Liraglutide: what the evidence shows

What the human research shows

Grade A across the board because the trials are large, published and consistent. The story since 2021 is one of relative decline: semaglutide and tirzepatide roughly double its weight effect, so its role is shifting to price, paediatrics and people who cannot tolerate the weekly drugs.

Evidence profile0–5

Metabolic & weightA3.3
CardiovascularA1.7
Muscle & growth—0.0
Healing & repair—0.0
Neuro & sleep—0.0
Immune & inflammation—0.0
Sexual & hormonal—0.0
Skin & appearance—0.0
Ageing & longevity—0.0

Each score is confidence × effect size, taken from the best-evidenced benefit in that domain: the grade (A–D) sets the confidence, the measured effect sets the size. Hover a domain to see the outcomes behind it. Adverse effects are excluded and listed separately below.

Outcome	Grade	Effect size	Human studies	Where the evidence comes from
Body weight (adults)	AEstablished	Moderate	5 SCALE RCTs	SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes, 3,731 adults, 56 weeks: −8.0% on liraglutide 3.0 mg versus −2.6% on placebo; 63% versus 27% lost at least 5%, 33% versus 11% at least 10%.1
Major cardiovascular events	AEstablished	Small	1 large outcome RCT	LEADER, 9,340 people with type 2 diabetes, median 3.8 years: MACE 13.0% versus 14.9% (hazard ratio 0.87, 95% CI 0.79–0.97); cardiovascular death HR 0.78; all-cause death HR 0.85.2
Blood glucose (HbA1c)	AEstablished	Moderate	LEAD programme, 6 RCTs	The original approval basis (Victoza, 2009–2010): HbA1c reductions of roughly 1–1.5 percentage points across the LEAD trials.3
Body weight (adolescents 12–17)	AEstablished	Small	1 RCT	SCALE Teens, 251 adolescents, 56 weeks: BMI standard-deviation score −0.23 versus −0.00; the first GLP-1 approval for under-18s.4
Body weight (children 6–11)	BProbable	Moderate	1 RCT	SCALE Kids, 82 children, 56 weeks: BMI −5.8% versus +1.6% on placebo. One small trial; not yet a licensed indication in most jurisdictions.5
GI side effectsadverse	AEstablished	Large	All trials	Nausea in roughly 40% at the 3.0 mg dose in SCALE, vomiting and diarrhoea common; about 10% stopped for adverse events versus 4% on placebo.1
Gallbladder eventsadverse	AEstablished	Small	SCALE + LEADER	Cholelithiasis and cholecystitis were more frequent on liraglutide (2.5% versus 1.0% in SCALE), a class effect partly explained by rapid weight loss.1 2

AMultiple good human trials, consistentBSome human trials, mostly consistentCFew or weak human studiesDAnimal or anecdotal onlyeffect size · red = adverse

Literature searched to 3 September 2026. Human studies only; animal and cell work informs the mechanism section and nothing else.

Registered trials

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 187+ interventional studies naming Liraglutide as an intervention — 131 completed, 5 recruiting, and 71 with results posted to the registry.

A registration is not a result. Anyone can register a study, and many never report — so this list shows what has been attempted, not what has been shown. The graded evidence above is the answer to whether something works.

Study	Phase	Status	Participants	Sponsor	Results
Efficacy in Controlling Glycaemia With Victoza® (Liraglutide) as add-on to Metformin vs. OADs as add-on to Metformin After up to 104 Weeks of Treatment in Subjects With Type 2 DiabetesNCT02730377 · started Mar 2016	Phase 4	Completed	1,991	Novo Nordisk A/S	Posted
Efficacy Assessment of Insulin Glargine Versus LiraglutidE After Oral Agents FailureNCT01117350 · started Jul 2010	Phase 4	Completed	978	Sanofi	Posted
A Research Study Comparing Wegovy to Other Weight Management Drugs in People Living With Obesity in AmericaNCT05579249 · started Jan 2023	Phase 4	Completed	500	Novo Nordisk A/S	Posted
Efficacy and Safety of Switching From Sitagliptin to Liraglutide in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Not Achieving Adequate Glycaemic Control on Sitagliptin and MetforminNCT01907854 · started Dec 2013	Phase 4	Completed	407	Novo Nordisk A/S	Posted
Efficacy and Safety of Liraglutide Versus Lixisenatide as add-on to Metformin in Subjects With Type 2 DiabetesNCT01973231 · started Oct 2013	Phase 4	Completed	404	Novo Nordisk A/S	Posted
Efficacy and Safety of Liraglutide Versus Sulphonylurea Both in Combination With Metformin During Ramadan in Subjects With Type 2 DiabetesNCT01917656 · started Jan 2014	Phase 4	Completed	343	Novo Nordisk A/S	Posted
Liraglutide Hospital Discharge TrialNCT01919489 · started Mar 2014	Phase 4	Completed	273	Emory University	Posted
Impact of Liraglutide 3.0 on Body Fat DistributionNCT03038620 · started Jan 2017	Phase 4	Completed	235	University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center	Posted

179 further studies are registered. Participant counts marked * are the sponsor's estimate, not a final enrolment. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, read directly from the registry and refreshed weekly.

