About Victoza®

About Victoza®
Victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that improves blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with a diet and exercise program.

Victoza is not insulin. It is not known if Victoza is safe and effective when used with insulin. Victoza is not for people with type 1 diabetes or people with diabetic ketoacidosis. Victoza is not recommended for use in children. 

Important Safety Information:

In animal studies, the medicine in Victoza caused rats and mice to develop thyroid tumors, some of which were cancerous. It is not known whether Victoza causes thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid cancer (MTC)in people. MTC may lead to death. Do not use Victoza if you or any of your family members have a history of MTC or if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). This is a disease where people have tumors in more than one gland in their body.

You should tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, or shortness of breath while you are taking Victoza because these may be symptoms of thyroid cancer.

Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) may be severe and lead to death. Certain medical conditions make you more likely to get pancreatitis. Therefore before taking Victoza, tell your healthcare provider if you have had pancreatitis, stones in your gallbladder (gallstones), a history of alcoholism, or high blood triglyceride levels.

Stop taking Victoza and call your healthcare provider right away if you have pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that is severe and will not go away. The pain may happen with or without vomiting. The pain may be felt going from your abdomen through to your back. These may be symptoms of pancreatitis.

Your risk for getting hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is higher if you take Victoza with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea. The dose of your sulfonylurea medicine may need to be lowered while taking Victoza.

The most common side effects with Victoza include headache, nausea, and diarrhea. Nausea is most common when first starting Victoza, but decreases over time in most people.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicine you take and if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.