How Victoza® works

Victoza® is different from diabetes pills because it works in 3 ways to lower blood sugar.

Stomach
  1. When food exits your stomach too quickly after you eat, your blood sugar levels can rise out of range.
Liver
  1. When your liver makes too much sugar, your blood sugar can get too high.
Pancreas
  1. When your blood sugar is too high, your pancreas needs to make additional insulin to help regulate your blood sugar levels.

 

Victoza® works in 3 ways like the hormone GLP-1 (7-37)a to help control blood sugar levels

  1. Victoza® slows food leaving your stomach. GLP-1 is normally released from your small intestine when you eat. This slows down the process of food leaving your stomach, which helps control your blood sugar after meals.
  2. Victoza® helps prevent your liver from making too much sugar.
  3. Victoza® helps the pancreas produce more insulin when your blood sugar levels are high. Victoza® does this by helping important cells work the way they should. These cells are called beta cells and they help control blood sugar by making and releasing insulin.

aGLP-1 (7-37) represents <20% of the total circulating GLP-1 produced by your body.

Victoza® is not insulin

Victoza® is not insulin. But it can be taken with long-acting insulin. When using Victoza® with insulin, take them as separate injections. You may give both injections in the same body area (for example, your stomach area), but you should not give the injections right next to each other. Never mix insulin and Victoza® together.

Victoza® may also be taken alone or in combination with one or more common oral type 2 diabetes medications. These include biguanides (such as metformin), sulfonylureas (SUs), and thiazolidinediones (TZDs).

While not a weight-loss product, Victoza® may help adults lose some weight

In clinical studies of adults with type 2 diabetes, ranging from 26 to 52 weeks in length, many lost some weight. In a large study, when Victoza® was added to metformin, adults lost on average up to 6.2 pounds. While many adults in clinical trials lost weight, some did gain weight. The American Diabetes Association recommends weight loss as an important goal for overweight people with type 2 diabetes.

The makers of Victoza® have another noninsulin option for adults with type 2 diabetes.
Click to learn more, then ask your health care provider if this option could help lower your blood sugar.

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