Liraglutide: Victoza, Saxenda and the generics

Liraglutide was the GLP-1 drug before Ozempic and Wegovy. It's still prescribed, it now comes as generics, and it's the reason many people ask whether Saxenda and Wegovy are the same thing. They aren't. This page explains the two brands, how liraglutide compares with semaglutide in the STEP 8 head-to-head trial, and where its supply is going. For the newer weekly drug, see the semaglutide guide.

Liraglutide is an older GLP-1 shot you take every day

Liraglutide works like the other GLP-1 drugs. It acts on the receptor for GLP-1, a gut hormone that helps control blood sugar and appetite. What sets it apart is the schedule: it's injected once a day, while semaglutide and tirzepatide are weekly shots.

The Saxenda label reports an elimination half-life of approximately 13 hours and specifies once-daily administration ^[7]. A daily injection and a weekly injection create different routines, but frequency alone does not establish adherence, tolerability or the best treatment for an individual.

Victoza and Saxenda: one molecule, two labels

Both brands are made by Novo Nordisk, and both contain liraglutide in a daily prefilled pen. The difference is the job each label covers and how high the dose goes.

Victoza's label grew over time. It added a heart-risk indication on August 25, 2017, based on the LEADER trial, and children 10 and older on June 17, 2019. Saxenda added teens 12 and older on December 4, 2020 ^{[2] [3]}.

Is liraglutide the same as semaglutide, Ozempic or Wegovy? No

They're different molecules, both from Novo Nordisk and both GLP-1 drugs. Saxenda isn't Wegovy, and Victoza isn't Ozempic. The pairs line up by job: Victoza and Ozempic are the diabetes brands; Saxenda and Wegovy are the weight brands. This table answers the common "is X the same as Y" questions in one place.

STEP 8 is the key result. It randomized 338 adults with overweight or obesity and no diabetes across weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg (126), daily liraglutide 3 mg (127), or matching placebo groups (85 pooled), with diet and physical-activity counseling for 68 weeks. Mean weight change was −15.8% with semaglutide and −6.4% with liraglutide: a −9.4 percentage-point difference (95% CI −12.0 to −6.8). Active-drug comparisons were open-label. Semaglutide dose reduction was permitted, while participants unable to tolerate liraglutide 3 mg discontinued and could restart escalation. More than twice as many people stopped liraglutide for any reason (27.6% against 13.5%) ^[12]. Several authors reported Novo Nordisk employment. These dose-specific adult results are not a direct comparison of every formulation or an individual prediction. For the full picture of the weekly drug, see the Wegovy guide and the Ozempic guide.

Liraglutide's own trials showed modest weight loss and a heart benefit

These trials answer different questions. STEP 8 favored the tested semaglutide regimen for weight reduction in adults without diabetes; it does not rank every newer weekly treatment. LEADER followed high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes for a median 3.8 years ^[10]. The first composite cardiovascular outcome was lower with liraglutide, but nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal stroke individually were not significantly lower. A hazard ratio of 0.87 describes a 13% relative reduction in the event hazard, not 13 percentage points of absolute benefit. Victoza’s cardiovascular indication is restricted to adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease; Saxenda has no cardiovascular-risk-reduction indication.

Digestive effects are common; serious warnings require a care plan

Nausea and diarrhea were the most common side effects in SCALE, mostly mild or moderate. Serious adverse events occurred in 6.2% of people on liraglutide and 5.0% on placebo ^[9]. Victoza’s most common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion and constipation ^[8]. Saxenda’s adult trials found resting heart rate about 2–3 beats per minute higher than placebo with routine monitoring ^[7]. The label calls for heart-rate monitoring and reporting a racing heartbeat at rest. Persistent severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting or dehydration need prompt clinical assessment, rather than assuming every symptom is an ordinary adjustment effect. Tell the anesthesia team about the medicine before a procedure.

• Boxed warning. Liraglutide carries a warning about thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents. Human relevance of the rodent findings is unknown. Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2 is a contraindication; serious allergy to liraglutide or the product’s ingredients is another ^[7].
• Saxenda warnings. Pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar, including increased risk with insulin or insulin secretagogues and reported events in children without diabetes, a rise in heart rate, kidney injury due to volume depletion, severe digestive reactions, allergic reactions, and aspiration reports during anesthesia or deep sedation ^[7].

Generics are here, supply is tight, and brand Saxenda is ending

Liraglutide's supply story moved fast. Here's the timeline from FDA's own pages.

The shortage listing is mixed product by product: some generic versions show as available while the brand pens show limited availability ^[1]. If you're on Saxenda now, the change in 2027 is a conversation to have early. Your prescriber decides whether a generic or a different drug fits you; there's no dose conversion to work out yourself.

Some telehealth services also offer compounded liraglutide. Compounded drugs aren't FDA-approved, and FDA doesn't review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they're sold. That proposal concerns bulk-ingredient use by outsourcing facilities under section 503B; it is not a final decision or a complete account of every compounding pathway. A prescription and a pharmacy name alone do not establish compliance. The compounded semaglutide guide explains how the same rules apply to semaglutide.

Can you take liraglutide with semaglutide? Combination is not recommended

Saxenda's label says using it with other liraglutide products "or with any other glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist is not recommended" ^[7]. That covers semaglutide and tirzepatide. Victoza’s limitation specifically names other liraglutide products ^[8]. That narrower wording is not evidence that other combinations are safe. Review all medicines with the prescriber; this page does not provide a combination or switching plan.

Liraglutide needs a prescription and a product-specific availability check

Liraglutide is prescription-only. Your own doctor can prescribe Victoza, Saxenda or a generic, and some telehealth services prescribe it too. A clinician must assess the indication and suitability, and the dispensing pharmacy must confirm the exact product and availability. FDA’s national shortage listing does not establish stock at a local pharmacy. If you're choosing between liraglutide and a weekly drug, the semaglutide vs tirzepatide comparison covers the two weekly options, and the tirzepatide guide and Mounjaro guide cover Lilly's version.