Digestive & weight GLP-1 receptor agonist
Liraglutide
Regulatory status
Status at a glance
503A compounding status
Not nominated
We found no pending nomination for the 503A bulks list. Unless the substance has another legal pathway (for example, a USP monograph or use in an FDA-approved drug), 503A pharmacies generally may not compound with it.
- FDA approval
- An FDA-approved product contains this peptide
- 503B outsourcing
- Not determined
- Anti-doping (WADA)
- Not on the WADA Prohibited List
- DEA schedule
- Not a controlled substance
About peptide status
Most peptides discussed here are not FDA-approved for any use, and products labeled “research use only” are not for human use. Removal from Category 2 does not authorize compounding. PCAC votes are non-binding recommendations; FDA and HHS make the final decisions.
This is not medical or legal advice, and we do not publish dosing, sourcing or reconstitution information. Talk with a licensed clinician before using any peptide.
If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911.
Key takeaway
Liraglutide is a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist and the first of its kind, engineered from human GLP-1 with a fatty-acid chain that binds albumin to extend its action. Sold as Victoza for type 2 diabetes and Saxenda for weight management, it produced about 8% average weight loss in the SCALE trial and became the first GLP-1 shown to reduce cardiovascular events in LEADER. Its albumin-binding design paved the way for once-weekly semaglutide.
At a glance
- What it is
- FDA-approved GLP-1 peptide, sold as Victoza for type 2 diabetes and Saxenda for weight management
- History
- First once-daily GLP-1 drug; helped establish the GLP-1 class that now includes semaglutide and tirzepatide
- Route and results
- Once-daily injection; produced about 8% average body-weight loss in trials
- Evidence strength
- FDA approved
Summary
Liraglutide, sold as Victoza and Saxenda, is a once-daily GLP-1 agonist for type 2 diabetes and weight management. Learn how it works and its evidence.
What is liraglutide?
Liraglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a peptide that closely mimics the natural gut hormone GLP-1. It shares about 97% of its structure with human GLP-1 and has a fatty-acid chain added so it binds to proteins in the blood and lasts long enough to be dosed once a day.
It is made by Novo Nordisk and sold under two brand names, Victoza for type 2 diabetes and Saxenda for weight management, and a generic version is now available. Both branded forms are once-daily subcutaneous injections.
The history of liraglutide
Liraglutide's history includes three U.S. milestones:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Reached the U.S. market as Victoza, the first once-daily GLP-1 drug |
| 2014 | A higher-dose version called Saxenda became one of the first GLP-1 drugs approved specifically for weight management |
| 2016 | The LEADER trial made liraglutide the first GLP-1 shown to reduce cardiovascular events |
Victoza improved on the earlier exenatide, which had to be injected twice a day. Its key engineering step, attaching a fatty-acid chain so the peptide clings to albumin and survives longer in the body, is the same approach Novo Nordisk later used to create once-weekly semaglutide.
In that sense, liraglutide paved the way for the current generation of GLP-1 medicines, including semaglutide and tirzepatide.
How does it work?
Liraglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor, mimicking a natural gut hormone the body releases after eating. Through that receptor it prompts the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar is high. Because this effect is glucose-dependent, meaning it works mainly when blood sugar is already elevated, liraglutide on its own carries a low risk of causing hypoglycemia. It also reduces the release of glucagon (a hormone that raises blood sugar) and slows the rate at which the stomach empties, which blunts the rise in blood sugar after a meal and helps a person feel full for longer.
Beyond the gut and pancreas, liraglutide acts on appetite centers in the brain, where it increases feelings of fullness and reduces hunger and how much a person eats. This appetite effect is a large part of why it produces weight loss, not just better blood sugar control.
Native GLP-1 breaks down within minutes, so liraglutide is engineered with a fatty-acid chain that binds to albumin in the blood. This extends its half-life to about 13 hours and allows once-daily dosing. In the SCALE weight-management trial, adults on the 3.0 mg dose lost about 8% of their body weight over 56 weeks, compared with about 2.6% on placebo.
Is it FDA-approved?
Editor’s note
Status: Yes. Victoza was first approved in 2010 for type 2 diabetes, and later to reduce cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Saxenda was approved in 2014 for weight management, and both have since been approved for use in adolescents.