What it is

A GLP-1 analogue with a fatty-acid side chain that binds albumin, stretching the hormone's minutes-long half-life to about 13 hours — long enough for once-daily injection. Approved as Victoza for type 2 diabetes (2009 EU, 2010 US) and as Saxenda for obesity at a higher dose (2014–2015).

Patent expiry brought generic liraglutide to the US in 2024 (Victoza) and 2025 (Saxenda), making it the cheapest GLP-1 drug by a wide margin and, for many health systems, the first-line option.

How it is thought to work

Activates GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas (more insulin, less glucagon after meals), the stomach (slower emptying) and the hypothalamus and brainstem (less appetite). The weight effect is mostly appetite; the glucose effect mostly pancreatic.

Because it is dosed daily and its peak is shorter, the weight loss is roughly half that of semaglutide in head-to-head comparison (STEP 8: 15.8% versus 6.4% at 68 weeks).

What is still unknown

Long-term outcomes in children on the drug for years.
How much of the cardiovascular benefit in LEADER transfers to people without diabetes — the equivalent trial was run with semaglutide, not liraglutide.

The molecule and how long it lasts

Identity

Formula: C172H265N43O51
Molecular weight: 3751 g/mol
CAS number: 204656-20-2
PubChem: CID 16134956

PubChem record, read 23 September 2026.

Pharmacokinetics

Route: Subcutaneous injection, once daily
Half-life: About 13 hours
Licensed regimen (Saxenda): 0.6 mg daily for 1 week, increase by 0.6 mg weekly (1.2, 1.8, 2.4 mg); maintenance 3 mg daily from week 5

From the approved product's prescribing information: Saxenda prescribing information (DailyMed) The regimen is the label's own wording, reproduced as a regulatory fact.

Regulatory status

European Union

Approved, prescription-only

Victoza (2009) and Saxenda (2015) authorised via the EMA; generics authorised from 2024.

United States

Approved, prescription-only

Victoza (2010), Saxenda (2014); first generic liraglutide launched 2024. Compounded copies are not permitted now that approved generics exist.

United Kingdom

Licensed, prescription-only

Victoza and Saxenda licensed; Saxenda available on the NHS through specialist weight-management services.

Australia

Registered, Schedule 4

Victoza and Saxenda on the ARTG. Compounded GLP-1 copies unlawful since 1 October 2024.

Canada

Authorised, prescription-only

Victoza and Saxenda carry a DIN.

Sport (WADA)

Not prohibited

Not on the 2026 Prohibited List.

Questions people actually ask

Is liraglutide as good as semaglutide for weight loss?

No. In the head-to-head STEP 8 trial, semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly produced 15.8% weight loss at 68 weeks against 6.4% for liraglutide 3.0 mg daily. Liraglutide's advantages are price, availability and a longer safety record.

Does liraglutide protect the heart?

In people with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk, yes: LEADER showed a 13% relative reduction in major cardiovascular events and a 22% reduction in cardiovascular death over a median 3.8 years. That trial did not include people without diabetes.

Is there a generic?

Yes. Generic liraglutide for diabetes reached the US market in 2024 and for obesity in 2025, with EU generics from 2024. It is the only GLP-1 obesity drug currently off patent.

Can children take it?

It is approved for adolescents from 12 on the strength of SCALE Teens. For children aged 6–11 there is one 82-child trial (SCALE Kids, 2024) showing a 7-point BMI difference versus placebo; regulators are reviewing that age group.

One page per claimed effect

ADoes Liraglutide help with body weight?5 SCALE RCTs
ADoes Liraglutide help with major cardiovascular events?1 large outcome RCT
ADoes Liraglutide help with blood glucose?LEAD programme, 6 RCTs
ADoes Liraglutide help with body weight?1 RCT
BDoes Liraglutide help with body weight?1 RCT
AHow common is GI side effects with Liraglutide?All trials
AHow common is gallbladder events with Liraglutide?SCALE + LEADER

References

1
Pi-Sunyer X, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of 3.0 mg of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes).N Engl J Med, 2015; DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa14118923,731 adults, 56 weeks.
2
Marso SP, et al. Liraglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (LEADER).N Engl J Med, 2016; DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa16038279,340 patients, median 3.8 years.
3
Liraglutide (Victoza) prescribing information and the LEAD trial programme.FDA labelHbA1c data from six phase 3 trials.
4
Kelly AS, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of liraglutide for adolescents with obesity (SCALE Teens).N Engl J Med, 2020; DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa1916038251 adolescents, 56 weeks.
5
Fox CK, et al. Liraglutide for children 6 to <12 years of age with obesity (SCALE Kids).N Engl J Med, 2024; DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa240737982 children, 56 weeks.

Change log

2026-09-03Initial publication from the SCALE, LEADER and paediatric trials.