What it is
Liraglutide is a peptide made of 31 amino acids. It is made in a lab by the drug company Novo Nordisk. It copies GLP-1, the gut hormone released after eating, and matches it at 97 percent of its amino acids. A fatty acid chain called palmitic acid is attached. The chain sticks to albumin in the blood, which keeps liraglutide in the body for about 13 hours. That is long enough for one shot a day. The FDA approved it as Victoza for type 2 diabetes and Saxenda for weight management in adults and teens age 12 and older. It was the first drug in its class to show a heart benefit in a large trial. Other names: Victoza, Saxenda.
What researchers study it for
- Heart attack, stroke, and heart death in type 2 diabetes
- Kidney disease in type 2 diabetes
- Body weight in adults and teens with obesity
- Prediabetes turning into diabetes
- Blood sugar compared to other drugs
What the studies found
1. Heart deaths dropped 22 percent in people with type 2 diabetes.
The LEADER trial followed 9,340 people with type 2 diabetes and high heart risk for about 3.8 years. The combined rate of heart death, heart attack, and stroke was 13 percent lower with liraglutide. Heart deaths were 22 percent lower, and deaths from any cause were 15 percent lower. Human data.
2. Kidney disease got worse less often.
This follow-up analysis of the LEADER trial looked at kidney results. New or worsening kidney disease was 22 percent lower with liraglutide. Most of that came from fewer new cases of large amounts of protein in the urine, an early sign of kidney damage. Human data.
3. Adults with obesity lost 8 percent of body weight in 56 weeks.
The SCALE trial gave 3,731 adults with obesity or overweight daily liraglutide or placebo. After 56 weeks, the liraglutide group lost 8.0 percent of body weight, compared to 2.6 percent on placebo. About 63 percent lost at least 5 percent of their weight. Stomach side effects were common. This trial led to the approval of Saxenda.
4. Fewer people with prediabetes developed diabetes over 3 years.
This 2017 trial followed people with prediabetes for 3 years. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes was 79 percent lower with liraglutide than with placebo. Weight loss held over the 3 years. Human data.
5. Teens with obesity had a larger drop in BMI.
This 2020 trial was the first of its drug class in teens ages 12 to 17 with obesity. BMI, a measure of weight for height, dropped more with liraglutide than with placebo. This trial led to FDA approval for teens. Human data.
6. It lowered blood sugar more than exenatide.
The LEAD-6 trial compared daily liraglutide with exenatide, an older drug given twice a day, for 26 weeks. HbA1c, a measure of average blood sugar over about 3 months, dropped 1.12 points with liraglutide and 0.79 points with exenatide. Human data.
How much research exists
Many large human trials. It has been on the market since 2010, one of the longest safety records in its class.
Facts
- Formula: C172H265N43O51
- Weight: 3751.2 g/mol
- CAS number: 204656-20-2
- Sequence: His-Ala-Glu-Gly-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ser-Asp-Val-Ser-Ser-Tyr-Leu-Glu-Gly-Gln-Ala-Ala-Lys(γGlu-Palmitoyl)-Glu-Phe-Ile-Ala-Trp-Leu-Val-Arg-Gly-Arg-Gly
- Time in the blood: about 13 hours
- Storage: keep the dry powder in the fridge. Keep mixed solution in the fridge.
Legal status
Approved by the FDA as Victoza for type 2 diabetes and as Saxenda for weight management in adults and teens age 12 and older. Research-grade liraglutide is not the approved product and is not approved for human use.
For research use only. Not for human use. Nothing here is medical advice.