Someone in your life mentions Victoza® or Saxenda®, and your brain jumps straight to Ozempic® or Wegovy®. You assume it is the same shot with a different label.
It is not quite that simple, and it is not a copycat either. You want to know if this is the same kind of medicine. You also want to know why it is a daily shot instead of a weekly one, and whether the science still holds up.
I read the FDA labels and the actual trial data so you do not have to guess. Here is what Saxenda® and Victoza® are, what their named trials proved, and where a daily shot still fits today.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Saxenda® and Victoza® both contain liraglutide, but the FDA approved each one for a different job.
- Victoza® treats type 2 diabetes and, since a later approval, lowers cardiovascular risk too.
- Saxenda® treats chronic weight. In the SCALE trial, adults lost 7.4% of body weight over 56 weeks.
- In the LEADER trial, Victoza® cut major cardiovascular events to 13.0% versus 14.9% on placebo.
- Both brands are once-daily shots and carry an FDA boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors.
What readers want to figure out
- Is Saxenda® the same thing as Victoza®, and why do they have different names?
- How much weight can Saxenda® actually help you lose, based on real trial data?
- How well does Victoza® control blood sugar, and does it protect your heart too?
- What does the FDA boxed warning actually mean for your safety?
- Why is this a daily shot when other GLP-1 brands are weekly?
What is liraglutide, really?
Liraglutide is the active ingredient inside two FDA-approved brand-name medicines. Saxenda® and Victoza® both contain it, but the FDA cleared each one for a different reason.
Victoza® came first. The FDA approved it in January 2010 as an add-on to diet and exercise for adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes.
Saxenda® came later. The FDA approved it on December 23, 2014, for adults with obesity, or with overweight plus a health condition tied to weight. In December 2020, the FDA extended that approval to adolescents 12 and older.
Novo Nordisk makes both brands. Neither one is a copy of the other, and each has its own FDA application number tied to its own approved use.
Both brands use the same molecule at different top doses. Victoza® tops out at 1.8 mg a day. Saxenda® climbs higher, to 3 mg a day, because weight management needs a bigger dose than blood sugar control does.
Saxenda® vs Victoza®: same drug, two different jobs
Picture liraglutide as one ingredient with two separate FDA licenses. That split confuses a lot of readers, so here is the plain version.
Victoza® carries the type 2 diabetes license, plus a second license to lower cardiovascular risk in adults who already have heart disease. Saxenda® carries the chronic weight license, for adults and teens who meet specific BMI criteria.
| Brand | FDA-approved use | Named trial (adults) | Key result | Approval date | Maximum dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoza® | Type 2 diabetes; lowers cardiovascular risk in adults with heart disease | LEAD-3 Mono (746); LEADER (9,340) | HbA1c down 1.1 points at week 52; major cardiovascular events 13.0% vs 14.9% on placebo | January 2010 | 1.8 mg daily |
| Saxenda® | Chronic weight management | SCALE (3,731) | Body weight down 7.4% at week 56 vs 3.0% on placebo | December 2014 | 3 mg daily |
Figures come from the FDA-approved labels and each brand’s named clinical trial. Individual results vary.
Saxenda® and Victoza® are not two competing drugs. They are one ingredient carrying two separate FDA licenses, each earned through its own trial program.
How well does Saxenda® work for weight loss? The SCALE trial numbers
Saxenda® relies on one named trial program for its weight-management approval, called SCALE. Researchers randomly assigned 3,731 adults with obesity, or with overweight plus a weight-related condition, to Saxenda® or a placebo for 56 weeks.
Adults on Saxenda® lost an average of 7.4% of their starting body weight. The placebo group lost 3.0%, a gap of 4.5 percentage points.
More people crossed meaningful thresholds too. About 62% of Saxenda® patients lost at least 5% of their body weight, compared with 34% on placebo. About a third lost more than 10%, compared with 15% on placebo.
