Summary
Liraglutide has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Type 2 Diabetes would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Type 2 Diabetes. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Liraglutide to Type 2 Diabetes: 7 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT02535299). The largest enrolment is 359 participants (NCT04666987). Registration activity spans 1999 to 2020. The literature layer holds 14 publications for this pair: 5 Cochrane reviews, 3 meta-analyses, 1 systematic review and 5 clinical trial publications. The dated items are from 2026. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ranks 767 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: 1.6-1.7% at 7 years on standard care (population-level cohorts UK and US).
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 78.0 (trials 28.0, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 7 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 14 (5 Cochrane reviews, 5 clinical trial publications, 3 meta-analyses, 1 systematic review) |
| Agent type | Biologic |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT04657939 | Targeting Beta-cell Failure in Lean Patients With Type 2 Diabetes 2020 | completed | Phase 4 | 57 |
| NCT02535299 | Par-4 and Telomere-telomerase System in Type 2 Diabetes Patients Who Received GLP-1 or Metformin Treatment 2016 | status unknown | Phase 4 | 200 |
| NCT01234649 | Combined Liraglutide and Metformin Therapy in Women With Previous Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) 2011 | completed | Phase 3 | 153 |
| NCT03862716 | Remission Evaluation of a Metabolic Intervention for Type 2 Diabetes With IDegLira 2019 | completed | Phase 3 | 159 |
| NCT02113332 | Addition of Liraglutide to Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Treated With Multiple Daily Insulin Injections 2013 | completed | Phase 2 | 124 |
| NCT01507311 | Effect of Liraglutide on Pulsatile Insulin Secretion in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes 1999 | completed | Phase 1 | 11 |
| NCT02895672 | GLP-1/Basal Insulin Combination Therapy 2016 | completed | Not applicable | 150 |
| NCT04666987 | A Research Study Looking at Long-term Blood Sugar Control in People With Type 2 Diabetes Being Treated With Xultophy® in a Real-world Setting in Italy 2020 | completed | Not applicable | 359 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Liraglutide and Recurrent Stroke by Baseline Insulin Resistance: A Post Hoc Analysis of the LAMP TrialLu L, Yang B, Wang Y et al. · Stroke · 2026 · PMID 42145088
- Clinical trial publication Comparison of the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Profiles of Four Glucose-Lowering Medications in the GRADE Randomized TrialBergenstal RM, Crandall JP, Rosin SP et al. · Diabetes care · 2026 · PMID 41925680
- Clinical trial publication Modulation of circulating extracellular vesicles by antihyperglycemic therapies: A pilot randomized controlled trialBaldassarre MPA, Carrieri F, Coluzzi S et al. · Journal of diabetes and its complications · 2026 · PMID 41621217
- Clinical trial publication Medication Adherence in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE)Gonzalez JS, Wen H, Butera NM et al. · Diabetes care · 2026 · PMID 41557987
- Clinical trial publication Differential Longitudinal Effects of Glucose-Lowering Medications on Glucagon and C-peptide Responses in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE)Kahn SE, Tripputi M, Lachin JM et al. · Diabetes care · 2026 · PMID 41432725
- Cochrane review Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and rotator cuff disease: a scoping reviewDuru DO, Zhou AK, Lee DKR et al. · BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026 · PMID 42298552
- Cochrane review Comparative efficacy and safety of three fixed-ratio combination products in type 2 diabetes: A network meta-analysisWang X, Qin J, Liu Y et al. · Journal of diabetes investigation · 2026 · PMID 41902544
- Cochrane review Economic evaluation of sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors compared with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a systematic reviewWang L, Wang Y, Zhao Q · European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026 · PMID 41811375
- Cochrane review Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists in children with obesity and type 2 diabetes. an umbrella reviewMirghani H, Albishi L, Alblewi SM · Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026 · PMID 41798193
- Cochrane review Cardiorenal protective effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysisWang Y, Feng L, Wang Y et al. · Renal failure · 2026 · PMID 41644273
- Meta-analysis Cardiometabolic Profiles of Oral and Subcutaneous Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Mono-Agonists in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-AnalysisLu Y, Chen J, Guo Y et al. · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2026 · PMID 41992023
- Meta-analysis Effect of Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RA) on Neuropsychiatric Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisChoudhury I, Ward JH, Mahesh S et al. · Clinical therapeutics · 2026 · PMID 41862354
- Meta-analysis Comparison of Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Tirzepatide, Liraglutide and Semaglutide in Patients with Obesity and Without T2D: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled TrialsCiudin A, Sapin H, Fan L et al. · Advances in therapy · 2026 · PMID 41820778
- Systematic review Approved weight loss drugs for obesity with a thorough emphasis on GLP-1 agonist medications: A systematic reviewGunasekaran P, Inban P, Agrawal A et al. · Disease-a-month : DM · 2026 · PMID 41991422
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Liraglutide approved for Type 2 Diabetes?
Liraglutide has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Type 2 Diabetes would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Type 2 Diabetes. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Liraglutide in clinical trials for Type 2 Diabetes?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Liraglutide to Type 2 Diabetes: 7 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT02535299). The largest enrolment is 359 participants (NCT04666987). Registration activity spans 1999 to 2020.
What does the evidence show for Liraglutide in Type 2 Diabetes?
Liraglutide has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Type 2 Diabetes. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.