Ozempic and Victoza are common medicines for people who have too much sugar in their blood (also called high blood glucose levels). This is a problem for people with diabetes. These two medicines can help lower the sugar levels in the blood and keep them normal.
Another good thing about Ozempic and Victoza is that they can also help people lose weight. Some people who use them to keep their blood sugar levels normal have seen a big change in their weight.
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But how are Ozempic and Victoza similar and different, especially when it comes to weight loss? Let us find out together right now!
The study found that Ozempic and Victoza were good for the kidneys and helped prevent kidney problems. Fewer people had a lasting drop in eGFR, which is a measure of how well the kidneys work. And people who already had kidney problems had a slower loss of kidney function compared to those who did not take the medicines.
The GLP-1 agonist is a type of medicine that helps the body make more insulin. It was as good as the placebo in the PIONEER 6 trial, with 3.8% of people who took it having heart problems compared to 4.8% of the people who did not take it. It also reduced the risk of death by 50%.
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, who is the top scientist of Novo Nordisk, told PharmaTimes that “We have started three big studies in a few weeks, which is very special for one medicine. We want to invest a lot in semaglutide, which is the name of the medicine, to show that it can do many things. This is our dream and we think the patients will be happy too.”
He explained why the medicines are important for people who need them, saying: “SGLT-2 inhibitors are another type of medicine that helps the kidneys. But they only work for some people, and they do not help with the sugar levels in the blood because they depend on the kidneys to work. When the kidneys stop working, they stop working too.
“Even though they can protect the kidneys, they cannot help with the diabetes when people have very bad kidney problems. But Ozempic and Victoza do not depend on the kidneys. They are not removed by the kidneys and they can even be given to a person who needs a machine to clean their blood.
“They can be given to people with any kind of kidney problem. So this is a very special situation. Victoza improved the kidneys by 22% and Ozempic by 36%, in the LEADER and SUSTAIN 6 trials.”
Many people with type II diabetes have chronic kidney disease, which means their kidneys are damaged and do not work well. This is despite the best care they can get. But Novo Nordisk wants “semaglutide to be the leader of the metabolic group”, and for it to be seen as “more of a heart, sugar and kidney medicine, that deals with the whole problem.”
Ozempic was approved by the European Commission on 8 February 2018, based on the SUSTAIN programme, a big study that included eight smaller studies, with more than 8,000 adults with type II diabetes.
In Europe, Victoza was approved in 2009, for the treatment of adults with type II diabetes who cannot control their sugar levels with diet and exercise, alone or with other medicines. It is not used when metformin is not suitable because of side effects or other reasons."
"Type 2 Diabetes Explained
Type 2 diabetes is a very common long-term illness around the world. It affects almost 20% of people who are 65 or older–that means more than 135 million people.5 Type 2 diabetes happens when the body’s cells do not react to insulin as they should or do not make enough insulin to keep the blood sugar normal.
Some signs of type 2 diabetes are feeling very thirsty, going to the bathroom a lot, and feeling very tired.
There are many things that can cause type 2 diabetes. You are more likely to get it if someone in your family has it, if you do not exercise much, and if you are too heavy or have obesity.
Being too heavy, especially around the belly, can make insulin not work well. People with diabetes often need to take insulin or other drugs.6
But eating healthy food and being active are also very important to control the illness.5
As a GLP-1 drug, Victoza makes your body produce insulin after you eat and makes the liver stop making extra sugar, keeping your blood sugar stable.
These drugs also make food move slower through your stomach, making you feel full longer and possibly helping you lose weight.3
Ozempic (semaglutide) is a medicine that you inject under your skin to treat type 2 diabetes. It is a type of GLP-1 agonist, which means it helps your body make more insulin and less sugar. You only need to take it once a week, unlike Victoza, which you need to take every day.
Ozempic is also used with diet and exercise to control your blood sugar levels if you are an adult 18 years or older. It may also lower your chance of having a heart attack or stroke if you have heart problems.4
Ozempic (semaglutide) has another product with the same name, Wegovy (semaglutide), that is used for weight loss.9
But Ozempic and Wegovy are not the same drugs. They have different doses and uses.
Ozempic works like Victoza. It helps your body react to food by making insulin and stopping sugar production.
Ozempic lasts longer than Victoza. It works for about seven days after you inject it, while Victoza works for 13-15 hours.
That is why you only need to inject Ozempic once a week, but you need to inject Victoza every day.
Victoza (liraglutide) is a drug that acts like a hormone called GLP-1. It is given as a shot under the skin once a day.
