Liraglutide vs Dulaglutide
Side-by-side comparison of key properties, dosing, and research.
GLP-1 / Weight Loss AgonistsFat Loss & Metabolic
LiraglutideGLP-1 / Weight Loss Agonists
Dulaglutide- Summary
- Liraglutide is a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes (Victoza) and chronic weight management (Saxenda). It reduces appetite, slows gastric emptying, improves insulin secretion, and promotes weight loss of 5–10% in clinical trials.
- Dulaglutide (brand name Trulicity) is a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist approved by the FDA for type 2 diabetes management and cardiovascular risk reduction. It consists of two GLP-1 analog chains fused to a modified IgG4 Fc fragment, extending its half-life to approximately 5 days. While primarily a diabetes medication, it produces meaningful weight loss and has established cardiovascular outcomes data from the REWIND trial.
- Half-Life
- ~13 hours (once-daily dosing)
- ~5 days
- Admin Route
- SubQ
- SubQ
- Research
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- Typical Dose
- Start 0.6 mg, titrate to 3 mg
- 0.75 mg → 1.5 mg
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Once weekly
- Key Benefits
- Promotes weight loss (5–10% average)
- Reduces appetite and caloric intake
- Improves blood glucose control (HbA1c reduction)
- Reduces cardiovascular events in T2DM (LEADER trial)
- Slows gastric emptying
- FDA-approved for T2DM and chronic weight management
- Cardioprotective effects shown in clinical trials
- May improve fatty liver (NAFLD/NASH)
- FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes
- Once-weekly subcutaneous dosing via auto-injector pen
- Reduces HbA1c by approximately 1.1–1.6%
- Modest weight loss of 1.5–3 kg at approved doses
- Demonstrated cardiovascular risk reduction (REWIND trial)
- Established long-term safety profile
- Renal protective effects in CKD
- Side Effects
- Nausea (very common, especially initially)
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Decreased appetite
- +5 more
- Nausea (most common, typically transient)
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Decreased appetite
- +3 more
- Stacks With
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