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Liraglutide, Saxenda and Victoza: the older GLP-1 in India

Victoza, Saxenda, Lirafit and Erly: what each is approved for, the MRPs, and what the trials found.

GLP Guidebook teamPublished 5 Oct 202611 min read25 sourcesWritten from published sources

Written for India. Reading from the US? US versionComing soon

The short answer

Liraglutide is an older GLP-1 medicine injected once a day. Victoza has been approved in India for type 2 diabetes since January 2010. Indian versions such as Lirafit followed from 2024. Saxenda, the 3 mg weight-loss brand, is not marketed in India. Weekly semaglutide caused more weight loss in a head-to-head trial.

Before you go further
  • Liraglutide is sold only on prescription in India.5,12
  • A government statement on 1 Apr 2026 said only endocrinologists, internal-medicine specialists and cardiologists can prescribe GLP-1s.20 CDSCO expert-committee minutes attach a similar condition to some approvals (endocrinologist or internal-medicine specialist), but we found no rule covering every brand.24,25
  • Risks are covered in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
  • Check any GLP-1 batch against the recall notes in Guide 6.
  • No brand or dose guarantees any result.

Key takeaways

  • Liraglutide is a once-daily GLP-1 injection; in India, Victoza and its Indian versions are sold for type 2 diabetes, and Saxenda for weight is not marketed.4,9
  • Glenmark launched Lirafit, the first liraglutide biosimilar launched in India, in January 2024 at about ₹100 a day for the 1.2 mg dose; Eris Lifesciences followed in September 2024.5,6
  • In the 56-week SCALE trial, adults on liraglutide 3 mg lost 8 kg against 3 kg on dummy injections; across Saxenda's adult trials, 39% had nausea and 10% stopped because of side effects.13,2
  • In the STEP 8 trial, weekly semaglutide cut weight by 16% against 6% for daily liraglutide, and stomach side effects hit 83% to 84% of both groups.16
  • Teenagers on liraglutide 3 mg were more than twice as likely to cut their BMI by 5% (43% on liraglutide, against 19% on a dummy injection), but 10% stopped because of side effects.14
On this page
  1. How is it different from Ozempic?
  2. Which brands are sold in India?
  3. Is Saxenda available in India?
  4. What does it cost?
  5. What did the weight trials find?
  6. Has it been studied in Indians?
  7. Can teenagers use it?
  8. Liraglutide vs semaglutide
  9. Questions people ask
  10. How we researched this
  11. Sources

What is liraglutide, and how is it different from Ozempic?

Liraglutide copies the gut hormone GLP-1, as Ozempic's semaglutide does, but it lasts only about 13 hours, so it is injected every day.

Your gut makes GLP-1, but the natural hormone is broken down in about 2 minutes.1 Liraglutide is a changed version that lasts for hours. It makes the pancreas release insulin only when blood sugar is high.1

It also slows how fast the stomach empties, and acts on appetite.1,2

Its half-life (the time for half a dose to leave the blood) is about 13 hours.1 Semaglutide's is about 1 week, which is why Ozempic and Wegovy are weekly shots.3 More on how the class works is in Guide 2: What GLP-1 medicines do.

Victoza and Saxenda are the same molecule at different doses. Victoza goes up to 1.8 mg a day, for type 2 diabetes.1 Saxenda goes up to 3 mg a day, for weight.2

Saxenda reaches that dose in weekly steps over 5 weeks.2 Both come in a 3 mL pen holding 18 mg.1,2

Which liraglutide brands are sold in India, and for what?

Every liraglutide brand we found on sale in India is sold for type 2 diabetes: Victoza since 2010, then Indian versions from 2024.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Victoza in January 2010 for adults with type 2 diabetes. Novo Nordisk launched it on 7 June 2010.4 Almost 10% of the people in Victoza's early LEAD trials were from India.4

Glenmark launched Lirafit on 3 January 2024, calling it India's first liraglutide biosimilar (a close copy of a biological medicine).5 Eris Lifesciences launched liraglutide in September 2024.6 Biocon's generic was approved in June 2025 for type 2 diabetes from age 10.7

