For clinicians
Liraglutide for prescribers: status, evidence and what FDA has said
A neutral reference. It reports Liraglutide's regulatory status, the quality of its human evidence and what FDA has said about it. It does not suggest a dose, a protocol or a source.
Status reviewed 2026-10-01 · By the Grey Peptides Editorial Board · Regulatory fields generated from our tracker
| Also known as | — |
| FDA approval | Approved (Victoza, Saxenda) |
| Compounding (503A) | Rx (FDA-approved) |
| Outsourcing (503B) | FDA proposed not to add it to the 503B bulks list |
| FDA drug shortage | Current |
| WADA 2026 List | Not on the 2026 List |
| WADA 2027 List | Not on the 2027 List |
| Evidence grade | High |
| Status reviewed | 2026-10-01 |
What FDA has said
Liraglutide is FDA-approved. The prescribing information is the authority on its dosing, monitoring and contraindications; below is what each label carries in its boxed warning and how its Warnings and Precautions section is organised, read from DailyMed on 2026-10-01.
Victoza label version 31, effective 2025-10-14
Boxed warning: “RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS”
Its Warnings and Precautions section is organised under these headings:
- 5.1 Risk of Thyroid C-cell Tumors
- 5.2 Acute Pancreatitis
- 5.3 Never Share a VICTOZA Pen Between Patients
- 5.4 Hypoglycemia
- 5.5 Acute Kidney Injury Due to Volume Depletion
- 5.6 Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions
- 5.7 Hypersensitivity Reactions
- 5.8 Acute Gallbladder Disease
- 5.9 Pulmonary Aspiration During General Anesthesia or Deep Sedation
Read the full Victoza prescribing information on DailyMed
Saxenda label version 22, effective 2026-02-25
Boxed warning: “RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS”
Its Warnings and Precautions section is organised under these headings:
- 5.1 Risk of Thyroid C-cell Tumors
- 5.2 Acute Pancreatitis
- 5.3 Acute Gallbladder Disease
- 5.4 Hypoglycemia
- 5.5 Heart Rate Increase
- 5.6 Acute Kidney Injury Due to Volume Depletion
- 5.7 Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions
- 5.8 Hypersensitivity Reactions
- 5.9 Pulmonary Aspiration During General Anesthesia or Deep Sedation
Read the full Saxenda prescribing information on DailyMed
Monitoring: what the literature does and does not say
For an approved drug, the prescribing information is where monitoring is set out — in its Warnings and Precautions section, whose headings are listed above for each label, and in its dosing and specific-populations sections. This page lists those headings so a prescriber can see what the label covers; it does not restate the label, and the label, not this page, is the authority.
Compounding: where it stands
Today's position for Liraglutide: Rx (FDA-approved). An FDA advisory committee's vote is a non-binding recommendation; until FDA acts, a vote does not change what may be compounded. Our explainer on the 503A and 503B categories sets out what each status means, and the regulatory tracker is updated as FDA acts.
The evidence
A 31-amino-acid synthetic GLP-1 analog with 97% sequence homology to native GLP-1, modified with a palmitoyl (C16) fatty acid at Lys26 to extend half-life to roughly 13 hours.
The encyclopedia entry lists the human and animal studies we hold, each with its PMID.
What this page leaves out
Doses, regimens and titration. For an approved drug those belong to the prescribing information, linked above; restating them here would create a second, unmaintained copy.
Sources
- Victoza prescribing information, DailyMed SPL version 31; read 2026-10-01. DailyMed
- Saxenda prescribing information, DailyMed SPL version 22; read 2026-10-01. DailyMed
- Grey Peptides regulatory tracker, row for Liraglutide, reviewed 2026-10-01. Tracker · dataset
- World Anti-Doping Agency. Prohibited List 2027, dated August 26, 2026, in force January 1, 2027. WADA
This page is a reference for qualified professionals. It is not medical advice, it does not recommend any treatment, and it is not a substitute for the prescriber's own judgement and their state and federal obligations.
Others in this group: Bremelanotide (PT-141) · Dulaglutide · Exenatide · hCG · IGF-1 (mecasermin) · Leuprolide · Octreotide · Orforglipron · Semaglutide · Somatropin · SS-31 (elamipretide) · Teriparatide · Tesamorelin · Tirzepatide