Saxenda & Victoza (liraglutide) in the UK: Status & How It Compares

What is liraglutide?

Liraglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist — the same broad class as semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic). It mimics a natural gut hormone (GLP-1) that helps control blood sugar and appetite. What sets liraglutide apart is that it is injected once a day, whereas the medicines that now dominate the headlines — semaglutide and tirzepatide — are injected once a week.

It is sold under two different brand names, at two different dose ranges, for two different jobs:

Because both are prescription-only medicines, this guide gives no dosing instructions. Dose, titration and whether liraglutide is suitable for you are decisions for your prescriber, following the licensed product information.

Is liraglutide licensed and available in the UK?

Liraglutide is not new. Victoza was first authorised in the EU for type 2 diabetes back in 2009, and Saxenda received a marketing authorisation for weight management on 23 March 2015. Both are therefore long-established, regulator-approved medicines — unlike investigational drugs such as amycretin or retatrutide, which are not licensed anywhere.

But "licensed" is not the same as "available", and the two brands have gone in different directions:

• Victoza (diabetes) has been discontinued. It has been unavailable in the UK since August 2023, after GLP-1 shortages that began in 2023, and Novo Nordisk has since confirmed the pre-filled pens are being permanently discontinued "as part of our broader efforts to consolidate our portfolio". Novo Nordisk plans to stop marketing Victoza across the EU/EEA by the end of 2026.
• Saxenda (weight) remains licensed and Novo Nordisk has said it has no plans to discontinue it — but it too has been in restricted supply in the UK during the wider GLP-1 shortage.
• Generic liraglutide is now arriving. The patent has expired, and several companies are expected to hold UK marketing authorisations covering diabetes and/or obesity — the first time generic versions of a GLP-1 medicine can reach the UK market.

Saxenda on the NHS: what NICE says

Being licensed for weight management does not mean Saxenda is freely available on the NHS. Its NHS use is governed by NICE technology appraisal TA664 (published 9 December 2020), which recommends liraglutide 3.0 mg only for a fairly narrow group of adults, and only through a specialist service. In brief, TA664 recommends it for people who have all of the following:

• A BMI of at least 35 kg/m² (or at least 32.5 kg/m² for people from some minority ethnic backgrounds known to be at equivalent risk);
• Non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (blood sugar in the pre-diabetes range); and
• A high risk of cardiovascular disease based on factors such as high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol.

NICE also specifies that it should be prescribed in secondary care by a specialist multidisciplinary tier 3 weight-management service, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Outside that NHS route, some people access Saxenda through private weight-management clinics. Whether it is right for you — on the NHS or privately — is a clinical decision, not something to arrange through unregulated online sellers.

What the trials showed

Liraglutide has a long evidence base — one advantage of an older medicine. The figures below are trial-level averages, not a promise of what any individual would experience.

For weight (Saxenda). The main obesity trial, SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes (published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2015, 3,731 adults without diabetes), reported an average weight loss of about 8.4 kg with liraglutide 3.0 mg versus 2.8 kg with placebo at 56 weeks, both alongside lifestyle changes. About 63% of the liraglutide group lost at least 5% of their body weight, compared with 27% on placebo.

For diabetes and the heart (Victoza). The LEADER cardiovascular outcomes trial (published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2016, 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk) found that liraglutide reduced the combined risk of cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack and non-fatal stroke by about 13% versus placebo, and reduced cardiovascular death by about 22%. This established liraglutide as a diabetes medicine with proven heart benefit.

As with all GLP-1 medicines, the most common side effects are gut-related — nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea — usually mild to moderate. GLP-1 product labels also carry an acute pancreatitis warning, and Victoza's label additionally warns about a rare thyroid tumour risk seen in animal studies. You can read more about the class in our guides on GLP-1 medicines and pancreatitis and GLP-1 side effects.

How does liraglutide compare with the weekly jabs?

Liraglutide's main practical drawbacks are that it is a daily injection and that, in trials, it produced less weight loss on average than the newer weekly medicines. For context, semaglutide and tirzepatide trials have reported substantially larger average weight loss than the ~8% seen with liraglutide in SCALE — though the trials differ in design, so these are broad comparisons rather than head-to-head results.

So where does liraglutide fit now? It has largely been overtaken for weight loss by the weekly medicines. But it still matters because it is well-established with long-term safety and cardiovascular data, it is an option for people who cannot access or tolerate the newer drugs, and the arrival of generics could make it a more affordable choice. Some people also simply prefer, or do better with, a particular regimen — which is exactly the kind of thing to discuss with a clinician. If you are on any GLP-1 medicine, it is also worth reading about protecting muscle during weight loss.

What UK patients can do now

• If you were on Victoza for diabetes, speak to your GP or diabetes team — it has been discontinued, and they can confirm the alternative you have been switched to.
• If you're interested in Saxenda for weight, ask your GP or pharmacist whether you meet the NHS (NICE TA664) criteria, or discuss regulated private options. Don't self-source it.
• Watch supply, not hype. Branded liraglutide has had constrained supply; generics are arriving but availability may still vary by pharmacy.
• Track your medicine. Use MediWatch to search liraglutide and set free alerts if its UK supply status changes.
• Always route medicine decisions through a pharmacist, GP, specialist or NHS 111 — never make changes on your own.

Related reading