4% versus placebo 8.5%., moderate. Small meals and fluids may help; review persistent symptoms before increasing the dose. (source)
Vomiting: Saxenda 3 mg: 15.7% versus placebo 3.9%., moderate. Small meals and fluids may help; review persistent symptoms before increasing the dose. (source)
Injection-site reactions: Saxenda: 13.9% versus placebo 10.5%., moderate. Small meals and fluids may help; review persistent symptoms before increasing the dose. (source)
Gallstones: Saxenda: 2.2% versus placebo 0.8%; gallbladder inflammation 0.8% versus 0.4%., serious (source)
Pancreatitis: LEADER: 0.4% versus 0.5%; rare severe and fatal cases are reported across GLP 1 medicines., serious. Stop and seek urgent assessment for persistent severe abdominal pain. (source)
Faster resting heart rate: Saxenda mean rise 2–3 beats/minute versus placebo., moderate. Monitor resting heart rate; review a sustained increase or racing heart at rest. (source)
Low blood sugar: Saxenda diabetes trial reports: 12.6% versus placebo 6.6%; risk depends strongly on insulin or sulfonylurea use., serious (source)
Kidney injury from dehydration: Reported after vomiting or diarrhea; postmarketing reports do not establish a frequency., serious (source)
Severe allergic reaction: Anaphylaxis and swelling have been reported; no reliable rate., serious (source)
Thyroid C-cell tumors: Rodent finding; human causal risk is unknown., serious (source)

Stop and get help if

Severe, persistent belly pain, especially spreading to the back: Stop the drug and seek urgent care for possible pancreatitis.
Face or throat swelling, trouble breathing, or collapse: Call emergency services now; do not take another dose.
Confusion, seizure, fainting or low blood sugar that does not resolve: Get emergency care. If awake and able to swallow, use fast sugar while help is arranged.
Repeated vomiting, inability to keep fluids down, or very little urine: Seek urgent assessment for dehydration and kidney injury.
Upper-right belly pain with fever, yellow skin or pale stools: Seek urgent care for possible gallbladder or bile-duct disease.
Sudden vision loss or a major new change in vision: Get urgent same-day eye or emergency assessment.
Chest pain, marked breathlessness or fainting: Call emergency services now.

Who should avoid it

pregnant: Weight loss is unsuitable; fetal-risk data are limited and animal findings raise concern.
tryingToConceive: Review a stopping plan before conception; no safe conception interval was established in the extracted sources.
breastfeeding: Human milk and infant-safety data are inadequate.
under18: Some labeled diabetes or obesity uses include children; this is not a blanket pediatric label ban.
mtcOrMen2: Personal or family medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2 is a label contraindication for this GLP-1 product.
other: Do not re-expose after a serious allergic reaction to the drug or its ingredients.
pancreatitisHistory: Past pancreatitis needs review; stop and urgently assess persistent severe abdominal pain.
gallbladderDisease: Gallstones or previous gallbladder inflammation increase the need to assess new upper-abdominal pain.
gastroparesis: Severe gastroparesis is a label reason to avoid use; these medicines further slow stomach emptying.
eatingDisorderHistory: Listed as a reason to avoid it.
kidneyDisease: Kidney function and hydration need review, especially with vomiting or diarrhea.
liverDisease: Clinical experience in severe liver impairment is limited; review the specific product and other medicines.
diabeticRetinopathy: Rapid glucose improvement can temporarily worsen diabetic eye disease; arrange appropriate eye follow-up.
surgeryPlanned: Tell the anesthesia team. Delayed stomach emptying can leave food in the stomach despite fasting.
diabetes: Review glucose monitoring and insulin or sulfonylurea doses. Do not rapidly stop insulin.
heartCondition: Heart rate can rise. Reduced-ejection-fraction heart-failure trials found no benefit and raised safety concerns.
other: Xultophy contains insulin degludec and is contraindicated during an episode of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
testedAthlete: Xultophy includes insulin, prohibited at all times under S4.4.2. Athletes subject to anti-doping rules need a therapeutic use exemption.
other: Xultophy can cause life-threatening low potassium. Review potassium-lowering medicines and medicines sensitive to potassium levels; monitor when indicated.

