Victoza vs Trulicity (liraglutide vs dulaglutide)

Which is better, liraglutide or dulaglutide?

Glucose lowering and cardiovascular protection are essentially equivalent on randomized evidence (AWARD-6 noninferiority; LEADER hazard ratio 0.87 and REWIND hazard ratio 0.88), and both are FDA approved with human_rct grades. Choose liraglutide when weight management is the goal (Saxenda 3.0 mg is approved for it) or when generic pricing matters; choose dulaglutide when once weekly dosing will improve adherence. [1] [2] [3] [7] [8] [9]

How do liraglutide and dulaglutide compare?

Liraglutide and Dulaglutide compared by dimension
Dimension	Liraglutide	Dulaglutide
Head-to-head evidence [1]	AWARD-6 (599 adults on metformin, 26 weeks): liraglutide 1.8 mg daily lowered HbA1c by 1.36 points.	Dulaglutide 1.5 mg weekly lowered HbA1c by 1.42 points; treatment difference minus 0.06 (95% CI minus 0.19 to 0.07), noninferior.
Dosing frequency [6] [8]	Subcutaneous injection once daily (half life about 13 hours).	Subcutaneous injection once weekly from a single dose pen (half life about 5 days).
Cardiovascular outcomes [2] [3]	LEADER (9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes, median 3.8 years): hazard ratio 0.87 for major adverse cardiovascular events; cardiovascular death hazard ratio 0.78.	REWIND (9,901 adults aged 50 and older with type 2 diabetes and prior cardiovascular disease or risk factors, median 5.4 years): hazard ratio 0.88.
FDA labeled indications [6] [7] [8]	Victoza for type 2 diabetes; Saxenda 3.0 mg for chronic weight management.	Trulicity for type 2 diabetes in adults and children 10 and older and cardiovascular risk reduction in type 2 diabetes. No weight management indication.
Weight loss [4] [5]	SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes: 8.4 kg versus 2.8 kg on placebo at 56 weeks with 3.0 mg daily.	Modest weight loss in diabetes trials (about 3 to 5 kg), with further dose related loss at 3.0 and 4.5 mg in AWARD-11; no dedicated obesity trial.
Gastrointestinal side effects [1]	AWARD-6: nausea 18%, diarrhea 12%, vomiting 8%, dyspepsia 6%.	AWARD-6: nausea 20%, diarrhea 12%, vomiting 7%, dyspepsia 8%; 6% stopped for adverse events in each arm.
Generic availability and cost [8] [9] [11] [12]	Generic liraglutide approved from December 2024; cash prices for the diabetes strength roughly 200 to 500 USD per month; Saxenda list about 1,349 USD.	No generic; Trulicity list 1,006.93 USD per month (from 389 USD self-pay through the manufacturer pharmacy), often 25 USD with commercial coverage.
Note: Prices at the verification date change often; see the cost pages.
Compounding status [8] [9] [10] [13] [14] [15]	FDA's Drug Shortages database lists liraglutide injection as in shortage as of September 27, 2026, and FDA states that the limit on compounding essentially a copy of an approved drug does not apply to drugs on that list. Generics are also marketed. Ask any pharmacy offering compounded liraglutide which FDA rule it relies on.	FDA listed dulaglutide injection as in shortage in its October 2024 to February 2025 GLP-1 updates, with all presentations available; it is not listed in FDA's shortage database as of September 27, 2026. No bulk substance is available, so it is not a compounded product.

Evidence grade and regulatory status

Pulled from each peptide’s own record, so it stays in step with the peptide pages.

