How does liraglutide work?
Liraglutide switches on the GLP-1 receptor. That makes the body release more insulin when blood sugar is high, holds back glucagon, slows how fast the stomach empties, and cuts appetite. The body clears half of it in about 13 hours. Its molecular weight is 3,751.2 daltons. It is FDA approved as Victoza for type 2 diabetes and as Saxenda for long-term weight management. In LEADER, 9,340 people with type 2 diabetes and high heart risk were followed for about 3.8 years (the middle value). Major heart events happened in 13.0% on liraglutide versus 14.9% on a dummy shot, a 13% drop in risk. SCALE enrolled 3,731 adults without diabetes. At 56 weeks, people lost 8.4 kg on average on 3.0 milligrams, versus 2.8 kg on a dummy shot. That it is taken daily is a fact about how fast the body clears it, not a plan this FAQ will write. A research-chemical vial is not Victoza or Saxenda. This FAQ does not invent a dose. Full record at /compounds/liraglutide.
Studies in people from the compound pages this answer belongs to
- Liraglutide
- Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes (LEADER) 2016 PMID 27295427
- A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes) 2015 PMID 26132939
- Efficacy of Liraglutide for Weight Loss Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: The SCALE Diabetes Randomized Clinical Trial 2015 PMID 26284720
Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use.
Part of glp-1 and metabolic peptides. Semaglutide, tirzepatide, retatrutide, and the rest of the incretin and glucagon receptor family.