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Dulaglutide
GLP-1 receptor agonist · Trulicity
- UK status
- MHRA licensed
- Availability
- Prescription only
- Evidence base
- Human RCT, phase 3
- Controlled drug
- No
Sequence
A fusion protein of about 275 amino acids, too long to render usefully. See the SPC.
Dulaglutide is probably the GLP-1 drug most quietly in use in the UK. It has been prescribed for type 2 diabetes for years, and it is not licensed for weight management, which is the fact people most often get wrong about it.
01What it is
Dulaglutide is a GLP-1 analogue joined to a fragment of an antibody. That antibody portion is what makes it last a week in the body, a different engineering solution to the same problem semaglutide solves with a fatty acid chain.
Being a fusion protein rather than a short chain makes it much larger than semaglutide or liraglutide. It is a protein at the far end of what people still loosely call a peptide drug.
02UK legal and licensing status
Dulaglutide is licensed in the UK for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults, to improve glycaemic control alongside diet and exercise. It is available on NHS prescription and privately.
Dulaglutide has no UK weight management licence. People do lose weight on it, and that is a recognised effect, but prescribing it for weight loss would be off-label. This is the same pattern as Ozempic: a diabetes drug that has a weight effect is not the same thing as a licensed weight-loss drug.
Occasional local supply pressure on GLP-1 medicines has been common since 2022. Temporary shortage is not discontinuation, and anyone struggling to get a prescription filled should speak to their pharmacy rather than seek an alternative source.
03How it works
The same GLP-1 receptor mechanism as the rest of the class: glucose-dependent insulin release, slowed gastric emptying, and reduced appetite signalling. Once weekly by injection.
04What the evidence shows
The evidence base is the AWARD programme for glycaemic control, and REWIND for cardiovascular outcomes. REWIND is the notable one: it examined cardiovascular risk reduction in people with type 2 diabetes both with and without established cardiovascular disease, which was a broader population than several comparable trials.
All were funded by Eli Lilly.
Because attention has moved to semaglutide and tirzepatide, contemporary comparative data against the newer agents is limited, and new prescribing has declined.
05Reported harms
Gastrointestinal effects predominate, as across the class. The Summary of Product Characteristics carries the full frequency table.
The January 2026 MHRA drug safety alert on acute pancreatitis applies to GLP-1 medicines as a class, and the standing advice about telling an anaesthetist before surgery applies here too.
06Sources
Links go to the primary source. Where a source is behind a paywall or requires registration, the citation is given so you can find it yourself.
- Summary of Product Characteristicselectronic medicines compendium
- Dulaglutide monographBNF
- Trulicity assessment reportEuropean Medicines Agency
- REWIND cardiovascular outcomes trialThe Lancet, 2019
- Drug Safety Update on GLP-1 medicinesMHRA, January 2026
07Change history
Every substantive change to this record is logged here with its date. Corrections are made openly, not quietly.
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