Is Trulicity a GLP-1 medication?

Yes. Trulicity is dulaglutide, a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly and FDA approved in 2014 for type 2 diabetes.

What is the generic name for Trulicity?

The generic name is dulaglutide. There is no generic version available as of 2026; Trulicity is brand-name only in the United States.

What is Trulicity used for?

Trulicity is approved to improve blood sugar in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes, and to reduce major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who have heart disease or cardiovascular risk factors.

What are the benefits of Trulicity for type 2 diabetes management?

A1C reduction of roughly 1.0 to 1.5 percentage points, modest weight loss of two to six pounds at standard doses, a once-weekly dose, a simple no-needle-visible pen, and a 12% relative reduction in major cardiovascular events shown in the REWIND trial.

What is the maximum dose of Trulicity?

4.5 mg once weekly in adults with type 2 diabetes. Pediatric maximum is 1.5 mg once weekly.

How is Trulicity different from Ozempic?

Both are once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonists, but Trulicity contains dulaglutide and Ozempic contains semaglutide. Ozempic produces larger A1C and weight reductions; Trulicity uses a simpler pen and has the broader cardiovascular indication that includes primary prevention.

Can children take Trulicity?

Yes, for type 2 diabetes in children 10 years and older, up to a maximum of 1.5 mg weekly. The cardiovascular risk reduction indication is adults only.

Is Trulicity a GLP-1?

Summary: Trulicity is dulaglutide, a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist that Eli Lilly launched in 2014 for type 2 diabetes, and in 2020 it became the first GLP-1 with an FDA label for reducing major cardiovascular events.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting, changing, or stopping any medication.

Yes. Trulicity is a GLP-1 receptor agonist. The active ingredient is dulaglutide, and it works by mimicking the natural gut hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that your body releases after a meal. Eli Lilly launched it in 2014 as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection for type 2 diabetes, and it sits in the same drug class as Ozempic, Wegovy, Victoza, Saxenda, Byetta, and Rybelsus.

That is the headline. The longer answer covers what dulaglutide does in your body, how Trulicity compares to the other GLP-1s on the market, who it is approved for, and the question a lot of people typed into Google in 2024 and 2025: do they still make Trulicity, and is it being phased out.

What Trulicity is, in one paragraph

Trulicity is the brand name for dulaglutide, a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly and Company. It is supplied as a pre-filled, single-use injection pen in four strengths: 0.75 mg/0.5 mL, 1.5 mg/0.5 mL, 3 mg/0.5 mL, and 4.5 mg/0.5 mL ^[3]. You inject it once a week, on the same day each week, under the skin of your stomach, thigh, or upper arm. There is no oral form, and there is no generic version as of 2026.

The FDA approved Trulicity for adults with type 2 diabetes on September 18, 2014. In 2020 it became the first GLP-1 receptor agonist to receive a label expansion for reducing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes, with or without established heart disease ^[1]. That cardiovascular indication was based on the REWIND trial ^[2], which we cover below.

How dulaglutide works

GLP-1 is an incretin hormone your small intestine releases within minutes of eating. It signals the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar is high, suppresses glucagon (the hormone that tells your liver to dump stored glucose into the bloodstream), slows how fast food leaves your stomach, and dampens hunger signals in the brain. The body breaks endogenous GLP-1 down in about two minutes.

Dulaglutide is a genetically engineered protein that copies the active part of GLP-1 and fuses it to a fragment of human immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4). That structural change does two things. It makes the molecule too large for the kidneys to clear quickly, and it shields the GLP-1 sequence from the enzyme (DPP-4) that normally degrades the native hormone. The result is a half-life of roughly five days, which is why one weekly dose is enough to keep GLP-1 receptors activated continuously.

What that means in your body, week to week:

Insulin release becomes glucose-dependent. When your blood sugar rises after a meal, your pancreas releases more insulin than it otherwise would. When blood sugar is normal, the drug largely leaves insulin secretion alone, which is why hypoglycemia risk from Trulicity alone is low.
Glucagon output drops. Less liver glucose production means lower fasting blood sugar between meals.
Gastric emptying slows. Food sits in the stomach longer, which blunts post-meal glucose spikes and increases the sense of fullness.
Appetite decreases. Most people eat less without consciously deciding to. Average weight change on dulaglutide is modest compared to semaglutide or tirzepatide, typically two to six pounds at standard doses, with higher doses producing somewhat more weight loss ^[3].

What Trulicity is used for

The FDA-approved indications are narrow and specific.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Trulicity is approved as an add-on to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and in children 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes ^[1]. It is not approved for type 1 diabetes, and it is not for diabetic ketoacidosis.

Cardiovascular risk reduction. In adults with type 2 diabetes who either have established cardiovascular disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors, Trulicity is approved to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, defined as the composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack, and non-fatal stroke ^[1].

Weight loss? Trulicity is not approved as a weight loss drug. Some people lose weight on it, often two to six pounds at standard doses ^[3], but the magnitude is much smaller than what you see with Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg) or Zepbound (tirzepatide). If weight loss is the primary goal, dulaglutide is not the right tool. Eli Lilly's own weight loss product is Zepbound.

