Victoza

Victoza, an injection used to treat type-2 diabetes and containing the active ingredient liraglutide, was discontinued in October 2024 following a year of supply problems.

When your blood sugar levels were too high, Victoza helped bring them down. It could be used alongside other diabetes medications like metformin, or on its own.

Victoza also slowed down the movement of food through your stomach, which helped to better control your blood sugar. Following a healthy diet and losing weight can help keep your blood sugar levels stable. By being more active and cutting down on fat, sugar, and salt, along with using treatments like Victoza, you can improve your long-term health and better manage your diabetes.

The active ingredient in Victoza is liraglutide. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps remove sugar from the bloodstream. Liraglutide boosts the pancreas's insulin production, which helps lower the sugar levels in your blood.

Liraglutide also slows down how quickly your stomach empties. This means that sugar from your food is absorbed more gradually, helping to prevent sudden increases in your blood sugar levels. By slowing digestion, it also makes your brain feel like your stomach is full for longer, which can support healthy eating and weight loss.

The amount of Victoza used differed for each person. Everyone started with a dose of 0.6 mg once a day for the first week. After that, a clinician could increase the dose to 1.2 mg once a day. If needed, the clinician might then decide to raise it further to 1.8 mg once a day.

The Victoza pen holds 18 mg of liraglutide and is designed to let you easily select the dosage you need: 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, or 1.8 mg.

There are other injectable treatments for type 2 diabetes, but they have different ingredients compared to Victoza.

Victoza is quite similar to Saxenda, which is approved for weight loss, because they both contain the same active ingredient.

Victoza has been shown in clinical studies to greatly lower HbA1c levels within six months of beginning treatment.

The HbA1c test checks the amount of glycated haemoglobin in your blood, which is essentially a way to see your blood sugar levels. It gives an overview of your blood glucose over the past eight to twelve weeks. If you have diabetes, you'll need to have HbA1c tests regularly. When you're first diagnosed, these tests are typically done every three months. Once your diabetes is well-managed, the tests are needed less frequently, usually about every six months.

If you need a different injection for managing type 2 diabetes now that Victoza is no longer available, there are alternatives. Trulicity is one such option, and it contains the active ingredient dulaglutide. Dulaglutide is similar to liraglutide, but research indicates it might cause fewer gastrointestinal side effects and could lower HbA1c levels more effectively than liraglutide.

Trulicity stays in your system for a longer period, meaning you only need to have one injection each week rather than every day. This could be a suitable choice if you find it difficult to remember to take your medication at the same time daily.

Another choice is Ozempic, which has semaglutide as its active ingredient. Similar to Trulicity, Ozempic is an injectable diabetes treatment taken once a week. Research indicates that semaglutide provides a significantly greater reduction in HbA1c levels compared to liraglutide.

Semaglutide can aid in weight loss, with research showing an average weight reduction of about 15% for those using it, compared to 5-6% with liraglutide. So, if you're looking to manage your weight while also treating diabetes, Ozempic might be a suitable choice for you.

Victoza is not an insulin injection. Instead, it helps your pancreas produce more insulin, which in turn increases the uptake of sugar from your bloodstream, lowering your blood sugar levels.

Other treatments for type 2 diabetes are available as tablets and work by making the body more sensitive to insulin, instead of increasing the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas.

The pen is designed to let you give yourself one of three doses: 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, or 1.8 mg. Typically, you would start with the 0.6 mg dose, but your clinician might increase it. It's important to use the dose your clinician has chosen for you.

When Victoza was on the market, it could only be obtained with a prescription because a clinician needed to determine the right dosage. It's crucial for type 2 diabetes to be carefully overseen by healthcare professionals to ensure you get the best treatment for managing your blood sugar levels.