Liraglutide

Metabolic Approved · US & EU Human trials

Also called Victoza, Saxenda

A GLP-1 receptor agonist: a modified copy of the gut hormone that signals fullness after eating, with a fatty-acid chain added so it lasts about a day instead of minutes. It was the drug that established this whole class before semaglutide overtook it.

Evidence at a glance

Evidence: Human trials — Studied in people
Status: An approved medicine in US & EU
Dosing: A dose has been tested in humans

Nausea is common early on, and weight returns when it is stopped. It carries a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumours seen in rodents; whether that applies to people is unresolved.

What studies report

Around 8% body weight loss at the 3 mg dose in the SCALE obesity trials
Reduced major cardiovascular events in the LEADER trial of 9,340 people with type 2 diabetes
Established HbA1c reduction in type 2 diabetes

How it works

Activates GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas and brain — increasing insulin release when glucose is high, slowing stomach emptying, and reducing appetite through the hypothalamus.

Binds a receptor on the cell surface and signals inward

Where it acts

Pancreas

The library groups this compound under Metabolic. The diagram shows that target, not every tissue it reaches.

Illustrated

An isolated pancreas with a subtle magnified islet tissue area integrated in a single composition.

AI-generated subject illustration; not a depiction of the compound or evidence of its effects.

Why people take it

Type 2 diabetesWeight lossAppetite reductionCardiovascular risk reduction

Reasons people seek it out — not a list of proven effects.

In practice Off-label

Largely displaced by semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are more effective and weekly rather than daily
Still prescribed where those are unavailable or not tolerated
Available through compounding pharmacies in the US

Reported real-world use, not evidence and not a recommendation.

Dosing

What was tested Evidence

3.0 mg daily, subcutaneous56 weeksSCALE obesity trials→ ≈8% body weight loss vs 2.6% placebo
1.8 mg daily, subcutaneous3.8 years medianLEADER cardiovascular trial (n=9,340)→ 13% reduction in major cardiovascular events

What people report using Not evidence

Titrated upward over weeks to limit nausea, which is standard clinical practice rather than community invention

Reported for reference, not as instruction. Nothing here is a recommendation to take anything, and most of these compounds are not approved for human use.

Status: FDA and EMA approved — Victoza for type 2 diabetes (2010), Saxenda for weight management (2014).

Route: Subcutaneous injection, daily
Formula: C172H265N43O51
Molecular weight: 3751 g/mol
CAS: 204656-20-2
Available as: Compounded vials

View on PubChem →

Search PubMed for Liraglutide → We link a live search rather than a fixed citation list, so it stays current and nothing here is a reference we have not checked.

Educational information only. Nothing here is medical advice, a dosing protocol, or a recommendation to use any compound. Most entries describe substances not approved for human use. Talk to a licensed clinician before acting on anything you read here. How to read these entries.