What the ingredient does
Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) is an altered copy of a gut hormone that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar.
National Library of Medicine · how liraglutide worksAs of September 2026, Victoza’s approved uses concern diabetes; Saxenda is the brand with a weight-management approval.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) · product usesSome generics are approved for weight
As of September 2026, FDA-approved liraglutide generics include products for weight management as well as products for diabetes.
FDA · liraglutide generic recordsFDA’s records checked in September 2026 keep liraglutide copies approved for diabetes and those approved for weight in separate groups. A pharmacy cannot swap a diabetes generic for a weight generic as if they were the same medicine.
FDA · which products can be substitutedAsk which type is prescribed and whether the pharmacy can supply that exact product.
What a direct comparison found
A comparison within this trial.
Journal study · the direct comparisonParticipants knew which medicine they received. The company that makes both drugs paid for the trial.
Journal study · design and fundingThese are group averages, not a forecast for your body.
Ask about stomach effects
Nausea means feeling sick to your stomach. A dummy injection has no active study medicine.
In Saxenda’s adult trials, nausea affected 39.3% on the medicine and 13.8% on a dummy injection.
National Library of Medicine · nausea in trialsAsk who can assess symptoms between visits.
The warning about a neck gland also applies
The thyroid is a small part of the body in the neck, called a gland. Liraglutide’s strongest label warning, called a boxed warning, concerns tumors in that gland found in rats and mice. It is still unclear whether the drug causes those tumors in people.
National Library of Medicine · thyroid warning