BrandMakerIn India sinceSold in India forMRP, one 3 mL pen
VictozaNovo NordiskApproved Jan 2010; launched Jun 20104Type 2 diabetes, adults4₹4,99110Pharmacy-listed MRP; 3 listings agree
LirafitGlenmarkJan 20245Type 2 diabetes, adults5₹2,08611,5Pharmacy-listed MRP. Glenmark's launch figure: about ₹100 a day at 1.2 mg
Erly, Gliptoza, LyratoEris LifesciencesSep 20246Type 2 diabetes, per pharmacy listings12Erly ₹2,06312Pharmacy-listed MRP. Gliptoza and Lyrato listings disagree, so not shown
Biocon liraglutideBioconApproved Jun 2025; launch not found7Type 2 diabetes, age 10 and up7Not published
SaxendaNovo NordiskNot marketed in India9No Indian approval foundNone

Brands in order of arrival in India, not by price; MRPs checked on 5 Oct 2026. We show a pharmacy-listed MRP only when 2 or more listings agree, as no maker gives one.

On 6 February 2025, a CDSCO expert committee backed Eris's liraglutide pen "for the treatment of weight management". Its condition: Eris must run a follow-up (Phase IV) trial.8

We found no report of a weight-loss liraglutide brand launched in India since. The weekly medicines are compared in Guide 6: Seeing a doctor, and the medicines in India.

Is Saxenda available in India?

No. We found no Indian approval or launch of Saxenda. A large Indian online pharmacy says it is not marketed here as of October 2026.

PharmEasy's page, updated 1 October 2026, says Saxenda "is not currently marketed in India".9 We found no Saxenda approval in the CDSCO expert-committee minutes we read either.

Novo Nordisk has already withdrawn Saxenda in at least one country. It stopped selling it in Australia after December 2025 and pointed doctors to weekly Wegovy.17

India note. Saxenda's doses, warnings and side-effect figures here come from its US label. We found no Indian Saxenda label.2

What does liraglutide cost in India?

One 3 mL pen has a pharmacy-listed MRP of about ₹2,063 to ₹4,991, and a 1.2 mg daily dose uses 2 pens a month.

Each pen holds 18 mg.1 How long it lasts depends only on the daily dose (our arithmetic):

  • 30 daysat 0.6 mg a day
  • 15 daysat 1.2 mg a day
  • 10 daysat 1.8 mg a day
  • 6 daysat 3 mg a day (the Saxenda dose)

The US label says to throw a pen away 30 days after first use, even if some is left.1 Once in use, it can be kept out of the fridge at up to 30 °C.1

A worked example. At 1.2 mg a day, Victoza needs 2 pens a month: 2 × ₹4,991.25 = about ₹9,983. At 1.8 mg, 3 pens (3 × ₹4,991.25) come to about ₹14,974.10

A visit to an endocrinologist adds a median ₹1,100, going by Practo listings.22

Glenmark priced Lirafit at about ₹100 a day for 1.2 mg in January 2024, or about ₹3,000 a month. It said this would lower the cost of therapy by about 70%.5 Its listed MRP in October 2026, ₹2,086 a pen, works out to about ₹139 a day at that dose.11 Prices of the weekly medicines are in Guide 6's price table.

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How much weight did people lose on liraglutide in trials?

In the main 56-week trial, adults on liraglutide 3 mg lost 8 kg on average, against 3 kg for those on dummy injections.

The SCALE trial gave 3,731 adults without diabetes either liraglutide 3 mg or a dummy injection (placebo) every day. Everyone also got diet and exercise advice.13 They started at 106 kg on average, and 79% were women.13

Novo Nordisk, which makes Saxenda, paid for the trial.13

SCALELiraglutide 3 mg, daily

3,731 adults without diabetes. 56 weeks.13

Average weight lost13

Liraglutide8 kg
Dummy injection3 kg

So about 5 kg more lost on average because of the medicine (our arithmetic).

