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Comparison

Saxenda vs Victoza

Saxenda

LIRAGLUTIDE

Approved for weight loss

Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, LPLabel version 22, effective 25 February 2026

Victoza

LIRAGLUTIDE

Approved for another condition

Novo NordiskLabel version 31, effective 14 October 2025

Each stripe is one section of the label, each division in a stripe one entry in that section. The red bar marks a boxed warning.

Saxenda and Victoza contain the same active ingredient, liraglutide, and both labels name Novo Nordisk. They are not the same product. Each holds its own FDA approval, covering a different condition at a different maximum dose. This is the same arrangement that exists between Wegovy and Ozempic, one molecule filed twice.

01

Side by side, straight from the labels

From the FDA label

This table is generated from the two source labels, not typed out by hand, so it cannot drift from what the regulator approved.

Label sectionSaxendaLIRAGLUTIDEVictozaLIRAGLUTIDE
Active ingredientLiraglutideGLP-1 receptor agonistLiraglutideGLP-1 receptor agonist
SupplyPrescriptionPrescription
What pharmacies payAcquisition cost, not retail$87.16 per millilitre, brand$87.81 per millilitre, brand
Boxed warningWARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORSWARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS
What the FDA approved it for
  • Adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with body weight greater than 60 kg and obesity.
  • Adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.
  • Coadministration with other liraglutide-containing products or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist is not recommended.
  • The safety and effectiveness of SAXENDA in pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes have not been established.
  • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
  • to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease.
Forms and strengths
  • Injection: 6 mg/mL clear, colorless solution in a 3 mL prefilled, single-patient-use pen that delivers doses of 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, 2.4 mg, or 3 mg.
  • Injection: 6 mg/mL solution in a 3 mL prefilled, single-patient-use pen that delivers doses of 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, 2.4 mg or 3 mg.
  • Injection: 18 mg/3 mL (6 mg/mL) clear, colorless solution in a prefilled, single-patient-use pen that delivers doses of 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, or 1.8 mg.
  • Injection: 6 mg/mL solution in a prefilled, single-patient-use pen that delivers doses of 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, or 1.8 mg.
How the label says it is taken
  • Inject SAXENDA subcutaneously in the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm once daily at any time of day, without regard to the timing of meals.
  • The recommended dose of SAXENDA is 3 mg daily.
  • Initiate at 0.6 mg per day for one week. In weekly intervals, increase the dose until a dose of 3 mg is reached.
  • If pediatric patients do not tolerate an increased dose during dose escalation, the dose may also be lowered to the previous level. Dose escalation for pediatric patients may take up to 8 weeks.
  • Pediatric patients who do not tolerate 3 mg daily may have their dose reduced to 2.4 mg daily.
  • Adult patients with type 2 diabetes should monitor blood glucose prior to starting SAXENDA and during SAXENDA treatment. Important Administration Instructions
  • Adult Patients: Initiate at 0.6 mg injected subcutaneously once daily for one week then increase to 1.2 mg daily. If additional glycemic control is required, increase the dose to 1.8 mg daily after one week of treatment with the 1.2 mg daily dose.
  • Pediatric Patients: Initiate at 0.6 mg injected subcutaneously once daily for at least one week. If additional glycemic control is required increase the dose to 1.2 mg daily and if additional glycemic control is still required, increase the dose to 1.8 mg daily after at least one week of treatment with the 1.2 mg daily dose.
  • Inspect visually prior to each injection. Only use if solution is clear, colorless, and contains no particles.
  • Inject VICTOZA subcutaneously once-daily at any time of day, independently of meals, in the abdomen, thigh or upper arm.
  • When using VICTOZA with insulin, administer as separate injections. Never mix. Recommended Dosage Adult Patients
Most common adverse reactions
  • Most common adverse reactions, reported in greater than or equal to 5% are: nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, injection site reactions, headache, hypoglycemia, dyspepsia, fatigue, dizziness, abdominal pain, increased lipase, upper abdominal pain, pyrexia, and gastroenteritis.
  • most common adverse reactions leading to discontinuation were nausea (2.9% versus 0.2% for SAXENDA and placebo, respectively), vomiting (1.7% versus less than 0.1%), and diarrhea (1.4% versus 0%).
  • Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥5%) in clinical trials are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, dyspepsia, constipation.
Warnings and precautions
  • Acute Pancreatitis: Has been observed in patients treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists, including SAXENDA. Discontinue if pancreatitis is suspected.
  • Acute Gallbladder Disease: If cholelithiasis or cholecystitis are suspected, gallbladder studies are indicated.
  • Hypoglycemia: Can occur in adults when SAXENDA is used with an insulin secretagogue (e.g. a sulfonylurea) or insulin. The risk may be lowered by a reduction in the dose of concomitantly administered insulin secretagogues or insulin. In the pediatric clinical trial, patients did not have type 2 diabetes. Hypoglycemia occurred in SAXENDA-treated pediatric patients.
  • Heart Rate Increase: Monitor heart rate at regular intervals.
  • Acute Kidney Injury Due to Volume Depletion: Monitor renal function in patients reporting adverse reactions that could lead to volume depletion.
  • Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions: Use has been associated with gastrointestinal adverse reactions, sometimes severe. SAXENDA is not recommended in patients with severe gastroparesis.
  • Hypersensitivity Reactions: Postmarketing reports of serious hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., anaphylactic reactions and angioedema). Discontinue SAXENDA and other suspect medications and promptly seek medical advice.
  • Pulmonary Aspiration During General Anesthesia or Deep Sedation: Has been reported in patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists undergoing elective surgeries or procedures. Instruct patients to inform healthcare providers of any planned surgeries or procedures.
  • Acute Pancreatitis: Has been observed in patients treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists, including VICTOZA. Discontinue if pancreatitis is suspected.
  • Never Share a VICTOZA Pen Between Patients, even if the needle is changed.
  • Hypoglycemia: Adult patients taking an insulin secretagogue or insulin may have an increased risk of hypoglycemia, including severe hypoglycemia. In pediatric patients 10 years of age and older, the risk of hypoglycemia was higher with VICTOZA regardless of insulin and/or metformin use. Reduction in the dose of insulin secretagogues or insulin may be necessary.
  • Acute Kidney Injury Due to Volume Depletion: Monitor renal function in patients reporting adverse reactions that could lead to volume depletion.
  • Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions: Use has been associated with gastrointestinal adverse reactions, sometimes severe. VICTOZA is not recommended in patients with severe gastroparesis.
  • Hypersensitivity Reactions: Postmarketing reports of serious hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., anaphylactic reactions and angioedema). Discontinue VICTOZA and promptly seek medical advice.
  • Acute Gallbladder Disease: If cholelithiasis or cholecystitis are suspected, gallbladder studies are indicated.
  • Pulmonary Aspiration During General Anesthesia or Deep Sedation: Has been reported in patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists undergoing elective surgeries or procedures. Instruct patients to inform healthcare providers of any planned surgeries or procedures.
Contraindications
  • Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2.
  • Hypersensitivity to liraglutide or any excipients in SAXENDA.
  • Patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2.
  • Patients with a serious hypersensitivity reaction to liraglutide or any of the excipients in VICTOZA.
Drug interactions
  • SAXENDA delays gastric emptying.
  • May impact absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications.
  • Use with caution.
  • Effects of delayed gastric emptying on oral medications: VICTOZA delays gastric emptying and may impact absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications.
Label version25 February 202614 October 2025

