Liraglutide (Victoza)

Liraglutide is a type of medication you might need to take if you have type 2 diabetes. 

• What is liraglutide? 
• How does liraglutide work? 
• Are there shortages of liraglutide? 
• How to take liraglutide 
• Who can take liraglutide? 
• Your prescription 
• Side effects of liraglutide 
• More information and support 

What is liraglutide? 

Liraglutide belongs to a group of drugs called GLP-1 agonists. There are several different GLP-1 agonists available in the UK. 

You can take liraglutide it on its own or with other diabetes medications.  

How does liraglutide work? 

Liraglutude has the brand names Victoza and Saxenda. 

Victoza  

Victoza is used to treat type 2 diabetes.  

It works by helping your body to produce more insulin when needed. It also reduces the amount of glucose produced by the body and slows down how quickly food is digested. This all helps blood sugar levels and HbA1c.  

Victoza can also reduce the risk of heart disease. 

Saxenda 

Saxenda is used as a weight loss drug. It helps to reduce appetite, so you feel fuller for longer.   

The rest of the information on this page will focus on the type 2 diabetes drug Victoza, but for more information on Saxenda you can visit our weight loss medications page. 

Are there shortages of Victoza?  

We know that due to global shortages of GLP-1 agonist medications, some people living with type 2 diabetes who could benefit from Victoza are unable to access it.  

The current shortages mean that someone with type 2 diabetes should not start new treatment with Victoza or any injectable GLP-1 agonist. However, your healthcare professional might start you on Rybelsus, a different diabetes medication.  

You can read our response to the serious supply issues of drugs for people with type 2 diabetes or visit our GLP-1 shortage FAQs for more information. 

Your healthcare team will contact you if shortages of these medications could affect the availability of your medication and discuss this with you. But if you are concerned or have questions about these shortages then you can ring our helpline – call 0345 123 2399. 

How to take Victoza 

Victoza is an injection that you take once a day. Your healthcare team will give you more information about how to take Victoza, and how to inject.   

Always take Victoza exactly as your healthcare professional has told you. The Patient Information Leaflet inside the box will tell you how to take it but always check with your healthcare professional if you are not sure.    

Who can take Victoza? 

Adults or children over 10 years old with type 2 diabetes can take Victoza.  

Guidelines from The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, or NICE for short, recommend that adults with type 2 diabetes can be prescribed Victoza if they: 

• Have previously used three diabetes medications and this has not helped to manage their type 2 diabetes; 
• Have not been able to take medications – this might be because of side effects or because of other medical conditions. 

Victoza is only prescribed to people who also have a Body Mass Index, known as BMI, of 35kg/m2, or who have more additional psychological or other medical conditions that are related to obesity. 

However, someone with type 2 diabetes can be prescribed Victoza if they have a BMI below 35kg/m2 and: 

• Using insulin would affect their job due to the risk of low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, or hypos; 
• Weight loss would lead to improvements in other obesity-related health issues. 

NICE recommends – due to their risk from obesity-related health problems at a lower BMI – that people from Black African, African-Caribbean, Asian, South Asian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern backgrounds receive treatment with Victoza at a lower BMI. 

Who can’t take Victoza? 

Some medications might not be suitable for some people, which might be because of medical conditions or other reasons: 

• Your doctor will tell you to stop taking Victoza if you develop diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA;
• If you have kidney disease you might not be able to take Victoza, but this will depend on the stage of your kidney disease;  
• If you have severe liver disease you will not be able to take Victoza;
• You might need to temporarily stop Victoza if you’re going to have an operation;
• You should not take Victoza if you are pregnant of breastfeeding. If you’re planning a pregnancy speak with a healthcare professional if you are using this medication.    

When you start a new medication always check with your healthcare team that it’s suitable for you to take.   

Your prescription 

You should only be given a prescription for Victoza following an assessment by your healthcare team to make sure that you meet the criteria and that you’ll benefit from its use. 

This should be an individual assessment that includes how Victoza will fit into your current treatment plan and considers any diet or activity programme that you are following, as well as the risk of side effects, the dose you’ll need, and your personal choices. 

Your healthcare team should explain your prescription to you but it's important to make sure you ask if you don't feel you know enough.   

And make sure you talk to your GP or your diabetes team if you struggle to take Victoza. They might be able to help by giving you a different dose.   

In England, if you need to take any medication to manage your diabetes, your prescriptions will be free. Ask your healthcare team about a prescription exemption certificate if you don't have one, to make sure you don't get charged for your medication. Prescriptions are already free for everybody in the rest of the UK, so you shouldn't pay for your medication.    

Side effects of Victoza

Like all medications, Victoza can cause side effects. But when side effects are listed as common in the Patient Information Leaflet, it doesn’t mean that everyone who takes the medication will get them.   

The information about side effects is based on the likelihood of people having them. For example, if a side effect is very common then it can affect more than one in ten people, and if a side effect is very rare then it affects fewer than one in 10,000 people.   

Because medicines can affect people differently, your healthcare team will speak to you about what’s best for you and discuss any side effects. Side effects include: 

• feeling or being sick 
• diarrhoea 
• reduced appetite.   

This side effects should normally pass over time.  

Risk of low blood sugar 

When taken on its own, Victoza does not often cause blood sugar levels to become too low. However, hypos are more common when you take Victoza with other diabetes medications, such as insulin or a sulphonylurea.  

Your healthcare team may advise reducing the dose of your sulphonylurea or insulin when you start taking Victoza to reduce the risk of hypos.  

Risk of high blood sugar 

If you take Victoza with insulin and your insulin dose is reduced too quickly it can cause high blood sugar levels or hyperglycaemia, also known as hypers, and there is an increased risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, also called DKA. Your healthcare team should discuss with you the signs and symptoms of DKA.   

These are not all the side effects. You will find a full list of known side effects in the Patient Information Leaflet. This comes in the medication box.   

It’s also important that you take individual advice from your healthcare team before starting Victoza treatment and report any side effects to your healthcare professionals, if you experience any.  

You can also report these side effects to the Yellow Card Scheme, which is the government system used for recording side effects with medicines in the UK.   

More information and support 

Still have more questions? Or is there anything you're not sure about liraglutide after reading this page? Contact our helpline on 0345 123 2399. 

You can visit the NHS website for more information on liraglutide.