Lost at least 5% of their weight13

Liraglutide63%
Dummy injection27%

Lost more than 10%13

Liraglutide33%
Dummy injection11%
US labelSaxenda adult trials

Stopped because of side effects2

Saxenda10%
Dummy injection4%

For a 90 kg person, 5% is 4.5 kg. These are averages from a trial, not a promise; results ranged widely.13

The US label says to stop Saxenda if an adult hasn't lost 4% of their weight by 16 weeks.2 SCALE used Western cut-offs (BMI 30, or 27 with a related condition).13 Normal BMI limits are lower for Indians, as Guide 1: Weight and health explains.23

RisksThe risks, in brief
  • Stomach effects are common. In Saxenda's adult trials, 39% had nausea (vs 14% on placebo), 21% diarrhoea (vs 10%) and 16% vomiting (vs 4%).2
  • Pancreatitis (an inflamed pancreas) was confirmed in 9 of 3,291 people on Saxenda, against 2 of 1,843 on placebo.2
  • Gallstones were reported by 2% on Saxenda vs 1% on placebo; most people who had them needed gallbladder surgery.2
  • Dehydration from vomiting or diarrhoea can hurt the kidneys. Heart rate rose by 2 to 3 beats a minute on average.2
  • Low blood sugar is more likely when it is taken with sulfonylureas or insulin.2
  • Thyroid warning: ruled out by the US label for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) or MEN 2 (an inherited condition that causes gland tumours); tell your doctor if this applies. Not in pregnancy: it may harm the baby.2
Full detail in Guide 5: Side effects and risks →
Get help now: call 112. Severe stomach pain that won't go away, sometimes spreading to the back, can be pancreatitis.2 Also get help for vomiting or diarrhoea that stops you keeping fluids down.2

Has liraglutide been studied in Indians?

Yes, in people with type 2 diabetes. Indian studies found lower blood sugar and some weight loss, but we found no Indian trial for weight alone.

Doctors at Medanta, Gurgaon gave liraglutide to 96 people with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Of these, 74 had a full year of data.18

Their HbA1c (a 3-month average of blood sugar) fell from 8.9% to 7.4%. Their weight fell from 99 kg to 94 kg on average.18

The effect faded for some. After 6 months, weight crept back up in 33 of the 74 people.18 The study had no comparison group, so it can't show what would have happened without the medicine.18

An Indian biosimilar was tested against the original at 17 sites in India for 24 weeks. A later (post hoc) analysis looked at people with type 2 diabetes and a BMI over 25.19 They lost 5.5 kg (7%) on the copy and 7.1 kg (9%) on the original. The authors called this comparable.19 That copy is approved in India for type 2 diabetes, at up to 1.8 mg.19

If you have diabetes, the type 2 diabetes path covers this in order.

Can teenagers use liraglutide?

In the US, Saxenda is approved for weight from age 12. In India, the only teen approval for liraglutide we found is for type 2 diabetes.

On 4 December 2020, the US approved Saxenda for children 12 and older with obesity who weigh over 60 kg.15 In India, Biocon's generic is approved for type 2 diabetes from age 10.7

We found no Indian approval of liraglutide for weight in teenagers. Wegovy (semaglutide) was cleared in India in May 2026 for teens 12 and up who weigh over 60 kg.21

The teen trial gave 251 people aged 12 to 17 liraglutide 3 mg or placebo for 56 weeks.14 BMI fell by at least 5% in 43% on liraglutide, against 19% on placebo. On average they lost about 4.5 kg more than the placebo group.14

The harms were real too. Stomach side effects hit 65% vs 37%, and 10% stopped liraglutide because of side effects, against none on placebo.14 Low blood sugar was reported in 15% vs 4%.2

After the medicine stopped, BMI rose faster in the liraglutide group.14 What happens after stopping is covered in Guide 9: Stopping and the long term.

How does liraglutide compare with semaglutide?

In the only head-to-head weight trial we found, weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg cut weight by 16%, against 6% for daily liraglutide 3 mg.