These are trial averages, not a promise. Your own result depends on your starting weight, your dose, and how closely you follow a reduced-calorie diet and activity plan.
How well does Victoza® work for type 2 diabetes? The LEAD-3 numbers
Victoza®’s diabetes approval rests on a program of trials. One of the cleanest reads is LEAD-3 Mono, a 52-week trial in 746 adults with type 2 diabetes. It tested Victoza® alone against a common diabetes pill called glimepiride.
Adults on Victoza® 1.8 mg cut their HbA1c, a marker of average blood sugar, by 1.1 percentage points. The glimepiride group dropped 0.5 points.
By week 52, 51% of adults on Victoza® 1.8 mg reached an HbA1c under 7%, a common treatment goal. Only 28% of the glimepiride group reached that mark.
This trial compared Victoza® to another diabetes drug, not to a placebo. That is a higher bar to clear, and Victoza® still came out ahead.
Victoza® and heart health: what the LEADER trial found
Victoza® has something Saxenda® does not: a dedicated heart-outcomes trial called LEADER.
Researchers followed 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes who already had heart disease. Half took Victoza® 1.8 mg, and half took a placebo, on top of usual care, for a median of about 3.5 years.
Major cardiovascular events, meaning cardiovascular death, a non-fatal heart attack, or a non-fatal stroke, happened in 13.0% of the Victoza® group. In the placebo group, that number was 14.9%. That works out to a hazard ratio of 0.87.
That result is why the FDA added a second use for Victoza®: lowering cardiovascular risk in people with heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Saxenda® does not carry this same cardiovascular indication.
Victoza® is the liraglutide brand with a dedicated heart-outcomes trial behind it. That is not a small detail if cardiovascular risk is part of your own health picture.
How liraglutide works in your body
Your gut naturally releases a hormone called GLP-1 after you eat. It helps manage blood sugar and appetite.
GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1. It is a hormone your body already makes on its own, in small bursts, after meals.
Liraglutide, the ingredient in both Saxenda® and Victoza®, copies that hormone. Scientists call this a GLP-1 receptor agonist.
That copy lasts much longer than your body’s own GLP-1 does. That is why one shot a day is enough to keep the signal going.
1. You inject the medicine under your skin once a day, in your abdomen, thigh, or upper arm.
2. It travels through your blood and finds GLP-1 receptors on your cells.
3. Your stomach empties more slowly, so food sits there longer.
4. Your body releases insulin in response to food, and appetite signals in your brain quiet down.
5. The effect fades over about a day, which is why the next dose follows right on schedule.
How dosing works: two different climbs
Saxenda® and Victoza® both start at the same low dose, but they climb to different places.
Victoza® starts at 0.6 mg once daily for a week. That starting dose is not meant to control blood sugar. It just gives your gut time to adjust.
After a week, your prescriber raises Victoza® to 1.2 mg. If you need more blood sugar control, the dose can go up to a maximum of 1.8 mg after at least one more week.
Saxenda® climbs further and faster. You start at 0.6 mg, then move up weekly through 1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, and 2.4 mg. You reach a 3 mg maintenance dose by week five.
That top dose, 3 mg, is only approved for weight management. Both brands are once-daily shots you can take at any time, with or without food.
Side effects and what people actually experience
Most side effects with either brand show up in your gut. Nausea is the most common one for both.
On Saxenda®, nausea affected 39.3% of adults, compared with 13.8% on placebo. Diarrhea, constipation, and vomiting were also common, each affecting well over 10% of patients.
On Victoza®, the numbers run lower because the top dose is smaller. Nausea affected 18% to 20% of adults, compared with 5% on placebo. Diarrhea affected 10% to 12%, compared with 4% on placebo.
Symptoms tend to show up most after a dose increase, not after every daily shot. That pattern is a big part of why both labels use a slow, staged climb instead of jumping straight to the top dose.
On Saxenda®, about 1 in 10 people stopped treatment because of a side effect, compared with roughly 1 in 25 on placebo. Nausea was the top reason.
