Human RCT
Mensch
Marso SP. et al. 2016
Reduction in cardiovascular events (MACE) in type-2-diabetes patients at high CV risk over 3.8 years
What does NOT follow: From the LEADER trial; at lower CV risk the absolute risk reduction is smaller.
Peptide entry · Metabolic
Liraglutide
NN2211 · Victoza · Saxenda
Highest evidence
Human RCT
Studies recorded
5· 4 in humans
Legal status · US
PrescriptionScientific context only. Not medical advice, not a recommendation to use.
At a glance
GLP-1 receptor agonist with a half-life of about 13 hours. The first daily (not weekly) modern GLP-1 RA — approved as Victoza for type 2 diabetes (2010) and Saxenda for obesity (2014).
Researched for
Glycaemic control in type 2 diabetesWeight reduction in obesityCardiovascular outcomes (LEADER)
Official status
US: Prescription
FDA-approved as Victoza (2010, type 2 diabetes) and Saxenda (2014, chronic weight management). Prescription-only.
Overview
What is it?
GLP-1 receptor agonist with a half-life of about 13 hours. The first daily (not weekly) modern GLP-1 RA — approved as Victoza for type 2 diabetes (2010) and Saxenda for obesity (2014).
How is it meant to work? →
Liraglutide is a synthetic GLP-1 analog with 97% sequence identity to human GLP-1. A fatty-acid side chain (C16) on Lys-26 reversibly binds serum albumin and protects against DPP-4 degradation. GLP-1 receptor activation …
What do studies show? →
Human RCTReduction in cardiovascular events (MACE) in type-2-diabetes patients at high CV risk over 3.8 years
What do users report? →
On drugs.com, liraglutide (Saxenda, weight-loss indication; as of June 2026) holds an average user rating of 7.5 out of 10 across roughly 1,448 reviews — 65% positive, 15% negative. Commonly named are appetite reduction and mild nausea (often easing after a few months) and the daily injection as a burden relative to weekly GLP-1 agents.⚠ anecdotal – not scientific evidence
01
Mechanism of action
Liraglutide is a synthetic GLP-1 analog with 97% sequence identity to human GLP-1. A fatty-acid side chain (C16) on Lys-26 reversibly binds serum albumin and protects against DPP-4 degradation. GLP-1 receptor activation glucose-dependently stimulates insulin secretion, inhibits glucagon secretion, delays gastric emptying and modulates central satiety.
02
Evidence at a glance
Reading note. The distribution shows on which evidence tier each observation sits. Strong colours mark stronger evidence — weaker tiers are deliberately visible, not hidden.
03
What the studies show
Human RCT
Mensch
Pi-Sunyer X. et al. 2015
Mean weight loss in adults with obesity over 56 weeks in the SCALE trial
What does NOT follow: Effect size smaller than that of semaglutide 2.4 mg in comparable trials.
Human RCT
Mensch
HbA1c reduction versus glimepiride and versus placebo observed in the LEAD trial series
What does NOT follow: The LEAD series comprises six individual phase-3 trials with different comparators.
04
Where studies disagree
Open question
Does liraglutide raise the risk of thyroid cancer (medullary C-cell carcinoma)?
POSITION A
In rodent studies, GLP-1 agonists induced C-cell tumors dose-/duration-dependently — hence a boxed warning and contraindication in MEN2 / familial medullary thyroid carcinoma.
POSITION B
Human C-cells express the GLP-1 receptor far less than rodents; large registries and meta-analyses have so far found no clearly raised thyroid-cancer signal in humans.
CURRENT STATE · The warning remains precautionary; causal human evidence is lacking and the data continue to be monitored.
05
Pharmacokinetics
Theoretical concentration curve at a half-life of 13 h. Pure pharmacokinetic model — not a dosing recommendation.
Open in PK tool →Start time: t₀ = 0h
Repeat interval: off (single dose)
06
Routes of administration in the literature
Which routes of administration the available studies describe — neutral reporting, not a usage guide.
Subcutaneous
In LEADER, SCALE and LEAD administered daily subcutaneously.
06b
Amounts reported in sources
Which amounts were reported in which source — ordered by context (approval, trial, animal model, secondary literature, community).
06d
Safer use & risks
Risk notes for harm reduction — descriptive, not a usage or dosing guide.
This substance is approved (in at least one country) — use belongs in medical hands, within the approved indication and a physician-set dose.
Online numbers are not a benchmark
Amounts from TikTok, YouTube and forums are mostly imitation rather than data — and are often wrongly derived from animal studies (µg/kg). Not a reliable benchmark for humans.
Sterility & infection risk
Injection solutions prepared or stored non-sterile carry an infection and abscess risk. Contamination is common with grey-market product.
Unknown product quality
Research-/grey-market product is not quality-tested: identity, purity and actual content are often unknown, and counterfeits occur.
Mind interactions
Combinations with medications or pre-existing conditions can carry risks (see the Interactions section). Clarify with a doctor beforehand.
