Prepared by: Vandana Raman, Shilpa Mehta, and Amit Lahoti.
Last Updated on: 8/11/20
Liraglutide is a long-acting analog of human glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1. It was approved by the FDA in June 2019 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents aged 10-17 years if glycemic targets are not met with metformin (with or without basal insulin). It is the first non-insulin drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes in pediatric patients since metformin was approved for pediatric use in 2000. It increases glucose-dependent insulin secretion, decreases inappropriate glucagon secretion, increases b-cell growth/replication, augments satiety by slowing gastric emptying, suppresses appetite by acting on parts of the brain affecting food consumption, and helps with weight loss. Liraglutide is available as 0.6-mg, 1.2-mg, and 1.8-mg subcutaneous once-daily injections (Victozaâ) via a pen. The most common side effects reported are gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and dyspepsia. Liraglutide can cause thyroid C-cell tumors in rats and mice, and has the potential to do so in humans, although studies have not confirmed this so far. Rarely, severe acute pancreatitis has been reported in patients on liraglutide. It should not be used in patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2.
