Novo Nordisk to stop selling Victoza in Europe by end of 2026
The withdrawal covers only Europe and is not a safety decision; no guidance on switching treatments or on US supply has been disclosed.
The European Medicines Agency says Novo Nordisk will stop marketing Victoza in the European Union and the European Economic Area by the end of 2026. The agency describes the move as a commercial decision rather than a safety action [1].
Victoza contains the active substance liraglutide. It is authorised in the EU as an addition to diet and exercise for adults and children aged 10 and older with type 2 diabetes [1]. It is a once-daily injection given under the skin of the abdomen, thigh or upper arm, supplied in prefilled pens of 6 mg/ml [1]. The EU-wide marketing authorisation was granted on 30 June 2009 [1].
The EMA's assessment of the medicine itself has not changed. The agency concluded that Victoza's benefits are greater than its risks, and the advice for safe and effective use remains in the product information [1]. The most common side effects, seen in more than 1 in 10 patients, are nausea and diarrhoea; these usually pass after a few days or weeks of treatment [1].
The approval rests on six main studies that together enrolled 4,289 adults and children with type 2 diabetes [1]. In one study of Victoza used alone, a 1.2 mg dose lowered HbA1c — a blood marker of average glucose control — by 0.8 percentage points, and a 1.8 mg dose lowered it by 1.1 percentage points, compared with 0.5 percentage points for glimepiride [1]. In a study of 134 children and adolescents, HbA1c fell by 0.64 percentage points with Victoza while it rose by 0.42 percentage points with placebo [1].
A separate cardiovascular trial followed 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes and existing heart disease for an average of 3.8 years. Major cardiovascular events — heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death — occurred in 13% of those taking Victoza (608 of 4,668) compared with 14.9% of those taking placebo (694 of 4,672) [1].
Why it matters for patients
People in the EU and EEA who use Victoza for type 2 diabetes can expect the product to leave the market by the end of 2026 [1]. The EMA notice does not describe how patients will move to other treatments, which alternatives will be recommended, or how quickly supplies in individual countries will run down; those details have not been reported [1].
Victoza's active ingredient, liraglutide [1], is not the same molecule as semaglutide, sold as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, or tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound. Nothing in the EMA notice compares Victoza with those medicines or says how the withdrawal might affect their availability.
The announcement covers only the EU and EEA. Novo Nordisk has not said in the notice whether US availability of Victoza will change, and no US supply information has been disclosed.
What happens next
The withdrawal is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2026 [1]. A country-by-country timetable, the exact last date of sale in each market, and any guidance for prescribers about switching patients have not been published [1].
Sources
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