Victoza is used with food and activity to lower blood sugar in adults and children who are 10 years or older and have type 2 diabetes. It can also help prevent heart problems or stroke in people who have heart disease.3
Victoza is not approved by the FDA for losing weight. But it may cause a small weight loss when given to people with obesity for a different reason (a reason that the FDA has not agreed to).7
The same drug in Victoza, liraglutide, is also sold as another product called Saxenda. Saxenda is approved by the FDA as a drug for weight loss.
But Saxenda and Victoza are not the same; they have different doses and cannot be switched.
Both Ozempic and Victoza are GLP-1 agonists that you inject under your skin. They help you manage your blood sugar and lower your risk of heart and kidney problems.
Both can help you lose weight.
Both do not affect your food choices. You can take them with or without food.
Both may make you feel sick or have stomach problems at first, but these usually go away after a few weeks.
Both can be used by themselves or with other diabetes medicines as your doctor tells you.
Both can have side effects like pancreatitis, kidney problems, low blood sugar, allergic reactions, and thyroid cancer.
Both are only sold as brand-name drugs and may be costly.
Victoza is a daily injection while Ozempic is a weekly injection.
Victoza can be used by children 10 years old and older.
Ozempic may lower your blood sugar and help you lose weight more than Victoza.
Ozempic may cause more side effects that make you stop using it.
Ozempic and Victoza are medicines for people with type 2 diabetes. They can help lower blood sugar and weight, but they may also cause some problems. These problems are rare and not very serious. People who take these medicines should see their doctor regularly. The doctor can check if the medicines are working well or if they need to be stopped.
Some of the problems that Ozempic and Victoza can cause are:
Feeling sick Throwing up Loose stools Pain in the belly Upset stomach Hard stools Gas Some of the problems that Victoza can cause are:
Pain in the head Feeling sick Throwing up Loose stools Hard stools Bad digestion Not feeling hungry
These problems usually go away in a few days or weeks. If they get worse or last longer, the person should talk to their doctor.
Victoza and Ozempic work by copying a hormone called GLP-1. This hormone is made by our bodies and helps keep blood sugar healthy. It does this by making the pancreas release more insulin when blood sugar is high, stopping the liver from making more sugar, and making the stomach empty slower, so that sugar does not go into the blood too fast. It also makes the person feel less hungry and lose weight. This is good for people with type 2 diabetes who are often too heavy. Victoza and Ozempic can help people control their diabetes better.
Ozempic works like Victoza, but it lasts longer in the body. This means that people can take it once a week instead of every day. This can make it easier for people to use. Ozempic may also work better than Victoza in lowering blood sugar and weight.
Ozempic may also help the heart and blood vessels. This is important for people with diabetes who have a higher risk of heart problems. Doctors may choose Ozempic over other medicines for people who do not get better with the usual treatments for diabetes."
Victoza and Ozempic are two medicines that help people with type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar levels. They belong to a group of medicines called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They were approved by the US government at different times, Victoza in 2010 and Ozempic in 2017. They work in similar ways, but they may suit different people better.
A scientific study called SUSTAIN-10 compared Victoza and Ozempic directly. It found that both medicines were good at managing type 2 diabetes symptoms and had few side effects. The study also found that there was no big difference between Victoza and Ozempic in how well they lowered blood sugar levels.
Another scientific paper in Diabetes Therapy showed that Victoza can lower blood sugar levels from the first week of using it. It also has some advantages over other diabetes medicines, such as helping people lose weight, which is good for overweight diabetes patients. It is also safe for older people to use.
A different scientific paper in The Lancet showed that Ozempic may be better than most other diabetes medicines in lowering blood sugar levels after six months of using it, either alone or with other medicines like metformin or insulin. But there is more research needed to show how well Ozempic works by itself, compared to Victoza.
One thing that makes Ozempic special is that it stays in the body longer, so people only need to take it once a week, which is very convenient. Ozempic may be a good choice for people who are not happy with their current diabetes treatment, like metformin or sulphonylureas, maybe because they forget to take them every day or find them too hard to use.
Victoza and Ozempic are two types of injections that can help people with diabetes lower their blood sugar. However, they may not be suitable for everyone. Some people may have worse symptoms after using these injections. If you have serious side effects like constant nausea or throwing up, stomach pain, yellow eyes or skin, dark pee after starting these injections, you need to see a doctor right away.
You should not use Victoza or Ozempic if you are using insulin or have had pancreatitis before. You should also tell your doctor about all the medicines you are taking; some medicines may need some time to leave your body before you can use Victoza or Ozempic safely. Moreover, these injections are not for people who have a condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2) or a personal or family history of a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma, because they may increase the chance of getting this cancer.
