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Yes, there is a Victoza generic, and Saxenda has one too. Liraglutide was the first GLP-1 medicine to go generic in the U.S. The FDA approved Hikma’s liraglutide, the first generic referencing Victoza, on December 23, 2024, and approved Teva’s generic of Saxenda, the first generic GLP-1 drug for weight management, in August 2025. By mid-2026, FDA records listed at least eight approved generics referencing Victoza and three referencing Saxenda. The FDA rates them as therapeutically equivalent to the brand they copy. They contain the same active ingredient, carry the same boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors and, like the brands, are used once a day by injection. The two kinds of generic are not interchangeable with each other, because Victoza and Saxenda are approved for different uses.
Peptide Labs does not sell Victoza, Saxenda, generic liraglutide or any prescription drug. This article summarizes FDA records and labels. For how liraglutide compares with the newer weekly drug, see our guide to liraglutide and semaglutide.
Key Takeaways
- Generic liraglutide exists for both brands: Victoza (type 2 diabetes) and Saxenda (weight management).
- Hikma's Victoza generic was approved December 23, 2024; Teva's Saxenda generic followed in August 2025.
- FDA data list at least eight approved Victoza generics and three Saxenda generics as of mid-2026.
- Generics are rated AP, meaning therapeutically equivalent; the number after the code shows which brand they copy.
- Generic labels carry the same boxed warning and the same daily schedule as the brand.
- There is still no generic semaglutide or tirzepatide on sale in the U.S.
Is there a Victoza generic? The approval timeline
Liraglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Novo Nordisk. It is sold under two brand names with different approved uses: Victoza, approved in January 2010 for type 2 diabetes, and Saxenda, approved in December 2014 for chronic weight management. Each brand now has its own generics. The first liraglutide sold without the Victoza name was actually an authorized generic: in June 2024 Teva launched a version made by Novo Nordisk and sold under Teva’s label. Six months later the FDA approved the first true generic application, from Hikma.
The table lists the generic applications that FDA’s Drugs@FDA database showed as approved when we checked on October 1, 2026. An approval does not mean a product is already in pharmacies, and the database can lag behind new approvals.
| Company | Brand it copies | FDA approval |
|---|---|---|
| Hikma | Victoza | December 2024 |
| Nanjing King-Friend | Victoza | April 2025 |
| Lupin | Victoza | July 2025 |
| Teva | Saxenda | August 2025 |
| Orbicular | Victoza | January 2026 |
| Biocon | Saxenda | February 2026 |
| Orbicular | Saxenda | February 2026 |
| Biocon | Victoza | March 2026 |
| Fresenius Kabi | Victoza | March 2026 |
| Mylan Institutional | Victoza | June 2026 |
| Sandoz | Victoza | July 2026 |
Generic Saxenda: the first generic for weight management
Generic Saxenda matters because it was the first generic GLP-1 drug approved for weight management. Teva’s version, approved in August 2025, has the same indication as the brand. Its label, as posted on DailyMed, says it is used with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity to reduce excess body weight and keep it off long term in adults with obesity, adults with overweight and at least one weight-related condition, and children 12 and older with obesity. Biocon and Orbicular received approvals for Saxenda generics in February 2026.
Saxenda and its generics are daily products. The newer weekly medicines, Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide), remain brand-only. Our overview of alternatives to Ozempic compares the options in the class.
What the AP rating means for liraglutide generic pens
The FDA’s Orange Book assigns each approved generic a therapeutic equivalence code. Liraglutide generics are rated AP, the code for injectable solutions judged therapeutically equivalent. According to the Orange Book preface, equivalent products can be substituted with the full expectation of the same clinical effect and safety profile as the prescribed product, when used as the labeling directs.
A liraglutide generic is coded AP1 if it copies Victoza and AP2 if it copies Saxenda. The Orange Book uses these numbered codes when more than one reference brand of the same strength sits under the same heading. In practice, a generic is equivalent only to the brand it was compared with. State pharmacy laws decide when a pharmacist may substitute a generic, and many rely on these ratings.
Generic peptides take extra work to approve. Brand liraglutide was originally made using recombinant DNA technology, while generics may be made by chemical synthesis. A 2021 FDA guidance explains when a synthetic copy of liraglutide, glucagon, teriparatide, nesiritide or teduglutide can be approved as a generic, and says that depends largely on showing a comparable impurity profile to the original.
What stays the same, and what can differ
The generic labels we reviewed on DailyMed match the brands on the points that matter most for safety:
- Boxed warning. Both Hikma’s and Teva’s labels carry the risk of thyroid C-cell tumors warning, with the same contraindication for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.
- Schedule. Like the brands, the generics are used once daily, at any time of day, with or without meals.
- Do not double up. Labels say not to use them with other liraglutide-containing products, and the Saxenda-type label adds any other GLP-1 receptor agonist.
- Side effects and warnings. Nausea, diarrhea, pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar with insulin or sulfonylureas and the other warnings are the same as for the brand. See our guide to side effects across the GLP-1 class.
Some details can differ. A generic label can leave out a use that appears on the brand label. The Victoza label (revised May 2025) includes reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, while the Hikma generic label we read (revised May 2026) lists only blood sugar control in adults and children 10 and older. The pen itself can also look different from the brand pen, so ask the pharmacist to go through the Instructions for Use with any new pen.
Liraglutide generic vs semaglutide: no generic Ozempic yet
People searching for a liraglutide generic often also want a cheaper version of Ozempic or Wegovy. Semaglutide is still brand-only in the U.S. In April 2026 the FDA gave Apotex a tentative approval for a generic referencing Ozempic, which means the application met the scientific standards but cannot be marketed until patents or exclusivities allow. Liraglutide and semaglutide are different molecules, and liraglutide is not a generic form of either Ozempic or Wegovy.
Compounded or “research” liraglutide sold online is not a generic. An FDA-approved generic has been reviewed against the brand; compounded drugs are not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality before sale, and our guide to compounded GLP-1 drugs explains the rules. For background on how the class works, see what GLP-1 is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a generic for Victoza?
Yes. The FDA approved the first generic referencing Victoza, from Hikma, on December 23, 2024. FDA records list at least eight approved Victoza generics as of mid-2026.
Is there a generic Saxenda?
Yes. Teva’s generic of Saxenda was approved in August 2025, the first generic GLP-1 drug for weight management. Biocon and Orbicular were approved in February 2026.
Is generic liraglutide the same as Victoza?
A generic rated AP1 is judged therapeutically equivalent to Victoza: same active ingredient, strength and form, with the same boxed warning. Approved uses on its label can be narrower.
Can generic Victoza be used for weight loss?
Victoza generics are approved for type 2 diabetes. Saxenda generics are the liraglutide products approved for weight management. The two are not substituted for each other.
Is liraglutide a generic Ozempic?
No. Ozempic contains semaglutide, a different molecule. There is no generic semaglutide on sale in the U.S.; one application has tentative approval only.
Are liraglutide generics safe?
They meet the same FDA standards as other generics and carry the same warnings as the brand, including the thyroid C-cell tumor boxed warning. Ask a pharmacist about any change of product.
Peptide Labs does not sell GLP-1 medicines or any prescription drug. This article is general information, not medical advice. Read the Medication Guide that comes with a prescription, and ask a pharmacist or prescriber how this information applies to you.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Related guides: Liraglutide vs Semaglutide: Daily vs Weekly GLP-1 Drugs Compared, Ozempic Alternatives: FDA-Approved Options, OTC Facts and What to Avoid, GLP-1 Side Effects: What Every GLP-1 Drug Label Warns About.