Dulaglutide dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Dulaglutide is a once-a-week shot for type 2 diabetes. In a big study it lowered heart attacks and strokes.
Evidence grade for Dulaglutide: Strong. The rule: at least two finished studies in people, and at least 1,000 people who took it. The sum on this page: 2 completed trials, 10,500 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 10,500
- Human studies
- 2
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
Approved label amounts
0.75, 1.5, 3 and 4.5 mg
The approved dulaglutide ladder, in mg.
1 effects reported, 1 wanted, by people using it, not a trial
Goal pages: Fat loss and metabolism, Heart and circulation
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
Dulaglutide is a once a week shot for type 2 diabetes. It is sold as Trulicity. It works on the same gut hormone signal as semaglutide (Ozempic). It lowers blood sugar and helps a little with weight. It is approved and prescription only.
What people take it for
- Lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes.
- Lower risk of heart attack and stroke.
- One shot a week instead of one a day.
What studies in people showed
The biggest study had 9,901 people with type 2 diabetes. Only about a third had heart disease at the start. They took the weekly shot or a dummy shot for about five and a half years. On the drug, 12.0 percent had a heart attack, had a stroke or died of heart disease. On the dummy, 13.4 percent did. That is a small gain per person, and it took years to show. A second study had 599 people already on metformin. They took the weekly drug or daily liraglutide for 26 weeks. Blood sugar fell by about the same amount on both. Nobody in that one got a dummy shot.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- In the studies on this page, blood sugar came down, and heart attacks and strokes were a little less common.
The bad
- The studies on this page do not list side effects, and we have not collected user reports on this one yet.
Where these come from: The good line is from the two human studies on this page. We have not collected forum or user reports for this drug yet.
My bottom line
It is a proven diabetes drug with a small heart benefit that took years to show. It is not a weight loss drug. Get your blood work done and have this talk with the doctor who treats your diabetes.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals Dulaglutide has been tested for in people, biggest studies first. We count only what the studies on this page say, so the real numbers may be higher.
- Heart attacks and strokes9,901 people · 1 study
- Blood sugar and insulin599 people · 1 study
34 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Dulaglutide
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Dulaglutide does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Dulaglutide and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Dulaglutide?
Dulaglutide is a once-a-week shot for type 2 diabetes. In a big study it lowered heart attacks and strokes.
Dulaglutide is a weekly shot sold as Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. It is joined to a piece of an antibody, which makes it last about five days in the body. The biggest study was REWIND. 9,901 people with type 2 diabetes took it or a dummy shot for about five and a half years. Only about a third of them had heart disease at the start. On the drug, 12.0% had a heart attack, had a stroke or died of heart disease. On the dummy, 13.4% did. That matters because it showed a benefit in people who mostly had not had heart trouble yet. In another study, 599 people compared weekly dulaglutide 1.5 mg with daily liraglutide 1.8 mg. After 26 weeks, blood sugar fell by about the same amount on each. People do lose some weight on it, but usually less than on semaglutide or tirzepatide.
How does Dulaglutide work?
It copies GLP-1, a gut hormone. It helps your body release insulin when blood sugar is high. It turns down glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar. It slows how fast food leaves your stomach.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
10,500people, across 2 studies in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| REWIND, The Lancet 2019 | 9,901 | 94% |
| AWARD-6, The Lancet 2014 | 599 | 6% |
One study holds 94% of these people, so the total rests more on one study than its size suggests. Counts are the number of people each study on this page says it signed up. That includes studies that only watched people and gave nobody the compound. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
All 2 sources here are studies in people.
- Study in people · done in people2100%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
Sources here come from just two years, 2014 and 2019.
