Liraglutide

Fat LossFDA-approved daily GLP-1 agonistEstablished

Also known as: Victoza, Saxenda, NN2211

Liraglutide (also called Victoza or Saxenda) is an FDA-approved daily GLP-1 agonist. Liraglutide is a GLP-1 analog with a single amino-acid substitution and a sixteen-carbon fatty acid attached through a glutamate spacer.

Calculate Dose

For research use only.

Key Facts

CAS: 204656-20-2
Molecular Weight (MW): 3751.2 g/mol
Half-life: Approximately 13 hours
FDA status: Approved
Evidence level: FDA Approved
Human dose established: Yes
Administration Route: Subcutaneous
Frequency: Once daily, at any time of day, independent of meals
Last updated: Sep 6, 2026
Reviewed: Aug 30, 2026
Targets: GLP-1 receptor

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Vendors listing this peptide: 2
Listed offers: 2
Price per mg: $11.50–$19.99/mg

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Research summary

FDA-approved once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist for type 2 diabetes (Victoza, up to 1.8 mg) and chronic weight management (Saxenda, up to 3 mg).

Peptide Library's Liraglutide profile summarises 5 cited studies listed in the Science section, the compound's regulatory status, and research-protocol parameters reported for it. It is a research reference, not medical advice.

Liraglutide dosage chart

Liraglutide has an FDA-approved human dosage. For weight management as Saxenda it is escalated weekly from 0.6 mg to a 3 mg once-daily subcutaneous maintenance dose. Unlike the once-weekly GLP-1 agonists it is grouped with, liraglutide is dosed once daily, and generic versions are now approved alongside the originator products.

FDA Approved

Dosage evidence summary for Liraglutide
Human dosing established	Yes
Studied dose range	0.6–3 mg once daily
Route	Subcutaneous
Frequency	Once daily, at any time of day, independent of meals
Duration studied	Continuous; maintenance reached in week 5
Titration	0.6 mg week 1, 1.2 mg week 2, 1.8 mg week 3, 2.4 mg week 4, then 3 mg from week 5.
Half-life	Approximately 13 hours
Evidence level	FDA Approved
Last reviewed	2026-09-05

Research-reported dosing

Doses as studied, one row per regimen. Different trials used different regimens; they are listed separately rather than averaged.

Research-reported dosing for Liraglutide, one row per studied regimen
Study / context	Population	Dose	Route	Frequency	Duration	Outcome studied	Source
FDA label — Saxenda, weight managementFDA-approved label · FDA prescribing information	Adults with obesity or overweight with a weight-related comorbidity, and patients aged 12+ over 60 kg with obesity	3 mg maintenance, escalated weekly from 0.6 mg	Subcutaneous, abdomen, thigh or upper arm	Once daily	Continuous, alongside reduced calorie diet and increased activity	Chronic weight management	SAXENDA (liraglutide) injection — FDA prescribing information, DailyMed
FDA label — generic liraglutide injectionFDA-approved label · FDA prescribing information, generic	Per the referenced listed drug's approved indications	As per the originator labelling	Subcutaneous	Once daily	—	Same indications as the reference product	LIRAGLUTIDE injection — FDA prescribing information (Meitheal Pharmaceuticals), DailyMed
NCT01117350 — phase 4, results postedClinical trial · Phase 4 randomised trial with posted results	Adults with type 2 diabetes (n=978)	Per trial protocol	Subcutaneous	Once daily	Per trial protocol	Glycaemic control versus insulin glargine after oral therapy failure	NCT01117350 — Efficacy Assessment of Insulin Glargine Versus Liraglutide After Oral Agent Failure

Where sources disagree

Liraglutide has two distinct approved dose ceilings by indication: 3 mg once daily under the Saxenda label for weight management, and a lower ceiling under the type 2 diabetes labelling. Quoting a single maximum without naming the product and indication is not meaningful.
Liraglutide is dosed once daily, not once weekly. Dosing intuition carried over from semaglutide or tirzepatide does not transfer, and the escalation schedule runs in weekly steps of daily doses.

