Liraglutide
October 2, 2024Major Finding
6/10
Purrptide digest
Before weekly injections were a thing, Liraglutide showed up as a once-daily shot and proved GLP-1 agonism could actually move the needle on weight. It only delivers about 8% weight loss compared to Semaglutide's 15% — but it opened the door every other peptide on this list walked through. Still prescribed today as Saxenda and Victoza. The trailblazer that got overshadowed by its own sequels.
What this means for you
🏃
If you care about weight/health
Less potent than the newer GLP-1s, but daily dosing gives finer control if weekly injections feel like too much commitment.
🩺
If you're a clinician
Longest safety track record of any GLP-1 on the market. If a patient is nervous about newer drugs, this is the known quantity.
🔬
If you're a researcher
The original proof-of-concept that GLP-1 agonism translates to meaningful weight loss in humans, not just rodents.
💸
If you follow biotech
Novo's first GLP-1 weight-loss win. Everything from Ozempic to CagriSema traces its lineage back here.
PI
Pi-Sunyer et al.
Novo Nordisk
For the nerds
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management
New England Journal of Medicine · DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1411892
Read full paper on PubMed →