Peptide Relay

Gathering the record

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Relay is organizing the evidence and source boundaries.

Compound library

Peptide analog

GLP-1 receptor agonist

Liraglutide

FDA approved for defined product-specific indications

A drug used for diabetes or weight management, depending on the product. Brands include Victoza and Saxenda.

6-minute readFull profile reviewed July 25, 2026

Evidence is explained by question. Dosing references show their own check dates.

60-second overview

Liraglutide at a glance

Why people look into it, what studies found, and what is still unknown.

Why people look into it: Weight loss, blood-sugar control, and heart health in specific patient groups.
What studies found: Large studies support its approved uses. Some also found fewer heart-related events in adults with diabetes who already had high heart risk.
What is still unclear: Results depend on the product and population. Uncommon side effects and how benefits last after stopping remain important questions.

About the evidence and review date

Educational information only. Evidence reviewed through July 25, 2026. Published studies, sponsor announcements, and trials without results are labeled separately. Evidence gaps apply to the specific finding beside them.

Research questions

Why people research it

Each label shows how much evidence supports that question.

Weight loss and long-term weight managementApproved use
Blood-sugar control in type 2 diabetesApproved use
Cardiovascular-risk reduction in defined type 2 diabetes populationsApproved use
Adolescent weight managementApproved use
Delaying type 2 diabetes in adults with prediabetesSupported by human studies
Sleep-apnea severity in adults with obesitySupported by human studies

What studies show

What the evidence supports

The research behind the answer

Multiple randomized Phase 3 trials plus the 9,340-participant LEADER cardiovascular outcomes trial support approved product-specific weight, diabetes, pediatric, and cardiovascular findings.

See each finding and its sources (9)

Controlled human study

Liraglutide is FDA approved only through specific products, presentations, populations, and indications.

Current U.S. labels cover chronic weight management under Saxenda and glycemic control plus defined cardiovascular-risk reduction under Victoza. The product contexts are not interchangeable.

The active-ingredient name alone does not identify the product, indication, dose, or eligibility criteria.

FDA prescribing informationIndications and Usage

Controlled human study

Controlled trials demonstrate clinically meaningful average weight reduction with daily liraglutide 3.0 mg in defined obesity populations.

SCALE reported greater average weight loss and more participants reaching weight-reduction thresholds than placebo.

These are trial-group averages with protocol-defined escalation, lifestyle support, and eligibility criteria.

Peer reviewed56-week outcomes

Peer reviewed56-week BMI outcomes

Controlled human study

Liraglutide improves glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes under product-specific use.

The Victoza label and ELLIPSE trial support glycemic-control evidence beginning at age 10 in defined type 2 diabetes populations.

This does not establish pediatric diabetes efficacy for Saxenda or weight-management efficacy for Victoza.

FDA prescribing informationIndications and Usage

Peer reviewedHbA1c results

Controlled human study

LEADER demonstrated fewer major cardiovascular events with liraglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk.

The primary outcome occurred in 13.0% with liraglutide and 14.9% with placebo over a median 3.8 years.

The result applies to the studied high-risk diabetes population and does not establish cardiovascular benefit for every liraglutide use.

FDA prescribing informationCardiovascular indication

Peer reviewedPrimary cardiovascular outcome

Controlled human study

Human trials have studied liraglutide for prediabetes progression, obstructive sleep apnea, and NASH, but those findings are not separate U.S. indications.

Controlled studies reported signals in each area, with especially important limitations in the high-withdrawal prediabetes extension and the small LEAN liver trial.

A studied endpoint is not the same as an approved indication, and evidence strength differs substantially across the three areas.

FDA prescribing informationIndications and Usage

Peer reviewed160-week outcomes

Peer reviewedApnea-hypopnea-index outcome

Peer reviewedHistology outcome

Controlled human study

A direct obesity trial found greater average weight reduction with semaglutide 2.4 mg than liraglutide 3.0 mg.

STEP 8 reported mean changes of -15.8% with weekly semaglutide and -6.4% with daily liraglutide at 68 weeks.

This comparison was open-label between active treatments and does not settle other outcomes, formulations, populations, or individual tolerability.

Peer reviewedPrimary body-weight outcome

Controlled human study

Current U.S. labels describe once-daily subcutaneous administration with product-specific escalation and maintenance schedules.

Saxenda and Victoza are both daily injections, but their labeled dose ranges, purposes, and patient instructions differ.

Label information is educational context, not an individualized recommendation or a switching plan.

FDA prescribing informationDosage and Administration

Controlled human study

Approved liraglutide products are ready-to-use solutions and do not require reconstitution.

The current labels describe clear, colorless 6 mg/mL solution in prefilled single-patient-use pens.

Official storage and handling instructions do not establish stability or reconstitution procedures for unapproved compounded, lyophilized, or vendor-supplied material.

FDA prescribing informationDosage Forms and Storage

Controlled human study

Current liraglutide labels include important contraindications, warnings, and common gastrointestinal adverse reactions.

