Check which version
Is liraglutide the drug being offered?
Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) acts like a hormone from your gut. Hormones are natural messages; this one helps manage blood sugar and hunger.
Different versions have different uses
Ask about
What the answer needs to cover
Liraglutide (Victoza)
Victoza was approved to help control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes in September 2026. It also had approval for reducing the chance of a stroke or heart attack for adults who have both heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
It was not approved for weight loss in September 2026.
Liraglutide (Saxenda)
Saxenda was approved to help with weight in September 2026.
Generic liraglutide
A generic is a medicine made under its own FDA approval to match a brand product.
FDA means the US drug agency.
There were approved generic versions of liraglutide for diabetes and separate versions for weight in September 2026.
A pharmacy cannot swap the diabetes version of liraglutide for the weight version, whether brand or generic.
An approved generic is different from a compounded medicine, which is made or mixed to order. Ask which kind of medicine you are offered.
Ask about supply after the current plan
In September 2026, the maker planned the last Saxenda shipments to wholesalers for late January 2027.
The maker said fewer people used Saxenda once other medicines were available.
It reported no safety or quality problem as the reason for ending the brand.
Approval of a generic does not prove a pharmacy has it in stock.
Ask what happens if the exact product in the plan is no longer supplied.
What a direct comparison found
Trial detail
What it showed
STEP 8
STEP 8 compared daily liraglutide with weekly semaglutide over 68 weeks.
Average weight loss was 6.4% with liraglutide and 15.8% with semaglutide.
The trial’s limits
Participants knew which drug they received, and the maker of both drugs funded the trial.
This describes the trial groups. Ask what makes an option fit your health, rather than treating an average as your forecast.
What needs review along the way?
The Saxenda label lists nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation among common problems.
Nausea means feeling as if you may vomit.
The label also calls for checks on progress during treatment.
Ask when that review will happen and what the next discussion would be if the medicine is not helping.