Category: FDA-approved · Primary body area: Digestive & weight
Yes. Victoza was first approved in 2010 for type 2 diabetes, and later to reduce cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Saxenda was approved in 2014 for weight management, and both have since been approved for use in adolescents.
What is liraglutide prescribed for?
For type 2 diabetes, Victoza is prescribed to improve blood sugar control alongside diet and exercise. For weight management, Saxenda is approved for adults with obesity (a BMI of 30 or higher) or overweight (a BMI of 27 or higher) plus a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and for adolescents aged 12 and older with obesity.
It should not be used by people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, or by anyone with a known allergy to liraglutide.
What are the side effects?
The most common side effects are gastrointestinal, and they are usually strongest when the dose is increased:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Decreased appetite
- Headache
- Fatigue
Less common but more serious risks include:
- Thyroid C-cell tumors: liraglutide carries a boxed warning based on rodent studies. It is not known whether this happens in humans.
- Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas
- Gallbladder problems, including gallstones
- Acute kidney injury, usually from dehydration caused by vomiting or diarrhea
- Low blood sugar, especially when combined with insulin or a sulfonylurea
- Increased heart rate
Sources: FDA prescribing information for Victoza and Saxenda (liraglutide); the SCALE weight-management trial (Pi-Sunyer et al., 2015, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1411892) and the LEADER cardiovascular outcomes trial (Marso et al., 2016, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1603827) in the New England Journal of Medicine, both indexed on PubMed; and a review of the history of GLP-1 receptor agonists. This document is educational and does not constitute medical advice.
Registered human trials
0 registered human trials on ClinicalTrials.gov that we reviewed
Sources
- [1]
GLP-1 receptor agonist (PDF)
- [2]
- [3]
- [4]
- [5]
- [6]
Compare every peptide’s status in the peptide regulatory status database
More for Digestive & weight
View all digestive & weight peptides →- Not FDA-approved Digestive & weight
5-Amino-1MQ
5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule NNMT inhibitor that, in cell studies, increases NAD+ and SAM and suppresses fat production in fat cells. In diet-induced obese mice, a potent NNMT inhibitor reduced body weight and fat mass without changing food intake. As of 2026, no human trials have been published, and it is not a peptide. It is not approved by the FDA.
- In clinical trials Digestive & weight
Amycretin
Amycretin is an investigational single-molecule drug that activates both the GLP-1 receptor and the amylin receptor, being developed by Novo Nordisk in subcutaneous and oral forms for weight management. In a 2025 phase 1b/2a trial of 125 adults with overweight or obesity, the 60 mg group lost 24.3% of body weight at 36 weeks versus 1.1% on placebo (p < 0.0001), though many participants withdrew. As of 2026 it is not approved anywhere and is moving into Phase 3 testing.
- Not FDA-approved Digestive & weight
Aod-9604
AOD-9604 is a modified fragment of the tail end of human growth hormone, developed as a fat-loss drug. Its human obesity trials failed to beat placebo, and development for obesity was halted. As of 2026 it is not FDA-approved and is banned in sport.
- In clinical trials Digestive & weight
Apraglutide
Apraglutide is an investigational long-acting GLP-2 analog, developed by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals as a once-weekly injection for short bowel syndrome, a condition in which people depend on intravenous nutrition because their intestine cannot absorb enough. In a Phase 3 trial it reduced the need for that intravenous support compared with placebo. As of 2026 it is not approved, and the FDA has asked for an additional confirmatory trial.
- Not FDA-approved Digestive & weight
Bpc-157
BPC-157 is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide studied for tissue and gut repair, and 35 of the 36 studies in a 2025 systematic review were animal or lab work. The one human report, a retrospective series of 12 patients with chronic knee pain, found that seven (58%) described relief lasting more than 6 months. It had no control group, effect size, or safety data. BPC-157 is not FDA-approved, is prohibited in sport, and remains unsettled in FDA compounding review.
- In clinical trials Digestive & weight
Brilacidin
Brilacidin is an investigational defensin-mimetic, a small molecule designed to imitate the body's own host-defense peptides, developed by Innovation Pharmaceuticals for oral mucositis and studied as an antibacterial and antiviral agent. Its human results to date have been reported mainly through company announcements rather than peer-reviewed trials, while published support is largely laboratory-based. As of 2026 it is not approved for any use.