Trulicity vs. Victoza

See how Trulicity and Victoza compare on approved uses, dosing, side effects, and cost.

Key Takeaways

  • Both Trulicity and Victoza are GLP-1 receptor agonists that lower blood sugar and reduce cardiovascular risk in adults with type 2 diabetes, but Trulicity is injected once a week while Victoza is injected once a day.

  • Trulicity's cardiovascular approval covers a wider group, including patients with either established heart disease or multiple risk factors, while Victoza's approval applies only to established heart disease.

  • Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and decreased appetite are common to both drugs, though Trulicity reports a higher top nausea rate at its upper dose range.

Trulicity vs. Victoza Drug Summary

Trulicity

Trulicity (dulaglutide) is a GLP-1 receptor agonist used to control blood sugar in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes. It also lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with heart disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors. It comes as a prefilled pen injected under the skin once a week.

Victoza

Victoza (liraglutide) is a GLP-1 receptor agonist used alongside diet and exercise to control blood sugar in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes. It also lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established heart disease. It is injected under the skin once a day using a prefilled pen.

Trulicity vs. Victoza Side Effects

Trulicity

Most common
nausea (up to 21.1%)
vomiting (up to 13%)
diarrhea (up to 13%)
abdominal pain (up to 13%)

Victoza

Most common
nausea (≥5%)
vomiting (≥5%)
diarrhea (up to 11.7%)
decreased appetite (≥5%)

Trulicity vs. Victoza Dosage

Trulicity

Dosage
Dosage Table
STAGE DOSE WHEN
Starting dose 0.75 mg once weekly Weeks 1-4
Maximum dose 4.5 mg once weekly If needed
Dose changes 3 increases Every 4 weeks

Victoza

Dosage
Dosage Table
STAGE DOSE WHEN
Starting dose 0.6 mg once daily Week 1
Maximum dose 1.8 mg once daily Week 3 onward
Dose changes 2 increases Every week

Trulicity vs. Victoza Indications

Trulicity

Trulicity is FDA-approved to improve blood sugar control in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes. It is also approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who have established heart disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Some doctors prescribe it off-label for weight loss in people without diabetes.

  • Blood sugar control in adults and children 10+ with type 2 diabetes

  • Reduces risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established heart disease or multiple risk factors

  • Off-label: used for weight loss in people without diabetes

Victoza

Victoza is FDA-approved as an add-on to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes. It is also approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who have established heart disease. Its higher-dose version, Saxenda, is separately approved for weight management.

  • Add-on to diet and exercise for blood sugar control in adults and children 10+

  • Reduces risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established heart disease

  • Same active ingredient as Saxenda, approved separately for weight management

Trulicity vs. Victoza Pros and Cons

Trulicity

Trulicity offers once-weekly dosing with a simple prefilled pen, and its FDA cardiovascular indication covers a broader group of patients than Victoza's. It has no generic equivalent, so its price stays fixed across pharmacies.

Pros

  • Only needs to be taken once a week, not once a day

  • Higher maximum dose (4.5 mg) available for added blood sugar control

  • Cardiovascular approval covers patients with either established heart disease or multiple risk factors

  • Prefilled pen automatically delivers the dose, no dialing required

Cons

  • No generic version available

  • Reported nausea rate is higher than Victoza's at its upper dose

  • Approved more recently (2014) than Victoza, with fewer years of real-world data

  • A missed or problematic dose cannot be adjusted until the next week

Victoza

Victoza requires a daily injection but allows finer, faster dose adjustments and has a decade longer track record than Trulicity. Its formula is also the basis for Saxenda, a separate higher-dose product approved for weight management.

Pros

  • Daily dosing allows quicker adjustment if side effects occur

  • Longer track record since its 2010 approval

  • Same active ingredient as Saxenda, a weight-management option

  • Only three titration steps to reach the maintenance dose

Cons

  • Requires an injection every day rather than once a week

  • Cardiovascular benefit is approved only for patients with established heart disease

  • Lower maximum maintenance dose (1.8 mg) than Trulicity's ceiling

  • Diarrhea can be more frequent when combined with other diabetes drugs

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