Mounjaro vs Victoza
Both are GLP-1 agonists. Here is how Mounjaro and Victoza compare on class, mechanism, dosing, approval and supply.
At a glance
Key differences
- Same class. Both Mounjaro and Victoza are GLP-1 agonists, so they work through the same broad mechanism. Differences between them tend to be about dosing, route, how selective they are, and side effects rather than what they target.
- How they are taken. Both are given by the subcutaneous route.
- Time on the market. Mounjaro was first approved by the FDA in 2022, Victoza in 2010. That gives Victoza roughly 12 more years of real-world use and long-term safety data.
- Who markets them. Mounjaro is marketed by Eli Lilly; Victoza by Novo Nordisk.
- Same drug, more than one brand. Tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro / Zepbound — the same active ingredient marketed under different brand names, typically for different approved uses or doses.
- Same drug, more than one brand. Liraglutide is sold as Victoza / Saxenda — the same active ingredient marketed under different brand names, typically for different approved uses or doses.
- Supply. Victoza is currently listed on the FDA drug shortage database. See the Drug Shortages Tracker for the current status.
What each one treats
MOUNJARO ® is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus. MOUNJARO ® is a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus. ( 1 )
VICTOZA is indicated: • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus, • to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease [see Clinical Studies ( 14.3 )] . Limitations of Use : VICTOZA should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. VICTOZA contains liraglutide and should not be coadministered with other liraglutide-containing products. VICTOZA is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated: • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus (1) . • to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitu…
How each one works
12.1 Mechanism of Action Tirzepatide is a GIP receptor and GLP-1 receptor agonist. It contains a C20 fatty diacid that enables albumin binding and prolongs the half-life. Tirzepatide selectively binds to and activates both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors, the targets for native GIP and GLP-1. Tirzepatide enhances first- and second-phase insulin secretion, and reduces glucagon levels, both in a glucose-dependent manner.
12.1 Mechanism of Action Liraglutide is an acylated human Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37). GLP-1(7-37) represents <20% of total circulating endogenous GLP-1. Like GLP-1(7-37), liraglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor, a membrane-bound cell-surface receptor coupled to adenylyl cyclase by the stimulatory G-protein, Gs, in pancreatic beta cells. Liraglutide increases intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) leading to insulin release in the presence of elevated glucose concentrations. This insulin secretion subsides as blood glucose concentrations decrease and approach euglycemia. Liraglutide also decreases glucagon …
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Which medicine is right for a given person depends on their diagnosis, other conditions, other medicines, kidney and liver function, pregnancy, and cost or reimbursement — none of which this page knows. Two drugs in the same class are not automatically interchangeable. Never start, stop or switch a prescription medicine on the basis of a web page; that decision belongs to you and your clinician or pharmacist.
How this page is built
The facts on this page are pulled directly from official U.S. FDA datasets — they are not written from memory. Each field below names the dataset it came from, so you can check it yourself.
- FDA Drug Label (openFDA) ↗ Indications, mechanism of action and pharmacologic class
- Drugs@FDA ↗ First FDA approval date and the company holding the application
- FDA Drug Shortage Database ↗ Current US supply / shortage status
Plain-English summaries and drug-class explainers are written and reviewed by Sreepriya Prasannan (MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany). Data is retrieved automatically from the sources above and cross-checked with AI-assisted verification (Anthropic's Claude) — brand and generic names are matched against the exact FDA product record so that a combination product or a different formulation cannot be mistaken for the drug on this page. An editor reviews the result before publication. We describe this in full in our editorial standards and corrections policy. The FDA data on this page was last retrieved on 5 Oct 2026. How every register is built: methodology · fixes we have made: corrections log.