Is weekly better than daily?

On the endpoints SUSTAIN-10 measured, semaglutide weekly beat liraglutide 1.2 mg daily on both HbA1c and weight. It also produced more gastrointestinal side effects and more discontinuations. Whether fewer injections matters is a preference, not a trial result.

Was the comparison at equal doses?

No. Liraglutide was dosed at 1.2 mg where its licensed maximum is 1.8 mg. That limits how far the result generalises.

Is Victoza the same as Saxenda?

Same molecule, different licence and dose. Victoza is liraglutide up to 1.8 mg for type 2 diabetes. Saxenda is liraglutide up to 3 mg for weight.

Victoza vs Ozempic: Daily vs Weekly, Same Class

What this page establishes

SUSTAIN-10 randomised 577 adults with type 2 diabetes to semaglutide 1 mg weekly or liraglutide 1.2 mg daily. HbA1c fell 1.7 versus 1.0 percentage points (treatment difference 0.69, p<0.0001) and weight fell 5.8 kg versus 1.9 kg.
In SUSTAIN-10, gastrointestinal adverse events occurred in 43.9% on semaglutide versus 38.3% on liraglutide, with discontinuation in 11.4% versus 6.6%.
Victoza is licensed for glycaemic control in adults and paediatric patients aged 10 and over with type 2 diabetes, and for cardiovascular risk reduction in type 2 diabetes with established cardiovascular disease. Doses: 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 mg daily.

Quick answers

Is weekly better than daily?
On the endpoints SUSTAIN-10 measured, semaglutide weekly beat liraglutide 1.2 mg daily on both HbA1c and weight.
Read the full answer
It also produced more gastrointestinal side effects and more discontinuations. Whether fewer injections matters is a preference, not a trial result.
Was the comparison at equal doses?
No. Liraglutide was dosed at 1.2 mg where its licensed maximum is 1.8 mg. That limits how far the result generalises.
Read the full answer
Is Victoza the same as Saxenda?
Same molecule, different licence and dose. Victoza is liraglutide up to 1.8 mg for type 2 diabetes.
Read the full answer
Saxenda is liraglutide up to 3 mg for weight.

Victoza is liraglutide, taken daily, approved in 2010. Ozempic is semaglutide, taken weekly, approved in 2017. Both are Novo Nordisk diabetes brands, and SUSTAIN-10 compared them directly.

The head-to-head

SUSTAIN-10 randomised 577 adults with type 2 diabetes to semaglutide 1 mg weekly or liraglutide 1.2 mg daily, added to one to three oral antidiabetic drugs.

From a baseline HbA1c of 8.2%, HbA1c fell 1.7 percentage points on semaglutide against 1.0 on liraglutide, a treatment difference of 0.69 points, p<0.0001. Weight fell 5.8 kg against 1.9 kg from a baseline of 96.9 kg.

Gastrointestinal side effects and discontinuations were more common on semaglutide: 43.9% and 11.4% against 38.3% and 6.6%.

Read the doses before the result The comparator was liraglutide 1.2 mg, not the licensed maximum of 1.8 mg. As with SURPASS-2, the head-to-head that gets quoted was run against a sub-maximal dose of the older drug.

What the labels cover

Victoza is licensed for glycaemic control in adults and children aged 10 and over with type 2 diabetes, and for cardiovascular risk reduction in type 2 diabetes with established cardiovascular disease. Doses run 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 mg daily.

Ozempic adds a kidney outcomes indication in type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease, which Victoza does not carry, and runs 0.25 to 2 mg weekly.

Why anyone still starts on liraglutide

Cost and availability, mostly. Liraglutide is the oldest molecule in this comparison and generic liraglutide has entered some markets, which changes the price conversation in a way that does not apply to semaglutide or tirzepatide.

The evidence, one row per claim

Claim	Tier	Source
SUSTAIN-10 randomised 577 adults with type 2 diabetes to semaglutide 1 mg weekly or liraglutide 1.2 mg daily. HbA1c fell 1.7 versus 1.0 percentage points (treatment difference 0.69, p<0.0001) and weight fell 5.8 kg versus 1.9 kg.	established	SUSTAIN-10, Diabetes & Metabolism (Capehorn et al. 2020)
In SUSTAIN-10, gastrointestinal adverse events occurred in 43.9% on semaglutide versus 38.3% on liraglutide, with discontinuation in 11.4% versus 6.6%.	established	SUSTAIN-10, Diabetes & Metabolism (Capehorn et al. 2020)
Victoza is licensed for glycaemic control in adults and paediatric patients aged 10 and over with type 2 diabetes, and for cardiovascular risk reduction in type 2 diabetes with established cardiovascular disease. Doses: 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 mg daily.	established	FDA Structured Product Label, NDA022341 (via openFDA)

Sources

Where this comes from

Researched and edited by Thomas Prommer — biohacker, performance athlete, data enthusiast and health coach.

Every number on this page traces to a named source. There are 3 sourced claims below the fold, each with the document it came from.

Sources consulted: SUSTAIN-10, FDA Structured Product Label.

Not clinically reviewed. This page was researched and written against primary regulatory and trial sources, and no clinician has checked it.

Sources last read 2026-08-23.

Keep reading

Educational content, reviewed 2026-08-23. Not medical advice, not a prescription, and not a substitute for a clinician who knows your history. Doses named here are label schedules or doses used in named trials, never a recommendation to you.

Victoza vs Ozempic: Daily Liraglutide Against Weekly Semaglutide