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.
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
- Nausea
Nausea
7,005 reports
- Blood Glucose Increased
Blood Glucose Increased
3,875 reports
- Vomiting
Vomiting
3,364 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
3,263 reports
- Pancreatitis 2,315
Pancreatitis
2,315 reports
- Weight Decreased 2,076
Weight Decreased
2,076 reports
- Decreased Appetite 2,066
Decreased Appetite
2,066 reports
- Headache 1,988
Headache
1,988 reports
- Fatigue 1,635
Fatigue
1,635 reports
- Constipation 1,492
Constipation
1,492 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) 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.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
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?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for liraglutide?
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.
Related Medications in GLP-1 Receptor Agonist
Other drugs grouped near liraglutide - same-class peers and common alternatives.
acarbose
Precose
Acarbose is a medicine that helps lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Compare with liraglutide →
alogliptin
Nesina
Compare with liraglutide →
bromocriptine
Cycloset
Bromocriptine (Cycloset) is a medicine that acts like dopamine in your body.
Compare with liraglutide →
canagliflozin
Invokana
Invokana is a medicine used with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Compare with liraglutide →
colesevelam
Welchol
Colesevelam is a medicine that helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL-C) and control blood sugar in adults.
Compare with liraglutide →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for liraglutide: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 47,843.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 3.65%.
- upadacitinib Δ 0.02 pts · 72,798 reports · JAK Inhibitor 3.63%death share
- acebutolol Δ 0.04 pts · 1,220 reports · Beta-1 Selective Blocker with ISA 3.61%death share
- lisdexamfetamine Δ 0.09 pts · 5,840 reports · CNS Stimulant 3.56%death share
- paliperidone Δ 0.13 pts · 22,775 reports · Atypical Antipsychotic 3.52%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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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 are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
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. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: November 13, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
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 from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
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