Two medicines, side by side
Dulaglutide vs liraglutide
Dulaglutide and liraglutide are both labeled for heart attack and coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes. Drugs@FDA records approvals of dulaglutide since 2014 and of liraglutide since 2010. Pharmacies paid $487.57 per mL (Trulicity 0.75 mg/0.5 mL pen) and $31.41 per mL (Liraglutide 2-pak 18 mg/3 mL) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ and one is a brand and one a generic, so the two prices are not like for like. How each works, in its label's words: Dulaglutide, “TRULICITY contains dulaglutide, which is a human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 90% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1 (7-37).”; Liraglutide, “Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37).”
Check it at the source: the dulaglutide FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 16, 2026); the liraglutide FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 14, 2025).
Highlights of the dulaglutide record
Dulaglutide (Trulicity) · label of June 16, 2026
RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS In male and female rats, dulaglutide causes a dose-related and treatment-duration-dependent increase in the incidence of thyroid C-cell tumors (adenomas and carcinomas) after lifetime exposure.
Used for
From the label: indicationsTRULICITY ® is indicated: As an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 18, 2014
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $487.57 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 2
Highlights of the liraglutide record
Liraglutide (Victoza) · label of October 14, 2025
RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS
Liraglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures in both genders of rats and mice. It is unknown whether VICTOZA causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans, as the human relevance of liraglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ), Nonclinical Toxicology ( 13.1 )].
Used for
From the label: indicationsVICTOZA is indicated: • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus, • to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- January 25, 2010
- Generic labelers
- 9 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $31.41 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 3
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Dulaglutide label of June 16, 2026, Liraglutide label of October 14, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do dulaglutide and liraglutide differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Dulaglutide, “TRULICITY contains dulaglutide, which is a human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 90% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1 (7-37).”; Liraglutide, “Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37).”
Both are in FDA's class GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Half-life, in each label's words: Dulaglutide, “The elimination half-life of dulaglutide was approximately 5 days.”; Liraglutide, “Unlike native GLP-1, liraglutide is stable against metabolic degradation by both peptidases and has a plasma half-life …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: dulaglutide none approved; liraglutide since 2024 (Drugs@FDA).
| Dulaglutide | Liraglutide | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Type 2 diabetes, Heart attack and coronary artery disease | Type 2 diabetes, Heart attack and coronary artery disease, Weight management |
| Pharmacologic class | GLP-1 Receptor Agonist | GLP-1 Receptor Agonist |
| How it works (label) | TRULICITY contains dulaglutide, which is a human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 90% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1 (7-37). | Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37). GLP-1(7-37) represents <20% of total circulating endogenous GLP-1. |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life of dulaglutide was approximately 5 days. | Unlike native GLP-1, liraglutide is stable against metabolic degradation by both peptidases and has a plasma half-life of 13 hours after subcutaneous administration. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | September 18, 2014 | January 25, 2010 |
| First generic approved | none | December 23, 2024 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | none listed | 9 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $487.57 per mL (Trulicity 0.75 mg/0.5 mL pen) | $31.41 per mL (Liraglutide 2-pak 18 mg/3 mL) |
| 12-month price change | +2% | -50% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 3 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 88,160 | 49,117 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
Do their labels mention each other?
Dulaglutide label, warnings and precautionsCases of MTC in patients treated with liraglutide, another GLP-1 receptor agonist, have been reported in the postmarketing period; the data in these reports are insufficient to establish or exclude a causal relationship between MTC and GLP-1 receptor agonist use in humans.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to dulaglutide
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions