Two medicines, side by side
Liraglutide vs semaglutide
Liraglutide and semaglutide are both labeled for heart attack and coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes and weight management. Drugs@FDA records approvals of liraglutide since 2010 and of semaglutide since 2017. Pharmacies paid $31.41 per mL (Liraglutide 2-pak 18 mg/3 mL) and $331.99 per mL (Ozempic 0.25-0.5 mg/dose (2 mg/3 mL) pen) (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: Liraglutide, “Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37).”; Semaglutide, “Semaglutide acts as a GLP-1 receptor agonist that selectively binds to and activates the GLP-1 receptor, the target for native GLP-1.”
Check it at the source: the liraglutide FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 14, 2025); the semaglutide FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 30, 2026).
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
Highlights of the semaglutide record
Semaglutide (Ozempic) · label of July 30, 2026
RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS
In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether OZEMPIC causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of semaglutide-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: indicationsOZEMPIC is indicated: • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults 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
- December 5, 2017
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $331.99 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 4
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Liraglutide label of October 14, 2025, Semaglutide label of July 30, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do liraglutide and semaglutide differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Liraglutide, “Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37).”; Semaglutide, “Semaglutide acts as a GLP-1 receptor agonist that selectively binds to and activates the GLP-1 receptor, the target for native GLP-1.”
Both are in FDA's class GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: liraglutide since 2024; semaglutide none approved (Drugs@FDA).
| Liraglutide | Semaglutide | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Type 2 diabetes, Heart attack and coronary artery disease, Weight management | Type 2 diabetes, Heart attack and coronary artery disease, Chronic kidney disease, Weight management |
| Pharmacologic class | GLP-1 Receptor Agonist | GLP-1 Receptor Agonist |
| How it works (label) | 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. | Semaglutide is a GLP-1 analogue with 94% sequence homology to human GLP-1. Semaglutide acts as a GLP-1 receptor agonist that selectively binds to and activates the GLP-1 receptor, the target for native GLP-1. |
| Half-life (label) | 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. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | January 25, 2010 | December 5, 2017 |
| First generic approved | December 23, 2024 | none |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 9 labelers | none listed |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $31.41 per mL (Liraglutide 2-pak 18 mg/3 mL) | $331.99 per mL (Ozempic 0.25-0.5 mg/dose (2 mg/3 mL) pen) |
| 12-month price change | -50% | +3% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | In shortage | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 3 | 4 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 49,117 | 73,001 |
| 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?
Semaglutide 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 liraglutide
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions