Victoza vs. Trulicity
See how Victoza and Trulicity compare on approved uses, dosing, side effects, and cost.
Key Takeaways
Victoza is injected once daily while Trulicity is injected once a week, so the two drugs differ mainly in dosing frequency rather than overall effectiveness.
Both drugs are GLP-1 receptor agonists approved for type 2 diabetes and for reducing cardiovascular risk in adults with existing heart disease.
Trulicity causes nausea in up to 21.1% of patients, a higher rate than the roughly 5% or more seen with Victoza's most common side effects.
Victoza vs. Trulicity Drug Summary
Victoza
Victoza (liraglutide) is a GLP-1 receptor agonist used with diet and exercise to help adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar. It is also approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and existing heart disease. It is injected once daily under the skin, with a three-week dose titration.
Trulicity
Trulicity (dulaglutide) is a GLP-1 receptor agonist used with diet and exercise to control blood sugar in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes. It also carries an approval to reduce major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who have heart disease or multiple risk factors. It comes as a once-weekly injection in a prefilled pen, with up to four dose levels.
Victoza vs. Trulicity Side Effects
Victoza
Trulicity
Victoza vs. Trulicity Dosage
Victoza
Trulicity
| 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 |
| 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
| 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
| 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 vs. Trulicity Indications
Victoza
Victoza is approved to improve blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes alongside diet and exercise, including in children as young as 10. It also carries an approval for reducing major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and existing heart disease. It is not approved for type 1 diabetes.
Adjunct to diet and exercise for type 2 diabetes
Reduces major cardiovascular events in adults with heart disease
Approved for children 10 years and older
Not approved for type 1 diabetes
Trulicity
Trulicity is approved to control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes alongside diet and exercise, including in children 10 and older. It also reduces major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who have existing heart disease or multiple risk factors. Some clinicians prescribe it off-label for weight loss in people without diabetes.
Adjunct to diet and exercise for type 2 diabetes
Reduces cardiovascular events in high-risk adults
Approved for children 10 years and older
Off-label use for weight loss without diabetes
Victoza vs. Trulicity Pros and Cons
Victoza
Victoza has over a decade of real-world use and a well-established safety profile, including data supporting its higher-dose sibling Saxenda for weight management. Daily dosing allows for gradual, closely monitored titration, though it requires more frequent injections than weekly alternatives.
Pros
Long-established safety record since 2010
Also the basis for Saxenda, a related weight-loss drug
Three-step titration allows gradual dose adjustment
Cons
Requires a daily injection rather than weekly
Diarrhea can reach up to 11.7% with combination therapy
More frequent dosing decisions for patients and caregivers
Trulicity
Trulicity's once-weekly injection and prefilled pen make it simpler for many patients to fit into their routine. It offers four dose strengths for flexible long-term titration, though nausea is reported more often than with some other GLP-1 options and no generic version currently exists.
Pros
Once-weekly dosing may improve adherence
Four dose strengths allow more titration flexibility
Prefilled pen simplifies injection technique
Cons
Nausea reported in up to 21.1% of patients
No generic version currently available
Weight-loss use in non-diabetics is off-label
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