Smaller meals, steady water intake, and skipping rich or greasy food can make the early weeks easier for many people. Ask your prescriber about anti-nausea options if the first few weeks feel like too much.
The boxed warning you should know about
Both labels carry the FDA’s strongest warning format, called a boxed warning. In rats and mice, liraglutide caused thyroid C-cell tumors, and the risk rose with higher doses and longer use.
Nobody knows yet if this happens in people. The FDA states plainly that the human relevance of that rodent finding has not been determined.
Because of that signal, neither brand is approved for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma. The same rule applies to a rare condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your prescriber about your thyroid history before starting either brand.
Watch for a lump in your neck, trouble swallowing, shortness of breath, or a hoarse voice that does not go away. The FDA lists these as symptoms to report for a possible thyroid tumor.
Who Saxenda® and Victoza® are approved for
Victoza® is approved for adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes, alongside diet and exercise. It is also approved for adults with type 2 diabetes and existing heart disease, to lower cardiovascular risk.
Saxenda® is approved for adults with a body mass index of 30 or higher. It is also approved at 27 or higher for adults who have a weight-related condition, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
Since December 2020, Saxenda® is also approved for teens 12 and older who meet a matching BMI standard and weigh more than 60 kg.
Neither brand fits everyone. Pregnancy, the thyroid history above, and a history of pancreatitis are reasons a prescriber may steer you toward a different option.
Both labels also carry a limitation worth knowing. Neither brand should be combined with the other, or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist. That pairing has not been studied for safety or benefit.
An older, once-daily choice: how Saxenda® and Victoza® stack up against the newer weekly brands
Saxenda® and Victoza® are not new. Victoza® reached the market in 2010, and Saxenda® followed in 2014, years before Wegovy® and Zepbound® existed.
That earlier arrival came with an earlier ceiling. In its own SCALE trial, Saxenda® produced a 7.4% average weight loss over 56 weeks.
Compare that with newer brands in their own trials. Wegovy® (brand of semaglutide) produced a 14.9% average weight loss over 68 weeks in its STEP 1 trial. Zepbound® (brand of tirzepatide) produced a 20.9% average weight loss over 72 weeks in its SURMOUNT-1 trial.
Those are three different trials with three different patient groups, so this is not a head-to-head result. But the pattern is consistent enough to matter: newer weekly brands have posted larger average results in their own pivotal trials.
A daily shot still has real advantages. It carries a longer safety track record, and for some people, a more familiar routine than a weekly injection.
If your prescriber suggests Saxenda® or Victoza® instead of a newer brand, that is not a downgrade. It might reflect your insurance formulary, your health history, or what has worked for you before.
Liraglutide was not built to compete with this year’s headlines. It was built a decade earlier, and its trial data still holds up on its own terms.
My take
I do not think an older approval date makes Saxenda® or Victoza® a lesser choice. Both went through full FDA review, and both still carry real trial data behind every claim on the label.
If your goal is blood sugar control and you also carry heart disease risk, Victoza® is worth a close look. It is the liraglutide brand with the LEADER trial and its own cardiovascular approval.
If weight is your goal and a daily routine suits you better, Saxenda® is worth a real conversation with your prescriber. The newer weekly options are worth asking about too.
The boxed warning deserves an honest conversation too, not a scroll-past. Bring your thyroid history and your family history to that appointment.
Insurance and formulary rules often decide faster than any trial number does. A coverage check with your prescriber’s office is worth doing before you commit to either brand.
You might also be trying to figure out which GLP-1 provider actually fits your situation. Pricing transparency, titration support, and follow-up care all factor in. I compare that next.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
They share the same active ingredient, liraglutide, made by Novo Nordisk. The FDA approved them for different jobs. Victoza® treats type 2 diabetes and lowers cardiovascular risk in adults with heart disease. Saxenda® treats chronic weight in adults and teens who meet BMI criteria. The maximum dose, approved use, and supporting trial differ for each brand.