Liraglutide and Dulaglutide: grade, status, and cost
Attribute	Liraglutide	Dulaglutide
Class	GLP-1 receptor agonist (acylated analog of human GLP-1, 97% sequence homology, once daily dosing)	GLP-1 receptor agonist (two modified GLP-1 analogs fused to a human IgG4 Fc fragment, once weekly)
What it is	First daily GLP-1 drug: FDA approved since 2010, about 8% weight loss at 3 mg over 56 weeks, proven heart benefit, now available as a generic.	FDA approved weekly GLP-1 drug for type 2 diabetes that cut heart attacks, strokes, and heart deaths by 12% over 5.4 years in REWIND; not for weight loss.
Evidence	Evidence: Human RCT evidence	Evidence: Human RCT evidence
FDA status	Regulatory: FDA approved	Regulatory: FDA approved
Compounding	FDA approved products (Victoza January 2010, Saxenda December 2014). FDA approved the first generic liraglutide referencing Victoza in December 2024, and generic products referencing Saxenda followed in 2025, so branded, generic, and authorized generic pens are all on the market. FDA listed liraglutide injection as in shortage in its October 2024 and February 2025 GLP-1 updates, and FDA's Drug Shortages database still lists it as of September 27, 2026 (first posted July 18, 2023; updated September 22, 2026), with Victoza and Saxenda presentations at limited availability and unbranded presentations available. FDA states that a compounded drug may not be identical or nearly identical to an FDA-approved drug unless the approved drug is on FDA's drug shortage list. On April 30, 2026 FDA proposed not to include liraglutide on the 503B bulks list; that proposal was not final as of September 2026. Ask any pharmacy offering compounded liraglutide which FDA rule it relies on.	FDA approved product (Trulicity, September 2014; 3.0 mg and 4.5 mg doses added in 2020; pediatric indication in 2022; cardiovascular risk reduction indication based on REWIND). Because dulaglutide is a component of an approved drug, 503A pharmacies may compound it only for a documented patient specific need and may not produce essentially a copy of the commercial product. Dulaglutide is not available in a bulk powder form suitable for compounding. FDA listed dulaglutide injection as in shortage in its October 2024 to February 2025 GLP-1 updates, with all presentations available; it is not listed in FDA's shortage database as of September 27, 2026.
WADA	WADA: Not WADA prohibited	WADA: Not WADA prohibited
Routes	Subcutaneous injection once daily (prefilled pen)	Subcutaneous injection once weekly (single dose pen)
Typical cost	Manufacturer list price is 1,349.02 USD per month for Saxenda and 543.51 to 815.27 USD per month for Victoza depending on the daily dose (checked 2026-09-22). Generic liraglutide pens cost from about 112 USD per month for the diabetes strength and about 372 USD for the 3 mg weight management generic with a discount card, against average retail prices of about 616 to 924 USD. With commercial insurance the Saxenda savings card can bring a covered prescription to 25 USD. Medicare Part D covers liraglutide for type 2 diabetes but generally not for weight loss alone, and the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge does not include it.	Trulicity list price is 1,006.93 USD per month for four pens at any strength; the manufacturer's self-pay pharmacy sells it from 389 USD per month. With commercial insurance and a manufacturer savings card a covered prescription is often 25 USD per month. Medicare Part D covers it for type 2 diabetes. No generic is available as of the last verified date.
Last verified	Sep 27, 2026	Sep 27, 2026

Has liraglutide been tested directly against dulaglutide?

Direct comparisons of Liraglutide and Dulaglutide
Study	Design and population	Outcome	Grade
Once-weekly dulaglutide versus once-daily liraglutide in metformin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes (AWARD-6): a randomised, open-label, phase 3, non-inferiority trial2014 PMID 25018121	Randomized, open label, phase 3 noninferiority trial, 26 weeksn = 599 Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin with HbA1c 7.0% or higher	HbA1c minus 1.42 with dulaglutide 1.5 mg versus minus 1.36 with liraglutide 1.8 mg (difference minus 0.06, noninferior); similar gastrointestinal event rates	Evidence: Human RCT evidence

What do liraglutide and dulaglutide cost?

Typical cost of Liraglutide and Dulaglutide
Dimension	Liraglutide	Dulaglutide
Typical cost	$112 to $1,349 per month	$389 to $1,007 per month
Price detail	Liraglutide price by channel	Dulaglutide price by channel

Where a price index exists, the range is the cash price per month across branded, compounded, and telehealth channels, without insurance. The cost pages give each channel separately with its sources. Otherwise the typical cost from the peptide record is shown. Legal access depends on your state: see peptide legality by state.

Frequently asked questions

Which lowers blood sugar more, liraglutide or dulaglutide?

They are about equal. In AWARD-6, dulaglutide 1.5 mg weekly lowered HbA1c by 1.42 points and liraglutide 1.8 mg daily by 1.36 points over 26 weeks, a difference that met the trial's noninferiority test. [1]

Which is better for weight loss?

Liraglutide, because the 3.0 mg dose (Saxenda) is approved and tested for weight management: 8.4 kg versus 2.8 kg on placebo at 56 weeks in SCALE. Dulaglutide has no obesity indication. [4] [7] [8]

Do both protect the heart?

Yes. LEADER found a hazard ratio of 0.87 for major adverse cardiovascular events with liraglutide, and REWIND found 0.88 with dulaglutide over a median 5.4 years in adults with prior cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular risk factors. [2] [3]

Is there a generic?

Liraglutide yes: FDA approved the first generic in December 2024. Dulaglutide has no generic as of the verification date. [8] [9]

Can I switch from daily liraglutide to weekly dulaglutide?

Switching is common in practice, but neither label provides a conversion schedule and AWARD-6 did not study switching. Dulaglutide is started at the label dose regardless of the prior GLP-1; discuss timing with the prescriber. [1] [8]

Conditions studied

Sources

Numbered citations above point to these primary sources. PubMed entries link to the indexed abstract.

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APA style: PeptideAgent. (2026, September 27). Liraglutide vs dulaglutide: evidence, cost, and legality. https://peptideagent.ai/compare/liraglutide-vs-dulaglutide
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