The labels include a boxed thyroid C-cell-tumor warning, MTC/MEN2 contraindication, and warnings involving pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, severe gastrointestinal reactions, volume depletion, hypoglycemia in relevant combinations, and aspiration around anesthesia or deep sedation.

This is a high-level safety summary, not a substitute for the complete current label or professional medical assessment.

FDA prescribing informationBoxed Warning; Warnings and Precautions

Risks & unknowns

What needs caution

Reported side effects

Current liraglutide labels include important contraindications, warnings, and common gastrointestinal adverse reactions.

Controlled human evidence

This is a high-level safety summary, not a substitute for the complete current label or professional medical assessment.

Open source

Important warnings

LEADER demonstrated fewer major cardiovascular events with liraglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk.

Controlled human evidence

The result applies to the studied high-risk diabetes population and does not establish cardiovascular benefit for every liraglutide use.

Open source

Missing reports do not establish safety. Findings apply to the product, route, amounts, population, comparison, and follow-up studied.

Side-effect frequency, study withdrawals, and gaps

How often side effects occurred

Current liraglutide labels include important contraindications, warnings, and common gastrointestinal adverse reactions.

Controlled human evidence

The stated frequency is source-, product-, population-, route-, dose-, comparator-, and duration-specific; it is not a universal incidence estimate.

Open source

Why people stopped in studies

While on treatment, diabetes was diagnosed in 2% with liraglutide and 6% with placebo; the hazard ratio for diabetes onset was 0.21. Weight change at week 160 was -6.1% versus -1.9%.

Controlled human evidence

Study discontinuation describes what happened under a study protocol; it is not an emergency-action threshold.

Open source

Emergency instructions

This profile does not contain verified, product-specific emergency instructions.

Evidence boundary

Relay does not infer emergency guidance from study discontinuations, mechanism, or incomplete adverse-event reporting.

Dosing references

Dosing & preparation

Each table labels its source and applies only to the named route, product, or study. An online example or community report is not an approved dose.

Route: SubQ · Under the skin

Approved product · U.S. prescribing informationWhat this means

Instructions from the named approved product’s prescribing information. They apply to its stated formulation, route, use, and population.

Liraglutide · Saxenda adult label schedule

This adult weight-management schedule applies to Saxenda. Victoza and pediatric dosing are separate contexts.

Label starting dose: 0.6 mg daily for week 1
Frequency: Daily
Treatment period: Weekly escalation, then ongoing labeled treatment

Liraglutide · Saxenda adult label schedule
Stage	Daily amount
Week 1 · start	0.6 mg
Week 2	1.2 mg
Week 3	1.8 mg
Week 4	2.4 mg
Week 5 onward · adult maintenance	3 mg

The label includes tolerability, interruption, and response-assessment instructions. Saxenda is not coadministered with another liraglutide product or GLP-1 receptor agonist.

Saxenda · U.S. prescribing information Prescribing information · Dosage and administrationThis reference checked Oct 20, 2026. The full-profile review date is shown at the top.

Preparation & concentration · SubQ

Saxenda is a ready-to-use 6 mg/mL solution in a prefilled pen. No powder reconstitution is required.

Concentration = total mass ÷ final volume. The calculator performs user-entered math; it does not choose a dose or diluent.

Open concentration calculator

Starting dose, maintenance, and trial targets explained

Starting dose: the amount used at the beginning of the named label schedule or trial.

Maintenance: the ongoing amount described by that product label.

Trial target: the amount assigned to a study group. Different groups may stop increasing at different targets.

Other source records, populations, and limits · all routes

Direct human study

Liraglutide SCALE obesity trial material

Amount in this source: See the named dosing references above; this additional source record does not add a verified amount.
Frequency: Once daily under protocol-defined escalation
Route: Subcutaneous injection
Duration: 56 weeks

Population, study design, and limitations

A published Phase 3 trial evaluated a specific liraglutide product regimen in adults with obesity or overweight plus a related condition who did not have type 2 diabetes.

Population: Adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, without type 2 diabetes

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

The trial included lifestyle support and a defined product, population, and escalation procedure.
Saxenda and Victoza evidence is product specific and does not establish reconstitution or stability for powder vials.

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight ManagementSelected study record

Mechanisms

How it works

Liraglutide is an acylated GLP-1 analog with GLP-1-receptor agonist activity and an approximately 13-hour half-life that supports once-daily administration. Its evidence base includes randomized weight-management trials in adults and adolescents, glycemic-control trials in adults and youth, and the 9,340-participant LEADER cardiovascular outcomes trial. Smaller or narrower trials have also evaluated prediabetes progression, obstructive sleep apnea, visceral adiposity, and NASH.

Why this matters

A plausible mechanism can explain why a study was attempted. It does not prove that the compound improves a human outcome.

Signals and targets

Proposed biological steps

GLP-1 receptor agonism

Research reference

How mature is the evidence?