Warning signs — seek medical help
With persistent pain, redness/swelling at the injection site, fever, shortness of breath, racing heart, chest pain or allergic reactions, seek medical help immediately.
A doctor, not a forum
Concrete questions about use and amount belong in a conversation with a doctor — not in a comment thread.
07
Known adverse events from studies
Factual reporting of what studies observed. Not a safety statement for individual use.
Human RCT
Gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, diarrhoea)
Most frequently documented adverse events in LEADER and SCALE; mostly transient.
häufig in Titrationsphase
07b
Interactions & combinations
Documented interactions and contraindications from studies, prescribing information and guidelines. Where no data exists, this is stated.
Reporting of risks, NOT a combination guide. The absence of an entry does not mean „safe to combine“ but „not sufficiently studied“.
No documented interactions recorded
We have not yet found robustly documented interactions for this peptide. This does NOT mean none exist — the data is limited.
08
Risks & hygiene aspects in the literature
What regulatory and scientific literature reports on risks, sterility and identity in non-pharmaceutical sources — descriptive, not a hygiene guide.
Thyroid C-cell carcinoma (boxed warning)
The FDA label contains a boxed warning based on tumours in rat studies. Clinical relevance in humans is not confirmed.
09
Regulatory voices
Direct statements from official assessment documents — paraphrased with date and source link.
EMAEuropean Medicines Agency
2015-03-23EMA EPAR on Saxenda — the indication expansion for chronic weight management in adults with obesity.
Saxenda is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight management in adult patients with an initial BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² or ≥ 27 kg/m² with weight-related comorbidities.
FDAU.S. Food and Drug Administration
2014-12-23FDA press release on the 2014 approval of Saxenda as chronic weight-management therapy.
Saxenda may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke — the first GLP-1 analog for which the FDA confirmed this in an outcome trial.
10
Anecdotal observations
Weakest evidence tier — not supported by studies
Reading note. This section gathers popular claims from communities and forums. They are explicitly marked as weakest-tier evidence. Unblinded self-reports are particularly prone to placebo, recall and confirmation biases.
Why no amounts or protocols are listed here. We deliberately show only WHAT communities report — not in what amount or how it is used. Anecdotal "doses" or "biohacker protocols" are neither verified nor standardised nor safe; publishing them would be a usage guide, which we do not provide on principle. Specific amounts belong in a conversation with a doctor, not in a forum.
The daily injection is frequently cited as a reason to switch to a weekly GLP-1 agent.
recurring topic in weight-loss communities
Not supported by studies: This concerns usage preference/adherence, not demonstrated efficacy; the evidence for liraglutide comes from its own RCTs (see studies).
10b
What online communities discuss
Recurring themes from Reddit, Quora and patient forums — synthetically summarised, sources linked. Not scientific evidence, but a signal of what users report. Deliberately separated from the study base.
Non-scientific sources. What users report in forums — synthetically summarised, paraphrased, with link to source. Not validated by studies.
Sorted by discussion frequency · 1 Thema
11
Legal status by country
12
Reconstitution calculator
Pure mg/mL maths — works like a calculator. Not a usage recommendation.
Peptides ship as a dry powder. Once dissolved in a liquid (reconstitution), this calculator answers a single question: how much substance is in one millilitre of solution afterwards?
- 1Enter the vial's substance amount (printed on the label).
- 2Enter how much solvent you add.
- 3Result = concentration in mg per mL.
Printed on the label
/
Liquid you add
=
2.50
mg / mL
5 mg in 2 mL gives 2.50 mg/mL — each millilitre contains 2.50 mg of substance.
Cofactors
Documented for this class
Protein · Resistance training (muscle preservation)
Open cofactors guide →⚠ Anecdotal (no evidence)
Electrolytes, magnesium & fibre · Vitamin B12 & micronutrients
Open cofactors guide →These cofactors relate to the peptide class, not to a specific use. No recommendation, no dosing.
14
Study register
Human RCTRandomised controlled trialn = 9340
Marso SP. et al. · 2016
Liraglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (LEADER)
Concrete results
Primary MACE endpoint
HR 0.87
vs Placebo · median 3.8 Jahre
Human RCTRandomised controlled trialn = 3731
Pi-Sunyer X. et al. · 2015
A randomized, controlled trial of 3.0 mg of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE)
Concrete results
Mean weight reduction
−8.0%
vs Placebo (−2.6%) · 56 Wochen
Preclinical
Knudsen LB. et al. · 2000
Potent derivatives of glucagon-like peptide-1 with pharmacokinetic properties suitable for once daily administration
Human RCTRandomised controlled trial
Garber A. et al. · 2009
Liraglutide versus glimepiride monotherapy for type 2 diabetes (LEAD-3 Mono): a randomised, 52-week, phase 3, double-blind, parallel-treatment trial
Human RCTRandomised controlled trial
Danne T. et al. · 2017
Liraglutide in an adolescent population with obesity
15
Sources & method
Reviewed by
editor-placeholder
Last reviewed
2026-05-22
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