Claimed effect · Liraglutide

Does Liraglutide help with body weight?

A
Grade A — established in humans1 RCT · effect size: small
Short answerEstablished in humans. 1 RCT point the same way: a small effect. SCALE Teens, 251 adolescents, 56 weeks: BMI standard-deviation score −0.23 versus −0.00; the first GLP-1 approval for under-18s.

What the studies show

SCALE Teens, 251 adolescents, 56 weeks: BMI standard-deviation score −0.23 versus −0.00; the first GLP-1 approval for under-18s.

Several well-run randomised trials in people, pointing the same way. You can plan around this. It still says nothing about whether the effect is worth the side effects for you.

  1. 1
    Kelly AS, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of liraglutide for adolescents with obesity (SCALE Teens).N Engl J Med, 2020; DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa1916038251 adolescents, 56 weeks.

In context

Liraglutide is a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist and the drug that proved the class. In the 3,731-person SCALE trial it produced 8.0% weight loss at 56 weeks against 2.6% on placebo, and in the 9,340-person LEADER trial it cut major cardiovascular events by 13% and cardiovascular death by 22% in people with type 2 diabetes. It is approved almost everywhere, now generic, and less effective than the weekly drugs that followed it.

Liraglutide is approved (saxenda, victoza). Legal status differs by country — see the regulation section or the jurisdiction pages.

Questions

Is Liraglutide proven to help with body weight?
Yes, as far as human trials can show it: 1 RCT. LYO grades this outcome A.
What studies are behind the grade?
SCALE Teens, 251 adolescents, 56 weeks: BMI standard-deviation score −0.23 versus −0.00; the first GLP-1 approval for under-18s.
Is Liraglutide approved for this?
Liraglutide is an approved medicine (Approved (Saxenda, Victoza)); whether this particular outcome is a licensed indication is stated on the compound page's regulation section.

Other outcomes for Liraglutide

Reviewed 3 September 2026. Grades count human evidence only; see how LYO grades. Not medical advice. Correct this page →