In the SCALE trial, 3,731 adults with obesity or overweight took Saxenda® or a placebo for 56 weeks. Adults on Saxenda® lost an average of 7.4% of body weight, compared with 3.0% on placebo. About 62% lost at least 5% of their weight. Results vary by person and how closely you follow the diet and activity plan.
Weight loss is not an approved use for Victoza®. Its FDA-approved jobs are blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes and lowering cardiovascular risk in adults with heart disease. If chronic weight management is your main goal, Saxenda® is the liraglutide brand to ask about. Its named trial, SCALE, was built for that exact use.
LEADER followed 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and existing heart disease for a median of about 3.5 years. Major cardiovascular events happened in 13.0% of the Victoza® group, compared with 14.9% on placebo. That result led the FDA to approve Victoza® for lowering cardiovascular risk, a use Saxenda® does not carry.
Both labels warn about thyroid C-cell tumors, based on rat and mouse studies where liraglutide caused tumors that rose with dose and duration. The FDA states it is unknown whether this happens in humans. Neither brand is approved for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2.
Both start at 0.6 mg once daily. Victoza® steps up to 1.2 mg after a week, with an optional increase to a 1.8 mg maximum. Saxenda® keeps climbing weekly, through 1.8 mg and 2.4 mg, up to a 3 mg maintenance dose by week five. The higher Saxenda® dose reflects its weight-management use.
Saxenda® and Victoza® were developed years before the newer weekly GLP-1 brands. Liraglutide does not last in the body as long as newer molecules like semaglutide or tirzepatide, so it needs a daily injection to keep working. Newer weekly brands, like Wegovy® and Zepbound®, were engineered later to resist breakdown for a full week.
Coverage depends on your plan and your diagnosis, not just the brand name. Many plans cover Victoza® for diabetes more consistently than they cover Saxenda® for weight alone, though coverage varies widely by insurer. Ask your prescriber’s office to run a benefits check before you commit to either brand, since rules change often.
Keep Reading
Ready to compare GLP-1 providers, not just brands?
Choosing a brand is half the decision. The other half is picking a provider with transparent pricing, real medical support, and a titration plan that fits you. See how the top options compare.
→ Read next: Best GLP-1 Providers, compared
SOURCES
1. Pi-Sunyer X, et al. A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management (SCALE). N Engl J Med. 2015;373:11-22. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1411892
2. Garber A, et al. Liraglutide versus glimepiride monotherapy for type 2 diabetes (LEAD-3 Mono). Lancet. 2009;373(9662):473-481. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61246-5
3. Marso SP, et al. Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes (LEADER). N Engl J Med. 2016;375:311-322. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1603827
4. US Food and Drug Administration. Highlights of Prescribing Information: SAXENDA (liraglutide). Revised 11/2024. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2024/206321s019lbl.pdf
5. US Food and Drug Administration. Highlights of Prescribing Information: VICTOZA (liraglutide). Revised 2023. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2023/022341s039lbl.pdf
6. US Food and Drug Administration. Drugs@FDA: NDA 206321 (Saxenda) Approval Date(s) and History. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm?event=overview.process&ApplNo=206321
7. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA approves weight management drug for patients aged 12 and older. December 4, 2020. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-weight-management-drug-patients-aged-12-and-older
8. ClinicalTrials.gov. Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results (LEADER). NCT01179048. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01179048
Last updated: 2026-07-09 · Editorially reviewed by the Peptides.io team
Important notices & disclaimers
Editorial & medical: This guide is general education, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Affiliate disclosure: Peptides.io may earn a commission from links to providers — it never changes what you pay or how we rank them, and never influences our recommendations.
Compounded GLP-1 (FDA): Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA-approved and have not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or quality. They are not generic versions of, or equivalent to, branded medications such as Ozempic®, Wegovy®, Mounjaro®, or Zepbound®. Clinical-trial results cited here apply only to those branded formulations — not to compounded preparations.
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