What is the difference between Soliqua and Xultophy?
Both products combine a long-acting insulin with a GLP-1 agonist – Xultopy brings together Tresiba (insulin degludec) and Victoza (liraglutide), while Soliqua combines Lantus (insulin glargine) with Adlyxin (lixisenatide).
Soliqua 100/33 is Sanofi’s once-daily injection used alongside diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults type 2 diabetes. Soliqua 100/33 is a combination of insulin glargine 100 Units/mL (Lantus), a long-acting insulin, and lixisenatide 33 mcg/mL (Adlyxin), a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist.
Xultophy 100/3.6 is Novo Nordisk’s once-daily injection of insulin degludec 100 Units/mL (Tresiba), and the GLP-1 agonist liraglutide 3.6 mg/mL (Victoza), also used to treat type 2 diabetes in conjunction with diet and exercise. Insulin degludec is a long-acting insulin and liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist.
These two medications, available as injection pens, were the first approved in a novel group of type 2 diabetes treatments that combine a long-acting insulin with a GLP-1 agonist. They are not approved for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. These drugs are often used after other diabetes medications have been tried without success.
Long-acting insulins start working several hours after injection and continue to work steadily for 24 hours. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are similar to a hormone that occurs naturally in the body and helps to control blood sugar, insulin levels, and digestion. GLP-1 agonists may help you to lose weight.
GLP-1 agonists approved in the U.S. include:
- albiglutide (Tanzeum)
- dulaglutide (Trulicity)
- exenatide extended-release (Bydureon BCise)
- exenatide (Byetta)
- liraglutide (Victoza)
- lixisenatide (Adlyxin)
- semaglutide (Ozempic)
- semaglutide (Rybelsus)
All agents are given by injection except for Rybelsus from Novo Nordisk, the first oral GLP-1 agonist, approved in September 2019.
This is not all the information you need to know about Xultophy or Soliqua for safe and effective use and does not take the place of talking to your doctor about your treatment. Review the full product information, and discuss this information and any questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider.
Related questions
- Which GLP-1 drug is best for weight loss?
- How and where do you inject liraglutide?
- Can liraglutide be used for weight loss?
References
- Soliqua 100/33 (insulin glargine and lixisenatide injection), for subcutaneous use. [product information]. Accessed March 18, 2021 at https://products.sanofi.us/Soliqua100-33/Soliqua100-33.pdf
- Xultophy 100/3.6 (insulin degludec and liraglutide injection), for subcutaneous use. [product information]. Accessed March 18, 2021 at https://www.novo-pi.com/xultophy10036.pdf
Read next
Basaglar and Lantus - What is the difference between them?
Basaglar and Lantus both injections that contain insulin glargine, a long-acting form of insulin to help control blood sugar levels in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Basaglar is considered a "follow-on" to Lantus but is not a biosimilar, according to the FDA. This means your doctor will need to write a prescription for one or the other as they cannot be substituted at the pharmacy. Continue reading
Toujeo vs Lantus - What's the difference between them?
Both Toujeo and Lantus are long-acting insulins that contain glargine, however Toujeo is more concentrated containing 300 units per mL of glargine, compared to Lantus’s 100 units per mL. When you take this into account the cost of Toujeo and Lantus works out approximately the same (real cost value $30.76/mL for Toujeo compared with $30.23/mL for Lantus). Continue reading
What are biosimilar drugs and how do they compare to biologics?
A biosimilar is a biological product that is similar to a reference biologic (usually the originally approved product) and for which there are no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, purity, and potency. The most recently approved biosimilar is Starjemza (ustekinumab-hmny), an interchangeable biosimilar to Stelara, cleared by the FDA on May 22, 2025.
Continue readingSee also:
Aimovig
Learn about Aimovig (erenumab-aooe) a once-monthly, injectable medication that can be ...
Botox
Botox is used cosmetically to reduce facial lines and wrinkles and for medical purposes for ...
Ozempic
Learn about Ozempic (semaglutide) for type 2 diabetes treatment, weight management, cardiovascular ...
Nurtec ODT
Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) is used to treat acute migraines and prevent episodic migraines, by ...
Depakote
Depakote is used to treat various types of seizure disorders. Learn about side effects ...
Topamax
Topamax (topiramate) is used to prevent seizures in adults and children and to prevent migraine ...
Emgality
Emgality (galcanezumab-gnlm) is a CGRP antagonist for the preventive treatment of migraine and for ...
Timolol
Timolol is used for angina, heart attack, high blood pressure, migraine, migraine prevention
Valproic acid
Valproic acid is used for bipolar disorder, cluster-tic syndrome, epilepsy, headache ...
Divalproex sodium
Divalproex sodium is used for bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, cyclothymic ...
Related medical questions
- When is the best time of day to take Victoza?
- Is there a list of drugs that require cold storage?
- Will Victoza help with weight loss?
- How many doses are in a Victoza pen?
- Does Victoza need to be refrigerated?
- How and where do you use the Victoza pen?
- Can Victoza and Januvia be used together?
- Soliqua vs Lantus: What’s the difference between them?
- Is Admelog the same as NovoLog?
- When should I take Lantus?
- Levemir vs Lantus: What's the difference?
- Does Lantus insulin need to be refrigerated?
- What biosimilars have been approved in the United States?
- How long does Lantus last?
- Is Tresiba the same as Lantus?
- Can you mix Humalog with Lantus?
- How do you use the Lantus pen (Lantus SoloStar)?
- Does Lantus insulin raise or lower your blood sugar?
- Does Lantus cause weight gain?
- Which type of insulin has the longest duration of action?
- How do medications help with diabetes?
Related support groups
- Victoza (54 questions, 303 members)
- Lantus (47 questions, 121 members)
- Insulin Degludec (11 questions, 4 members)
- Xultophy (4 questions, 5 members)
- Insulin Glargine (14 questions, 9 members)
- Tresiba (13 questions, 19 members)
- Soliqua (9 questions, 7 members)
- Insulin Degludec/liraglutide (3 questions, 3 members)
- Lixisenatide (3 questions, 3 members)
- Insulin Glargine/lixisenatide (2 questions, 3 members)
- Adlyxin (2 questions, 3 members)