Victoza Timeline: Week by Week, What Changes and When
SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes ran 56 weeks. By the end, people on liraglutide 3.0 mg daily had lost 7.4% of their body weight on average, against 3% on placebo. Side effects are most common in the first weeks and after each dose increase.
- Average loss, top dose
- 7.4%
- On placebo
- 3%
- Trial length
- 56 weeks
- Trial
- SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes
Victoza in brief
The half-life is about 13 hours: after 13 h half is gone, and after five half-lives (2.7 d) about 3% is left.
Type 2 diabetes over 52 weeks in LEAD-3: 2.5 kg lost versus 1.1 kg on placebo.
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).
Victoza timeline: the numbers first
When Victoza was tested, blood sugar was the main focus. The weight trials here come from Saxenda, the same medicine given at a higher dose.
| Trial | Dose group | Average weight lost | Placebo or comparison | Weeks | Who was in it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes | Liraglutide 3.0 mg daily | 7.4% | 3% | 56 | Adults who had obesity or overweight but not type 2 diabetes |
Source: SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes (FDA label (DailyMed)).
That average expressed in pounds
The trial's 7.4% average applies the same way at three different starting weights. This is simple arithmetic, not a prediction about any one person: some lose more, some lose less.
| Starting weight | Average loss on liraglutide 3.0 mg daily | Average loss on placebo |
|---|---|---|
| 180 lb | about 13 lb | about 5 lb |
| 220 lb | about 16 lb | about 7 lb |
| 260 lb | about 19 lb | about 8 lb |
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).
Week by week
- The first weeks: stomach side effects come up most often while the dose is low and still rising. After every dose increase, they often come back for a few days.
- SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes ends at week 56, which is the point the average loss above was taken at.
Source: health.clevelandclinic.org, PubMed.