Claimed effect · Liraglutide

Does Liraglutide help with body weight?

B
Grade B — probable, not settled1 RCT · effect size: moderate
Short answerProbable, not settled. Human data exist (1 RCT) and mostly agree, showing a moderate effect — but too few, too small, or not yet peer-reviewed for a firm answer. 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.

What the studies show

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.

Human trials exist and mostly agree, but there are too few of them, they are too small, or one big one is still reading out. Expect the grade to move.

  1. 1
    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.

In context

Liraglutide is a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist and the drug that proved the class. In the 3,731-person SCALE trial it produced 8.0% weight loss at 56 weeks against 2.6% on placebo, and in the 9,340-person LEADER trial it cut major cardiovascular events by 13% and cardiovascular death by 22% in people with type 2 diabetes. It is approved almost everywhere, now generic, and less effective than the weekly drugs that followed it.

Liraglutide is approved (saxenda, victoza). Legal status differs by country — see the regulation section or the jurisdiction pages.

Questions

Is Liraglutide proven to help with body weight?
Not yet settled. 1 RCT — LYO grades it B, meaning probable but liable to change as trials read out.
What studies are behind the grade?
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.
Is Liraglutide approved for this?
Liraglutide is an approved medicine (Approved (Saxenda, Victoza)); whether this particular outcome is a licensed indication is stated on the compound page's regulation section.

Other outcomes for Liraglutide

Reviewed 3 September 2026. Grades count human evidence only; see how LYO grades. Not medical advice. Correct this page →