Handling & administration

Reconstitution Guide: Prefilled pen — no reconstitution
Injection Sites: AbdomenThigh
Timing Notes: Educational catalog only — not medical advice

Sequence & molecular data

Sequence and molecular data for Liraglutide
Molecular formula	C172H265N43O51
Molecular weight	3751.2 g/mol
CAS number	204656-20-2
Half-life	~13 hours
Appearance	Clear solution in prefilled pen
Formulation	Prefilled Pen
PubChem CID	16134956
FDA UNII	839I73S42A
ChEMBL	CHEMBL4084119

Identifiers link to the public PubChem, FDA Substance Registration (UNII), ChEMBL and DrugBank records for the same entity.

Science

Mechanism of Action

Liraglutide is a GLP-1 analog with a single amino-acid substitution and a sixteen-carbon fatty acid attached through a glutamate spacer. The acyl chain drives reversible binding to serum albumin and promotes self-association at the injection site, which together slow absorption and clearance and extend the half-life from minutes to roughly thirteen hours, allowing once-daily administration. At the GLP-1 receptor it enhances glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppresses glucagon when glucose is elevated, and slows gastric emptying. Appetite reduction is mediated centrally, through GLP-1 receptors in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and brainstem, which is why the weight effect is separate from the glycaemic one.

Origin

Acylated human GLP-1 analog (Novo Nordisk).

Targets

GLP-1 receptor

Studies

Regulatory & research status

Liraglutide is an FDA-approved product for specific labelled indications. Approval does not extend to the research contexts described on this page, and approved products are prescription medicines.

Regulatory and research status for Liraglutide
FDA status	Approved
Availability	Prescription-Only
WADA (sport)	Permitted
Library classification	FDA-Approved

Benefits

Labeled T2D and obesity therapyCV outcome data (Victoza)

Liraglutide side effects

The effects below are drawn from Liraglutide's prescribing information, which lists the full adverse-reaction data.

Side Effects

Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Gallbladder events

Storage & stability

Lyophilized (freeze-dried) peptide powder is far more stable than the reconstituted solution. Keep sealed vials cold, dry and away from light; long-term storage is typically frozen, with short-term refrigeration for vials in use.

Once reconstituted in bacteriostatic water, keep the solution refrigerated, avoid repeated freeze–thaw cycles and agitation, and label the vial with the reconstitution date and concentration. Discard any solution that turns cloudy or shows particulates.

Degradation rates differ by sequence: peptides containing methionine, cysteine, asparagine or glutamine are more prone to oxidation and deamidation, so shelf life after reconstitution is compound-specific rather than universal.

Read the full guide: how to store peptides before and after reconstitution →

Source: Manning MC, Chou DK, Murphy BM, Payne RW, Katayama DS. Stability of protein pharmaceuticals: an update. Pharm Res. 2010;27(4):544–575. (PMID 20143256). General guidance for research handling; not product-specific instructions.

Liraglutide: frequently asked questions

What is Liraglutide?

FDA-approved once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist for type 2 diabetes (Victoza, up to 1.8 mg) and chronic weight management (Saxenda, up to 3 mg).

How does Liraglutide work?

Is Liraglutide FDA approved?

Yes. Liraglutide is approved by the FDA, and approved products are prescription medicines. Approval is always for specific indications studied in clinical trials, so an approved status does not mean the compound is approved for every use it is discussed for. Research-chemical material sold under the same name is not the approved product.

What is the half-life of Liraglutide?

Reported half-life for Liraglutide is ~13 hours. Half-life describes how long the compound persists in circulation, not how long any effect lasts, and published figures vary with route of administration, formulation and the population studied.

Is Liraglutide banned in sport?

Liraglutide is recorded here as permitted in sport. Anti-doping status is revised annually, so athletes subject to testing should confirm against the current WADA Prohibited List before use.

What peptides are similar to Liraglutide?

Compounds most often compared with Liraglutide include Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, Retatrutide and Exenatide. They are grouped by shared mechanism or research area rather than by equivalence, and their regulatory status and evidence base differ.

References

Related research, comparisons & guides

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Compiled by Peptide Library Editorial · Reviewed Aug 30, 2026 · Updated Sep 6, 2026 · Version 2

This Liraglutide profile is compiled from published literature (5 cited studies linked above), public regulatory records and chemical registries. It describes what research reports; it is not medical advice, and nothing here is a dosing recommendation for humans. Peptide Library does not sell peptides. Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled · Report an error

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