Interactions

Insulin: Low blood sugar risk can rise. Insulin adjustment needs glucose readings; rapid withdrawal can cause ketoacidosis.
Sulfonylureas and related insulin-releasing drugs: Low blood sugar can increase; a clinician may need to lower the companion drug dose.
Another GLP-1 or GLP-1/GIP medicine: Avoid duplicate incretin therapy. Switching guidance stops the previous product rather than stacking both.
DPP-4 inhibitors: Routine combination is not recommended because it adds little glucose benefit over GLP-1 therapy alone.
Time-sensitive oral medicines: Slower stomach emptying can alter absorption timing; the effect is medicine-specific. Review critical oral drugs, especially with vomiting or poor intake.
Warfarin and other coumarins: The EU label recommends more frequent INR checks when starting liraglutide with warfarin or another coumarin; no direct interaction study was done.
Thiazolidinediones with Xultophy: With Xultophy, fluid retention may cause new or worsening heart failure. Monitor for symptoms; if heart failure develops, consider lowering or stopping the TZD.

Product quality risks

Online GLP-1 products can contain the wrong amount, a different drug or contamination. A seller’s purity claim does not establish sterile injectable quality.
Three online semaglutide vials had 28.56–38.69% excess drug and endotoxin. Those samples were not this compound.
MHRA found falsified Saxenda pens; some falsified GLP-1 pens contained insulin and caused severe low blood sugar.

How Liraglutide works

It copies a gut hormone that helps you feel full. It increases insulin release when blood sugar is high, lowers glucagon, and slows food leaving the stomach.

GLP-1 receptor: Increases glucose-dependent insulin release, lowers glucagon and slows stomach emptying.

Half-life: About 13 hours after subcutaneous injection.

Gaps: Registered-study count includes planned studies and comparator arms, not 438 completed or independent published trials. Some primary full texts or supplements were unavailable; missing titrations and event rates are marked within studies. Click-based amounts and alternate-day use lack calibrated-dose or controlled outcome evidence. No supported cycling schedule, dual-GLP-1 stack or grey-vial mixing/stability dataset was found. Rare tumor risks, pregnancy and breastfeeding outcomes remain uncertain. 503B exclusion is a proposal in the sources found; current shortage-based compounding eligibility was not established. The shortage-guide erratum corrects liraglutide frequency to daily; never weekly.

Related to Liraglutide

Semaglutide: A GLP-1 medicine with strong weight, glucose, heart and kidney evidence; dose and formulation matter.
Tirzepatide: A weekly GIP/GLP-1 injection with strong diabetes and weight-loss evidence and common stomach side effects.
Retatrutide: An experimental weekly injection with phase 3 weight-loss results.
Dulaglutide: A weekly GLP-1 medicine approved for type 2 diabetes and lower heart-event risk.
Exenatide: An older GLP-1 with twice-daily and weekly forms, now widely discontinued.

Liraglutide: the short version

Sources

9. Pharmacologic Approaches to Glycemic Treatment: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026, 2026
Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act, FDA · FDA · 2026
Compounding and the FDA: Questions and Answers, FDA · FDA · 2026
Consensus-based clinical and research recommendations for use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in the context of eating disorders: a modified Delphi study., Keshen A et al. · World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026
DailyMed - SAXENDA- liraglutide injection, solution, 2026
FDA clarifies policies for compounders as national GLP-1 supply begins to stabilize, FDA · 2026
FDA Proposes to Exclude Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, and Liraglutide on 503B Bulks List, FDA · 2026
FDA Requests Removal of Suicidal Behavior and Ideation Warning from Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1 RA) Medications, FDA · 2026
GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists: strengthened warnings on acute pancreatitis, including necrotising and fatal cases, 2026
The 2026 Monitoring Program, World Anti-Doping Agency · 2026
The 2026 Prohibited List, World Anti-Doping Agency · WADA · 2026
Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2026) Instrument 2026, Australian Government · Australian Government · 2026
TRULICITY, 2026
Weight Loss Drugs: What athletes need to know about GLP-1s, USADA · 2026
DailyMed - VICTOZA- liraglutide injection, 2025

Sources checked: 2026-10-18.

Information only, not medical advice. Peptifacts does not sell anything and does not link to sellers.