For the original versions of these injections:
The cost of a 30-day supply of Victoza (1.8 mg dose) is about $800 to $900, which is around $27-$30/day. The cost of Ozempic (0.5 mg dose) is about $850 per month, which is about $28/day. So, if you are using higher doses like 1.8mg for Victoza or 0.5mg for Ozempic, the costs are similar for each day of treatment.
Please remember that cost should not be the main factor in choosing which of these injections is best for you.
Right now, there are no cheaper versions of Victoza (liraglutide) or Ozempic(semaglutide), so their prices are still high compared to many other diabetes medicines.
Both Victoza (liraglutide) and Ozempic (semaglutide) are proven to be effective in treating type 2 diabetes. Sometimes, these injections may be used together with other medicines that lower blood sugar, but this needs careful supervision by a doctor because of possible interactions or side effects. Both injections work by copying a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which lowers blood sugar after eating; however, they have different dosing schedules and uses.
Victoza is mainly used for controlling blood sugar levels while Ozempic can do two things: it not only helps control blood sugar but also helps lower the risk of heart problems and lose weight. Therefore, the choice between the two depends on the individual patient’s needs and goals.
Both are sold as original products with no cheaper alternatives, which may affect the cost depending on insurance or personal expenses. Starting either injection may require a period of time where the dose is adjusted to get the best results and avoid bad reactions.
In terms of how well they are tolerated, both injections have similar side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea along with a small risk of pancreatitis. When using Victoza or Ozempic, patients should watch their health closely especially when beginning treatment or changing doses.
How do I get rid of Victoza or Ozempic in a safe way if I need to?
Every time you use up a dose of Victoza or Ozempic, put a cap on your used needle and toss it in your sharps bin. Pens should also go in your sharps bin when they are empty or if you have to get rid of them for some other reason.
Your drug store should give you bins; if not, you can use a home container made of strong plastic that can be shut with a tight and hard-to-pierce lid, like a milk bottle.
When your sharps bin is almost full, you have to follow your local rules for the best way to get rid of your sharps bin.12
Why are these drugs not good for type 1 diabetes?
Victoza, Ozempic, or any GLP-1 drug is not suitable for treating type 1 diabetes. This is because type 1 diabetes is a problem where your body has stopped making insulin. This is because the pancreas cells that normally make insulin have been killed.
GLP-1 drugs work by aiming at these cells and making them release insulin, but they will not work if those cells are gone.
Type 1 diabetes needs people to get insulin from outside shots since their bodies cannot make any.12
Do Victoza and Ozempic have approval for weight loss?
No, Victoza and Ozempic do not have approval for weight loss. But, both drugs may make some people lose weight. Some weight loss was often seen in tests of Victoza and Ozempic.
Sometimes, doctors may give Victoza or Ozempic for weight loss even though they are not approved for it. This is called off-label drug use. It is when a drug that the FDA has approved is given for a different purpose than what it is approved for. But, you should not use Victoza or Ozempic for weight loss unless your doctor says so. You can look at this article for information about Ozempic for weight loss.
Victoza has the active drug liraglutide. Another drug with a brand name Saxenda also has liraglutide. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Saxenda to help weight loss in some people.
In the same way, Ozempic has the active drug semaglutide. Another drug with a brand name Wegovy also has semaglutide. Wegovy is FDA-approved to help weight loss in some people.
If you have questions about Victoza, Ozempic, or weight control, talk with your doctor.
How well do Victoza and Ozempic work?
Here are some details about how well Victoza and Ozempic work.
Study results. Here’s a quick look at whether Victoza or Ozempic worked better for certain conditions.
Different tests of the two drugs were compared in a bigger review of testsTrusted Source. Researchers looked at semaglutide (the active drug in Ozempic) and liraglutide (the active drug in Victoza). The results suggest that semaglutide may work better than liraglutide for keeping blood sugar levels under control for a long time.
More tests are needed to check these results. Remember that test results may not apply to your own health situation. Be sure to talk with your doctor to find out if Victoza or Ozempic may be good for you.
Drug information. For details about how these drugs did in clinical trials, see the drug information for Victoza and Ozempic. Remember that trial results may not apply to your own health situation.
Treatment rules. Another way to find out if a drug is effective is to look at treatment rules. When an organization puts certain drugs in treatment rules, this means that research has shown the drug to be safe and effective.
Victoza and Ozempic are in the same drug group: GLP-1 drugs. GLP-1 drugs are suggested as a treatment choice for some people with type 2 diabetes in rules from the American Diabetes Association.