Victoza: Uses, How It Works, Side Effects, Cost, Coverage
Victoza is a daily injection of liraglutide made by Novo Nordisk, first FDA approved in 2010, for type 2 diabetes and heart risk. List price is $543.51 per 2 pens before insurance. Nausea is the most common side effect in its label: 20% vs 5% on placebo.
- Active ingredient
- liraglutide
- Manufacturer
- Novo Nordisk
- How it is taken
- daily injection
- First FDA approval
- 2010
- List price
- $543.51 per 2 pens
- Most common side effect
- Nausea 20% vs 5% on placebo
- FDA shortage
- On the FDA shortage list
Victoza at a glance
Its half-life is about 13 hours. After 13 h, half is gone, and after five half-lives (2.7 d), about 3% remains.
In the LEAD-3 trial for type 2 diabetes over 52 weeks, people lost 2.5 kg, compared with 1.1 kg on placebo.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed).
Victoza uses and forms
The FDA label provides Victoza uses, forms and warnings. Both your prescriber and the label determine your dose.
| What the label says | |
|---|---|
| Approved use | When used with diet and exercise, it lowers blood sugar in adults and children with type 2 diabetes who are 10 and older. |
| Approved use | It reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke or heart-related death in adults with type 2 diabetes who also have heart disease. |
| Forms | Prefilled pen |
| Strengths on the label | the pen's dose options are 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, 1.8 mg |
| Boxed warning | Thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents were caused by it, according to the boxed warning. It is not known whether this happens in people. Do not take it if you or a family member previously had medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). Do not take it if you have MEN 2. |
| Storage | New pens should be refrigerated. A pen may remain at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 30 days after its first use. |
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed).
Victoza side effects
The label gives the rate of each side effect from its trials, with placebo (a dummy treatment) shown for comparison. All participants were adults who had type 2 diabetes.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed).
The label includes these warnings. Thyroid C-cell Tumors risk and Acute Kidney Injury Due to Volume Depletion are among them. Others include Hypoglycemia, Acute Pancreatitis, Severe Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions, Acute Gallbladder Disease, Hypersensitivity Reactions, and Pulmonary Aspiration During General Anesthesia or Deep Sedation.
These warnings come from the FDA label on DailyMed.
Victoza interactions
| Taken with | What the label says |
|---|---|
| Insulin or sulfonylureas | Combining it with insulin or a sulfonylurea, such as glipizide or glimepiride, raises your risk of low blood sugar. |
| Oral medicines | Because it slows the emptying of your stomach, other pills may be absorbed differently. |
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed).
Check a GLP-1 interaction
Victoza cost and coverage
| How you pay | Price |
|---|---|
| List price before insurance | $543.51 per 2 pens |
The November 2026 price check relied on Novo Nordisk pricing.
- Victoza Cost
- Victoza Coupon and Savings Card
- Victoza Cost Without Insurance
- Victoza Cost With Insurance
- Victoza at Walmart
- Does Medicare Cover Victoza? Criteria, Copay, How to Appeal
- Victoza at Walgreens
- Victoza at CVS
- Victoza at Amazon Pharmacy
- Cheapest Way to Get Victoza
- Is Victoza Covered by Insurance? Criteria, Copay, Appeal
- Does Medicaid Cover Victoza? Criteria, Copay, How to Appeal
Alternatives to Victoza
| Medicine | Ingredient | How it is taken | Shared use | Trial weight loss | Self-pay from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ozempic | semaglutide | weekly injection | heart risk and type 2 diabetes | Not listed | $199 per month |
 Wegovy | semaglutide | weekly injection or daily tablet | heart risk | 14.9% | $149 per month |
 Rybelsus | semaglutide | daily tablet | heart risk and type 2 diabetes | Not listed | Not listed |
 Mounjaro | tirzepatide | weekly injection | heart risk and type 2 diabetes | Not listed | Not listed |
 Trulicity | dulaglutide | weekly injection | heart risk and type 2 diabetes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Byetta | exenatide | twice-daily injection | type 2 diabetes | Not listed | Not listed |
Sources: TrumpRx, FDA label (DailyMed).
The Victoza label and studies
On DailyMed, read the complete Victoza prescribing information.
Every Victoza page
Side effects and safety
Interactions
Who this drug is for
Comparisons with other drugs
Coverage, costs and savings
- Cheapest Way to Get Victoza
- Does Medicaid Cover Victoza? Criteria, Copay, How to Appeal
- Does Medicare Cover Victoza? Criteria, Copay, How to Appeal
- Is Victoza Covered by Insurance? Criteria, Copay, Appeal
- Victoza at Amazon Pharmacy
- Victoza at CVS
- Victoza at Walgreens
- Victoza at Walmart
- Victoza Cost
- Victoza Cost With Insurance
- Victoza Cost Without Insurance
- Victoza Coupon and Savings Card