Table 2.

GLP-1 RAs approved for T2DM treatment.

GLP-1 Agonist	Duration of Action	First Approval	Elimination Half-Life	Posology
Exenatide	Short-acting	2005 (USA) 2006 (Europe)	3.3–4.0 h	Subcutaneous injection, twice daily, before meals Dosage: 5 μg, after 1 month, increase to 10 μg
Lixisenatide	Short-acting	2013 (Europe) 2016 (USA)	2.6 h	Subcutaneous injection, once daily, before meals Dosage: 10 μg, after 15 days, increase to 20 μg
Liraglutide	Long-acting	2009 (Europe) 2010 (USA)	12.6–14.3 h	Subcutaneous injection, once daily Dosage: 0.6 mg, after 1 week, increase to 1.2 mg; it can be increased to 1.8 mg in case of poor glycemic control
Once-weekly Exenatide	Long-acting	2012	3.3–4.0 h	Subcutaneous injection, once weekly Dosage: 2 mg once weekly with or without meals
Dulaglutide	Long-acting	2014	4.7–5.5 days	Subcutaneous injection, once weekly Dosage: 0.75 mg once weekly; it can be increased to 1.5 mg in case of poor glycemic control
Albiglutide	Long-acting	2014	5.7–6.8 days	Subcutaneous injection, once weekly Dosage: 30 mg once weekly; it can be increased to 50 mg in case of poor glycemic control
Semaglutide	Long-acting	2017 (USA) 2018 (Europe)	5.7–6.7 days	Subcutaneous injection, once weekly Dosage: 0.25 mg once weekly, after 1 month, increase to 0.5 mg; it can be increased to 1 mg in case of poor glycemic control
Semaglutide	Long-acting	2019	5.7–6.7 days	Oral administration, once weekly, before meals Dosage: 3 mg, after 1 month, increase to 7 mg; it can be increased to 14 mg in case of poor glycemic control

GLP-1 RAs: glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists; T2DM: type 2 diabetes mellitus.