Comparison of Saxenda vs Victoza taken from the FDA labels.

02

One is approved for weight, the other for diabetes

Written by us

The Saxenda label covers adults and paediatric patients aged 12 years and older with a body weight above 60 kg and obesity, and adults with overweight who also have at least one weight-related condition. The Victoza label covers adults and paediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes, as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control, and separately the reduction of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults who have type 2 diabetes with established cardiovascular disease.

Neither label lists the other's indication. A manufacturer files separately for each use, and each approval produces its own document.

03

The maximum doses are different

Written by us

Both are supplied as a prefilled pen, and the two pens do not deliver the same set of doses. The Saxenda pen delivers a longer sequence of steps ending at a higher maximum than the Victoza pen. The exact strengths are in the table above, taken from each label.

The Saxenda label also notes that its safety and effectiveness in paediatric patients with type 2 diabetes have not been established, which is the condition Victoza is approved to treat.

04

The labels warn against combining them

Written by us

The Saxenda label states that coadministration with other liraglutide-containing products, or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist, is not recommended. Because Saxenda and Victoza are both liraglutide, that statement covers taking the two together.

05

Warnings and contraindications match

Written by us

Both labels carry the same boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumours seen in rats and mice at clinically relevant exposures, and both state that it is unknown whether the product causes such tumours in humans. Both are contraindicated in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, and in people with hypersensitivity to liraglutide or to any of the excipients. This overlap is expected for one active ingredient filed twice.

06

What this page does not tell you

Written by us

It does not say which one a person should take. That follows from the condition being treated and from a prescriber's judgement, not from a comparison of two documents describing the same molecule.

07

Common questions

Written by us
Are Saxenda and Victoza the same medicine?
They contain the same active ingredient, liraglutide, and hold two separate FDA approvals with different indications and different maximum doses. Same ingredient, different products.
Can Victoza be used for weight loss?
Weight loss does not appear in the Victoza label as an approved use. Liraglutide is approved for weight management under the name Saxenda, which has its own label and its own dosing.
Can someone take both?
The Saxenda label states that coadministration with other liraglutide-containing products or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist is not recommended.
08

Sources

Every fact above comes from one of these documents. The date is the effective date of the label version this page was built from.

Other comparisons in this category

Page last updated: 5 August 2026

Compiled by the HealthyStudy editorial team from FDA source documents. No medical reviewer is credited on this page, because none reviewed it.