Prescription medication · GLP-1 Receptor Agonist
liraglutide
Also sold as Victoza, Saxenda. Liraglutide helps manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 47,843
- FDA reportsOften reported
- 1
- InteractionFew interactions
- 15% less
- Generic vs brandModest savings
- In shortage
- FDA status
What the data shows
liraglutide (Victoza) is a prescription GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, reported at a middle-of-the-pack volume (47,843 FDA reports), with a lower-cost generic available (15% less than brand).
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
liraglutide (Victoza) is a prescription GLP-1 Receptor Agonist. Liraglutide helps manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Liraglutide is a medicine that helps lower blood sugar levels. It is used with diet and exercise to treat type 2 diabetes in adults and children 10 years and older.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Shortage Alert
liraglutide is currently listed as in shortage by the FDA. Affected manufacturer: Meitheal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Status: Available.
View all drug shortages →Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$86.74/unit
Generic Price
$73.55/unit
Generic Savings
15%
Generic Available
Yes (6 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Liraglutide helps manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Common side effects
Nausea, Diarrhea, Vomiting
Key warnings
Liraglutide can cause thyroid tumors in animals.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from liraglutide's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Liraglutide works by mimicking a natural hormone in your body. This hormone helps your pancreas release insulin when your blood sugar is high. It also lowers the amount of sugar your liver makes.
How to Take It
Start with 0.6 mg injected under the skin once a day for one week. Then, your doctor may increase the dose to 1.2 mg daily. If needed, the dose can be increased to 1.8 mg daily. You can inject it at any time of day, with or without food.
This is a plain-language summary of liraglutide's FDA labeling, not individualized dosing advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before changing how you take this medication.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Liraglutide may harm your unborn baby. You should only use it during pregnancy if the benefit outweighs the risk. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
This is a plain-language summary of liraglutide's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber about pregnancy or breastfeeding on this medication.
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose, take your next dose as scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to make up for the missed one.
This is a plain-language summary of liraglutide's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber what to do about your specific missed dose.
Storage
Store liraglutide in the refrigerator before first use. After first use, you can store it in the refrigerator or at room temperature for 30 days.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 47,843 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for liraglutide, by number of reports
- Feeling sick to your stomach
Feeling sick to your stomach
7,005 reports
- High blood sugar
High blood sugar
3,875 reports
- Throwing up
Throwing up
3,364 reports
- Loose, watery stools
Loose, watery stools
3,263 reports
- Inflammation of the pancreas 2,316
Inflammation of the pancreas
2,316 reports
- Weight loss 2,076
Weight loss
2,076 reports
- Loss of appetite 2,066
Loss of appetite
2,066 reports
- Head pain 1,988
Head pain
1,988 reports
- Feeling tired 1,634
Feeling tired
1,634 reports
- Difficulty passing stools 1,491
Difficulty passing stools
1,491 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for liraglutide each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where liraglutide sits
liraglutide has more FDA adverse-event reports than 73% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is liraglutide; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 47,843 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
47,843
Reports Mentioning Death
1,745
3.6% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
10,464
Top Indication
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAUSEA | 7,005 |
| 2 | BLOOD GLUCOSE INCREASED | 3,875 |
| 3 | VOMITING | 3,364 |
| 4 | DIARRHOEA | 3,263 |
| 5 | PANCREATITIS | 2,315 |
| 6 | WEIGHT DECREASED | 2,076 |
| 7 | DECREASED APPETITE | 2,066 |
| 8 | HEADACHE | 1,988 |
| 10 | FATIGUE | 1,635 |
| 12 | CONSTIPATION | 1,492 |
| 13 | DIZZINESS | 1,474 |
| 14 | ABDOMINAL PAIN UPPER | 1,409 |
| 15 | MALAISE | 1,337 |
| 16 | ABDOMINAL PAIN | 1,212 |
| 17 | WEIGHT INCREASED | 1,187 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Liraglutide can cause thyroid tumors in animals. It is not known if it can cause thyroid cancer in humans. You should not take this medicine if you or your family have a history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you notice a lump in your neck, have trouble swallowing or breathing, or your voice becomes hoarse.
Known Drug Interactions
7.2 Effects of Delayed Gastric Emptying on Oral Medications Liraglutide-containing products, including XULTOPHY 100/3.6, cause a delay of gastric emptying, and thereby have the potential to impact the absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications. In clinical pharmacology trials, liraglutide did not affect the absorption of the tested orally administered medications to any clinically relevant degree [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . Nonetheless, caution should be exercised when oral medications are concomitantly administered with liraglutide containing products.
Mechanism: Liraglutide slows down the movement of food and medicine through your stomach, which can change how your body absorbs pills.
What to do: Be careful when taking oral medicines with this drug and watch for changes in how well your other medicines work.
This is a plain-language summary of interactions documented in FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before combining medications.
Common Questions
Can I take liraglutide if I have a family history of thyroid cancer?
Does liraglutide cause weight loss?
Can I use liraglutide with other diabetes medications?
Where should I inject liraglutide?
What should I do if I experience severe nausea?
How long does liraglutide take to start working?
Can liraglutide cause low blood sugar?
What are the symptoms of a thyroid tumor?
Should I check my thyroid regularly while taking liraglutide?
What if the solution in the pen is cloudy or has particles?
What are the common side effects of liraglutide?
Does liraglutide interact with other medications?
What drug class is liraglutide?
Is there a generic version of liraglutide?
Is liraglutide safe during pregnancy?
Has liraglutide been recalled?
Is liraglutide currently in shortage?
Active Recalls
Presence of particulate matter: a white thread-like structure in the cartridge
Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc.
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canagliflozin
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What the FDA Data Shows for liraglutide
The FDA label for liraglutide (sold under brand names such as Victoza, Saxenda) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the GLP-1 Receptor Agonist class. Liraglutide helps manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Official labeling lists 6 commonly reported side effects, including Nausea, Diarrhea, Vomiting.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 47,843 voluntary reports. The database also lists 1 documented drug interaction derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $73.55 versus $86.74 for the brand - a 15% generic savings.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history (currently 1 recall record on file), and patent information further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC). Shortage status: FDA Drug Shortages Database.
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: November 13, 2025
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages