Treatments and supplements · Liraglutide (Saxenda)

How much weight can you lose on liraglutide?

What we can tell you today: how thoroughly this has been studied.

Thoroughly studied

15 studies, of which 3 bring together the results of several trials in people. This is as strong as evidence gets.

5 Repeated evidence 3 studies

4 Large controlled trial 11 studies

3 Small study in people 1 study

This says how thoroughly something has been studied — not whether it works for you. What each study actually found is in the study itself, and in the plain-language write-ups we are adding.

Appears under: Weight loss and GLP-1 · Sleep, energy and the brain · Skin aging · Menopause and hormones

The studies

5 Repeated evidence Once-Weekly Semaglutide Versus Once-Daily Liraglutide for Weight Loss in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
2025 · Clinical and translational science · 922 participants
4 Large controlled trial Healthy Weight Loss Maintenance with Exercise, Liraglutide, or Both Combined.
2021 · The New England journal of medicine · 195 participants
5 Repeated evidence Liraglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in adults with overweight or obesity: A post hoc analysis from SCALE randomized controlled trials.
2018 · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 5,908 participants · manufacturer helped fund this
5 Repeated evidence Efficacy and Safety of the New Appetite Suppressant, Liraglutide: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
2022 · Endocrinology and metabolism (Seoul, Korea) · 8,060 participants
4 Large controlled trial A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of weight loss using liraglutide 3.0 mg for weight recurrence after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
2025 · Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official jou · 132 participants
4 Large controlled trial Effect of liraglutide 3.0 mg in individuals with obesity and moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea: the SCALE Sleep Apnea randomized clinical trial.
2018 · International journal of obesity (2005) · 180 participants · manufacturer helped fund this
4 Large controlled trial Weight maintenance and additional weight loss with liraglutide after low-calorie-diet-induced weight loss: the SCALE Maintenance randomized study.
2014 · International journal of obesity (2005) · 422 participants
4 Large controlled trial Liraglutide 3.0 mg and Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for Obesity in Primary Care: The SCALE IBT Randomized Controlled Trial.
2020 · Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 142 participants · manufacturer helped fund this
4 Large controlled trial Tolerability of nausea and vomiting and associations with weight loss in a randomized trial of liraglutide in obese, non-diabetic adults.
2015 · International journal of obesity (2005) · 564 participants
4 Large controlled trial Effects of Dietary Self-Monitoring, Physical Activity, Liraglutide 3.0 mg, and Placebo on Weight Loss in the SCALE IBT Trial.
2021 · Obesity facts · 142 participants · manufacturer helped fund this
4 Large controlled trial Psychometric Comparison of the Full and Abbreviated Versions of the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale.
2017 · Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official pu · 312 participants
4 Large controlled trial Efficacy and safety of liraglutide 3.0 mg for weight management are similar across races: subgroup analysis across the SCALE and phase II randomized trials.
2016 · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 5,325 participants
4 Large controlled trial Validation of digital photographic reference scales for evaluating facial aging signs.
2018 · Skin research and technology : official journal of Inte · 350 participants
4 Large controlled trial Evaluating the Sleep Hygiene Awareness and Practice Scale in Midlife Women With and Without Breast Cancer.
2017 · Journal of nursing measurement · 194 participants
3 Small study in people Effects of digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia on insomnia severity: a large-scale randomised controlled trial.
2021 · The Lancet. Digital health