STEP 8: average weight lost over 68 weeks
% of starting weight, adults without diabetes
Rubino et al., JAMA 2022: 338 adults at 19 US sites; the two medicines were compared open-label. Stomach side effects: 84% on semaglutide, 83% on liraglutide.16

STEP 8 was small (338 people), run in the US, and left out people with diabetes.16 Lost 10% or more: 71% on semaglutide, 26% on liraglutide.16 More people stopped liraglutide for any reason: 28%, against 14% on semaglutide.16

Stomach side effects were about as common on both: 84% on semaglutide and 83% on liraglutide.16 Both carry the same thyroid warning on their US labels.1,3 Novo Nordisk cited STEP 8 when it withdrew Saxenda in Australia.17

For diabetes with heart disease, Victoza has its own trial, called LEADER. Over a median 3.5 years, 13% on liraglutide had a heart attack, stroke or heart death, vs 15% on placebo.1

In that trial, about 15 in every 1,000 people on Victoza reported gallstones. On placebo it was 11 in 1,000.1

Questions people ask

Is liraglutide the same as Ozempic?

No. Ozempic is semaglutide, a different GLP-1 medicine injected once a week. Liraglutide is injected once a day because it leaves the body faster, with a half-life of about 13 hours.1,3

Is Saxenda available in India?

We found no Indian approval or launch of Saxenda, the 3 mg weight-loss brand of liraglutide. A large Indian online pharmacy says it is not marketed in India as of October 2026.9

Is liraglutide approved for weight loss in India?

The liraglutide brands we found on sale in India are sold for type 2 diabetes. In February 2025 a CDSCO expert committee backed one company's liraglutide for weight management. We found no launch of it.8,12

Is there a liraglutide tablet?

No liraglutide tablet is listed in India. Every liraglutide product we found here is a 3 mL pen injected under the skin.1,10,11,12

Where is a liraglutide injection given?

The US label says it goes under the skin of the stomach area, thigh or upper arm. It is given once a day, at any time, with or without meals.2

How long does one liraglutide pen last?

One pen holds 18 mg. That is 15 days at 1.2 mg, 10 days at 1.8 mg, or 6 days at 3 mg (our arithmetic). The US label says to throw a pen away 30 days after first use.1

How we researched this

On 5 October 2026 we read the latest US labels for Victoza, Saxenda and Wegovy. We used US labels because we found no public Indian label. We read the SCALE, teen and STEP 8 trial papers and two Indian studies.

Launch dates come from Novo Nordisk, Glenmark and Biocon announcements, and a dated report for Eris. We also read CDSCO expert-committee minutes from 2022 to March 2026.

No maker has published a current per-pen MRP. We used pharmacy-listed MRPs only where 2 or more listings agreed, never sale prices.

We could not confirm a Biocon launch in India or any launched weight-loss liraglutide brand. Nor could we confirm MRPs for Eris's Gliptoza and Lyrato, so we left them out.

Before you move on

  • Liraglutide is injected daily; Ozempic and Wegovy are weekly.
  • In India it is sold for type 2 diabetes. Saxenda, the weight brand, is not marketed here.
  • Cost follows the dose: 1.2 mg a day uses 2 pens a month.
  • Stomach side effects are common; pancreatitis and gallstones are rarer but serious.
Side effects and risksI have type 2 diabetesCost calculator

More from the India blog

INIndiaWegovy vs Ozempic: same medicine, different brand?Coming soon INIndiaWhat changed when semaglutide's patent expired in India?Coming soon INIndiaWhich weight-loss injections are approved in India?Coming soon
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An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don't sell medicines, take drug-company money or earn clinic commissions. Once a month: new brands, price changes, approvals and recalls. How we write