A reference for the studies, populations, and routes behind this profile.

Research depthExtensive, mature human record

More than a decade of controlled trials and approved-product experience spans diabetes, weight, cardiovascular outcomes, and pediatric populations.

Why this matters

Research depth describes how large and mature the overall record is. It does not tell you whether the results were positive.

Evidence confidenceVery high for approved outcomes

Large randomized trials support defined product-specific uses; smaller sleep, liver, and prediabetes studies do not create additional approved indications.

Why this matters

Confidence describes how reliable and consistent the conclusions are. It can be high for one outcome and low for another.

Strongest evidencePhase 3 trials and a 9,340-person outcomes trial

Why this matters

The strongest evidence type shows what the best-supported conclusions are actually based on.

Human evidenceStrong for approved weight, diabetes, and cardiovascular endpoints

Why this matters

Human findings are more directly relevant than animal or laboratory results, but they still apply only to the populations and outcomes studied.

Route-specific record

Which product or study does this describe?

Liraglutide SCALE obesity trial materialAmounts and schedules below belong to this source record.A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management Administration reference reviewed Aug 5, 2026

Route studiedSubcutaneous injection

Schedules studiedOnce daily under protocol-defined escalation; 56 weeks

Amounts studiedWithheld: this record provides research context without a transferable amount

Why this matters

These are exposures used in cited research for a specific route and population—not an instruction for an individual.

Half-lifeNot established for this exact editorial record

Why this matters

Half-life describes how long it takes the measured amount in the body to fall by half. It is not a dosing recommendation.

Route evidenceA published Phase 3 trial evaluated a specific liraglutide product regimen in adults with obesity or overweight plus a related condition who did not have type 2 diabetes.

Why this matters

Evidence can change by administration method. Findings from one route should not automatically be applied to another.

Evidence boundary: The trial included lifestyle support and a defined product, population, and escalation procedure. Saxenda and Victoza evidence is product specific and does not establish reconstitution or stability for powder vials. Amounts shown describe cited research exposure—not a dosage recommendation.

Studies

Study-by-study record

Study arms are reported for transparency. They describe what researchers did in a defined record and do not transfer across identities, routes, formulations, or populations.

Why this matters

A later trial phase can ask a more mature question, but it does not guarantee a positive result, regulatory approval, or relevance outside the studied population.

Controlled human studyPeer reviewed

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Liraglutide

Liraglutide at a glance

Why people research it

What the evidence supports

Liraglutide is FDA approved only through specific products, presentations, populations, and indications.

Controlled trials demonstrate clinically meaningful average weight reduction with daily liraglutide 3.0 mg in defined obesity populations.

Liraglutide improves glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes under product-specific use.

LEADER demonstrated fewer major cardiovascular events with liraglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk.

Human trials have studied liraglutide for prediabetes progression, obstructive sleep apnea, and NASH, but those findings are not separate U.S. indications.

A direct obesity trial found greater average weight reduction with semaglutide 2.4 mg than liraglutide 3.0 mg.

Current U.S. labels describe once-daily subcutaneous administration with product-specific escalation and maintenance schedules.

Approved liraglutide products are ready-to-use solutions and do not require reconstitution.

Current liraglutide labels include important contraindications, warnings, and common gastrointestinal adverse reactions.

What needs caution

Dosing & preparation

Liraglutide · Saxenda adult label schedule

Preparation & concentration · SubQ

Liraglutide SCALE obesity trial material

How it works

Signals and targets

Proposed biological steps

How mature is the evidence?

Which product or study does this describe?

Study-by-study record

Effect of Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Daily Liraglutide on Body Weight in Adults With Overweight or Obesity Without Diabetes

Design and population

Outcomes measured

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Liraglutide for Adolescents with Obesity

Design and population

Outcomes measured

Liraglutide in Children and Adolescents with Type 2 Diabetes

Design and population

Outcomes measured

3 years of liraglutide versus placebo for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight management in individuals with prediabetes

Design and population

Outcomes measured

Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes

Design and population

Outcomes measured

Effect of liraglutide 3.0 mg in individuals with obesity and moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea

Design and population

Outcomes measured

Liraglutide safety and efficacy in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (LEAN)

Design and population

Outcomes measured

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management

Design and population

Outcomes measured

Experience reports stay separate from published evidence

Help strengthen the Liraglutide experience record

Keep the question moving

Trace every major statement

SAXENDA (liraglutide) U.S. Prescribing Information

VICTOZA (liraglutide) U.S. Prescribing Information

Effect of Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Daily Liraglutide on Body Weight in Adults With Overweight or Obesity Without Diabetes

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Liraglutide for Adolescents with Obesity

Liraglutide in Children and Adolescents with Type 2 Diabetes

3 years of liraglutide versus placebo for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight management in individuals with prediabetes

Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes

Effect of liraglutide 3.0 mg in individuals with obesity and moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea

Liraglutide safety and efficacy in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (LEAN)

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management