Too few different years on this page to draw a timeline. The newest source on file is from 2019, more than five years ago. Research on it may have gone quiet.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Approved
UK
Approved
AU
Approved
CA
Approved
Approved in all four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Biologic
- Molecule weight
- ~59,700 Da
- Half-life
- About 5 daysLong, 1 to 7 days
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Dulaglutide, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2019Dulaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (REWIND): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial
Dulaglutide lowered heart attacks and strokes, and most people in the trial had no heart disease to start with. 9,901 adults with type 2 diabetes took dulaglutide or a dummy injection for about five and a half years. 12.0% on the drug had a heart attack, had a stroke, or died of heart disease, against 13.4% on the dummy. That is roughly 14 fewer such events for every 1,000 people. The benefit per person is small, and it took years to show up.
9,901 participants (only about a third with prior cardiovascular disease), median 5.4 years: MACE in 12.0% on dulaglutide vs 13.4% on placebo (HR 0.88; p=0.026).
- Study in people2014Once-weekly dulaglutide versus once-daily liraglutide in metformin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes (AWARD-6): a randomised, open-label, phase 3, non-inferiority trial
A weekly shot matched a daily one for blood sugar control. 599 people with type 2 diabetes already on metformin took either weekly dulaglutide or daily liraglutide for six months. Average blood sugar over three months fell by about the same amount on each. The trial was built only to show the weekly drug was no worse, never that it was better. Everybody knew which drug they were on. Nobody got a dummy shot, so neither result can be compared against no treatment at all.
599 patients: weekly dulaglutide 1.5 mg was noninferior to daily liraglutide 1.8 mg for HbA1c reduction at 26 weeks.
Where to buy Dulaglutide
Dulaglutide is an approved medicine. The approved product comes from a pharmacy, with a prescription. The vials below are sold “for research” and are not the approved drug.
4 sellers list Dulaglutide in our latest read. They are ranked by trust score, then by archive rating, then by certificate tier, then by the lowest price per milligram. Archive evidence is counted before source-backed. Each path is out of 4, and the two are not added. A higher price does not raise the score. The letter is the certificate chip. 0 of them have a published certificate that names Dulaglutide.
Some seller links may pay this site when you buy through them. A payment never changes a seller's tier or rank, and no seller has a say in any page.
| Seller | Trust score | Vial sizes | From, per mg | Certificate for Dulaglutide | Seller link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Science Labs | 80 StrongSource-backed 4 of 4. Archive evidence 2 of 4.A | 5 mg, 10 mg | $9.90 | None found for Dulaglutide | View |
| Apexlab | 49 WeakSource-backed 2 of 4. Archive evidence 2 of 4.B | 5 mg, 10 mg | $31.1 | None found for Dulaglutide | View |
| Aries Peptide Research | 36 WeakSource-backed 1 of 4. Archive evidence 1 of 4.C | 20 mg | $8.75 | None found for Dulaglutide | View |
| Boston Molecules | 28 InsufficientSource-backed 1 of 4. Archive evidence 1 of 4.C | 10 mg | $81.0 | None found for Dulaglutide | View |
- LC Lab-confirmed: the issuing laboratory echoed this certificate back
- A Current certificate, independent laboratory named, laboratory not yet checked
- B Certificate published, but no laboratory link, older than a year, or the laboratory did not recognise the published lookup
- C No certificate could be read
Every listing and vial size for Dulaglutide · How the trust score is counted
Sellers named on the price pages are ranked by certificate tier, then price, and any affiliate income is disclosed there. Naming a seller is not a recommendation to buy or use anything.
Common questions
Has Dulaglutide been tested in people?
Yes. 10,500 people given it across 2 completed trials cited here, 0 of which found nothing. Dulaglutide is a once-a-week shot for type 2 diabetes. In a big study it lowered heart attacks and strokes.
What is the Dulaglutide dosage?
Approved label amounts. 0.75, 1.5, 3 and 4.5 mg The approved dulaglutide ladder, in mg.
Is Dulaglutide FDA-approved?
FDA-approved (Trulicity)
Is dulaglutide used for weight loss?
It is approved for type 2 diabetes, not for weight loss. People do lose some weight on it. It is usually less than on semaglutide or tirzepatide.