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Sources

  1. Novo Nordisk. Victoza (liraglutide) prescribing information, US label (not the Indian one), revised October 2025: mechanism, dosage, half-life, storage, LEADER trial. PDF
  2. Novo Nordisk. Saxenda (liraglutide) prescribing information, US label (no Indian label found), revised February 2026: indications, dosage, warnings, adverse reactions in adults and teens. PDF
  3. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information, US label, revised June 2026: once-weekly dosing, half-life about 1 week. PDF
  4. Business Standard (Novo Nordisk press release). One drug, four benefits: Novo Nordisk launches Victoza in India. 7 June 2010. Approved by DCGI in January 2010; almost 10% of LEAD trial participants from India. Link
  5. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. Glenmark is the first to launch biosimilar of popular anti-diabetic drug liraglutide in India (Lirafit). Press release and stock-exchange filing, 3 January 2024. PDF
  6. VOH Network. Eris expands biologics portfolio, preps for semaglutide launch (reports Eris's September 2024 liraglutide launch). 8 August 2025. Link
  7. Biocon. Biocon Limited gets approval for diabetes drug liraglutide in India. Press release, 2 June 2025. Link
  8. CDSCO. Recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee (Endocrinology and Metabolism), meeting of 6 February 2025, item 8 (Eris Lifesciences, liraglutide 6 mg/mL pen, weight management). PDF · archived copy
  9. PharmEasy. Saxenda (liraglutide 3 mg) in India: availability. Updated 1 October 2026, checked 5 October 2026. A pharmacy page, so we don't link it.
  10. Victoza 6 mg/mL 3 mL pen: pharmacy-listed MRP ₹4,991.25 on Tata 1mg, MrMed and Truemeds (Truemeds shows the old MRP as ₹5,324; PharmEasy still lists ₹5,324 and Netmeds ₹4,525.40). Product listings, printed MRP, checked 5 October 2026 (pharmacy pages, not linked).
  11. Lirafit 6 mg/mL 3 mL pen: pharmacy-listed MRP ₹2,085.94 on Tata 1mg and MrMed (Apollo Pharmacy ₹2,085.50). Product listings, printed MRP, checked 5 October 2026 (pharmacy pages, not linked).
  12. Erly (Eris Lifesciences) 6 mg/mL 3 mL pen: pharmacy-listed MRP ₹2,062.50 on Tata 1mg, Apollo Pharmacy and MrMed; listed as prescription-only, for type 2 diabetes. Product listings, printed MRP, checked 5 October 2026 (pharmacy pages, not linked).
  13. Pi-Sunyer X, Astrup A, Fujioka K et al. A randomized, controlled trial of 3.0 mg of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes). N Engl J Med 2015;373:11–22. Funded by Novo Nordisk. DOI · PMID 26132939
  14. Kelly AS, Auerbach P, Barrientos-Perez M et al. A randomized, controlled trial of liraglutide for adolescents with obesity. N Engl J Med 2020;382:2117–28. DOI · PMID 32233338
  15. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA approves weight management drug for patients aged 12 and older. 4 December 2020. Link
  16. Rubino DM, Greenway FL, Khalid U et al. Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes: the STEP 8 randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2022;327:138–50. DOI · PMID 35015037
  17. Novo Nordisk Australia. Important information: discontinuation of Saxenda (liraglutide) in Australia. Letter to healthcare professionals, May 2025. PDF
  18. Kaur P, Mahendru S, Mithal A. Long-term efficacy of liraglutide in Indian patients with type 2 diabetes in a real-world setting. Indian J Endocrinol Metab 2016;20:595–9. DOI · PMID 27730066
  19. Ghosh S et al. Effect of liraglutide biosimilar vs. reference liraglutide on weight reduction in T2DM patients with obesity: post hoc analysis of phase III trial. Clin Diabetes Endocrinol 2025;11:6. DOI · PMC11964147
  20. Outlook India (PTI). Inspections, surveillance to continue against unauthorised sale, promotion of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs: Govt. Official statement, 1 April 2026. Link
  21. IndiaMedToday. Novo Nordisk's Wegovy gets CDSCO nod for adolescent obesity in India (ages 12 and older, body weight above 60 kg). 29 May 2026. Link
  22. Practo. Endocrinologist listings, first page of results (in-clinic consultation fee), for Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata: 59 endocrinologists, median ₹1,100 (range ₹300–3,500). Checked 5 October 2026. Delhi · Mumbai · Bengaluru
  23. Misra A et al. Consensus statement for diagnosis of obesity, abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome for Asian Indians and recommendations for physical activity, medical and surgical management. J Assoc Physicians India 2009;57:163–70. PMID 19582986
  24. CDSCO. Recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee (Endocrinology & Metabolism), 100th meeting, 20–21 Apr 2023, item 1 (tirzepatide, Eli Lilly). Committee minutes, not the final permission. PDF · archived copy
  25. CDSCO. Recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee (Endocrinology & Metabolism), 13–14 Feb 2024, items 3–4 (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk). Committee minutes for two named products. PDF · archived copy

Last checked 5 Oct 2026 · Next review due 6 Apr 2027 · Report an error

How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write