Obesity is a major modifiable contributor to the development and progression of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). A meta-analysis published in Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity compared the efficacy and safety of liraglutide 1.2 mg and 1.8 mg for weight and glycemic control in individuals with T2DM and obesity.

Randomized controlled trials published up to September 30, 2024, were identified from PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, LENS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the Virtual Health Library. Eligible trials evaluated 24–52 weeks of treatment and compared liraglutide with placebo or glucose-lowering therapies. Outcomes included changes in body weight and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), along with rates of nausea and vomiting. Study quality was assessed using PRISMA guidance and the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool.

The analysis included 25 randomized trials with 10,593 participants. Liraglutide 1.2 mg (8 studies; 3,455 participants) reduced body weight by −1.24 kg vs glucose-lowering therapies, −0.75 kg vs placebo, and −2.46 kg vs oral antidiabetic drugs. Liraglutide 1.8 mg (22 studies; 8,259 participants) produced greater reductions of −2.30 kg vs glucose-lowering therapies, −1.93 kg vs placebo, and −2.81 kg vs oral antidiabetic drugs. Compared with oral semaglutide, exenatide, dulaglutide, lixisenatide, and albiglutide, liraglutide showed similar efficacy.

For glycemic outcomes, liraglutide 1.2 mg reduced HbA1c by −0.24% vs oral antidiabetic drugs, while liraglutide 1.8 mg reduced HbA1c by −0.26% vs glucose-lowering therapies. The 1.2 mg dose showed numerically lower rates of nausea and similar vomiting rates compared with other glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. Overall, both liraglutide doses improved body weight and glycemic measures in individuals with T2DM and obesity in randomized trial settings.