lookindex

Liraglutide

Also known as Saxenda, Victoza

The older, weaker relative of semaglutide. It works, but the average loss in its main trial was about a third of semaglutide's, and the same side effects apply.

Information only. Not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start, stop or change anything.

What people claim

  • Cheap Ozempic
  • Melts belly fat
  • Fine for anyone who wants to lean out

What the evidence shows

  • In the SCALE trial, 3,731 adults lost 8.0% of body weight over 56 weeks, against 2.6% on placebo.[1]
  • 63.2% lost at least 5% of their weight, against 27.1% on placebo.[1]
  • In a later trial, semaglutide's placebo-adjusted loss was 12.4%, against 4.5% for liraglutide in SCALE. They were separate trials, not a head-to-head comparison.[2]
  • Trials enrolled people with obesity, or overweight plus a related health problem. They say nothing about using it to look leaner at a healthy weight.[1]

Known risks

  • Nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation are common.[3]
  • Boxed US warning: thyroid C-cell tumours in rodents. Not for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2.[3]
  • Label warnings include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar, raised heart rate, kidney injury and suicidal thoughts.[3]
  • Unapproved and counterfeit GLP-1 products circulate. FDA has warned about them repeatedly.[4]

Reported side effects

Moderated user reports are not open yet, so nothing is shown here. They will be labelled as unverified personal accounts.

Legal status

A summary, not legal advice. Rules change, and sport bans are separate.

United States

Prescription

FDA approved for weight management. A generic version launched in 2025.[3]

United Kingdom

Prescription

Licensed. MHRA warns against pens bought online.

Australia

Prescription

Approved by TGA.

European Union

Prescription

Authorised through the European Medicines Agency.

Sources

  1. 1.SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes: a randomized controlled trial of liraglutide in weight managementNew England Journal of Medicine, 2015
  2. 2.Semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1)New England Journal of Medicine, 2021
  3. 3.Saxenda US prescribing informationUS FDA, 2025
  4. 4.FDA's concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight lossUS FDA
  5. 5.Teva launches first generic GLP-1 drug for obesityManaged Healthcare Executive

Profile last checked 7 Nov 2026.