Dose: 0.75 mg to 4.5 mg once weekly

The dose ladder for adults with type 2 diabetes is one of the simpler ones in the GLP-1 class ^[1]^[3].

Step	Dose	When to escalate
Start	0.75 mg once weekly	Baseline for at least 4 weeks
Step 2	1.5 mg once weekly	If additional glycemic control needed
Step 3	3 mg once weekly	Stay at 3 mg for at least 4 weeks before step 4
Step 4	4.5 mg once weekly	Maximum approved adult dose

For children 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes, the maximum is 1.5 mg once weekly. For the cardiovascular risk reduction indication, the same adult escalation applies, starting at 0.75 mg and titrating as needed for blood sugar control.

Practical notes from the FDA label and prescribing information:

Inject the same day each week. If you need to change days, your previous dose must be at least 72 hours earlier.
Take it any time of day, with or without food.
Rotate the injection site each week between stomach, thigh, and upper arm.
If you miss a dose and at least 3 days remain before your next scheduled dose, inject the missed dose. If less than 3 days remain, skip it.
Refrigerate the pens at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. The pen tolerates up to 14 days at room temperature before use.

REWIND: the cardiovascular outcomes trial that earned Trulicity its second indication

The REWIND trial is the data behind Trulicity's 2020 cardiovascular label. Run between 2011 and 2018, REWIND randomized 9,901 adults with type 2 diabetes to receive either dulaglutide 1.5 mg weekly or placebo, on top of standard care, and followed them for a median of 5.4 years ^[2].

What made REWIND unusual among GLP-1 cardiovascular outcome trials:

Two-thirds of participants had no established cardiovascular disease at baseline. They had cardiovascular risk factors instead. Most prior GLP-1 trials had enrolled almost exclusively people with prior heart attacks, strokes, or vascular disease.
The median age was 66 and 46% were women, giving REWIND broader generalizability to the typical type 2 diabetes population than trials skewed toward sicker, older men.
Median follow-up of 5.4 years was the longest of any GLP-1 cardiovascular outcomes trial at the time.

The primary outcome (cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack, or non-fatal stroke) occurred in 12.0% of the dulaglutide group versus 13.4% of the placebo group, a hazard ratio of 0.88 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.99, p = 0.026) ^[2]. That works out to roughly a 12% relative risk reduction. The benefit was driven mostly by a reduction in non-fatal stroke (hazard ratio 0.76).

That single trial is why your cardiologist may have suggested Trulicity to an older relative with type 2 diabetes who had elevated cardiovascular risk but had never had a heart attack. The 2020 FDA label expansion explicitly covers that primary-prevention population, which other GLP-1s at the time did not.

Is Trulicity insulin? No, and the distinction matters

This is one of the most common search questions and the answer is unambiguous. Trulicity is not insulin. Insulin is a hormone your pancreas's beta cells produce to move glucose out of the bloodstream into cells. Trulicity is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that nudges your own pancreas to release more insulin when blood sugar is high.

Key differences:

Feature	Trulicity (dulaglutide)	Insulin
Drug class	GLP-1 receptor agonist	Hormone replacement
What it does	Triggers your pancreas to release insulin when glucose is high	Replaces or supplements pancreatic insulin directly
Dosing frequency	Once weekly	Once to multiple times daily
Hypoglycemia risk alone	Low	Higher
Effect on weight	Neutral to modest loss	Often causes weight gain
Used in type 1 diabetes	No	Yes, essential
Cardiovascular outcomes data	Yes, REWIND trial	No equivalent outcomes data

You can take Trulicity together with insulin if your doctor prescribes both, which is common in advanced type 2 diabetes. The combination raises hypoglycemia risk, so insulin dose adjustments are usually needed when Trulicity is added. Trulicity and insulin should never be mixed in the same syringe and should not be injected immediately adjacent to one another.

How Trulicity compares to other GLP-1 receptor agonists

The GLP-1 class has expanded fast since exenatide (Byetta) was first approved in 2005. Here is where dulaglutide sits in 2026.

Drug	Active ingredient	Dosing	Approved for
Trulicity	Dulaglutide	Weekly injection	T2D, CV risk reduction
Ozempic	Semaglutide	Weekly injection	T2D, CV risk reduction
Wegovy	Semaglutide	Weekly injection	Chronic weight management
Rybelsus	Semaglutide	Daily tablet	T2D
Victoza	Liraglutide	Daily injection	T2D, CV risk reduction
Saxenda	Liraglutide	Daily injection	Chronic weight management
Byetta	Exenatide	Twice-daily injection	T2D
Mounjaro	Tirzepatide (dual GIP/GLP-1)	Weekly injection	T2D
Zepbound	Tirzepatide (dual GIP/GLP-1)	Weekly injection	Chronic weight management

Three things separate dulaglutide from the rest of the once-weekly options:

Pen simplicity. The Trulicity pen has no needle to attach, no dose dial, and no need to see the needle before injection. Press it to the skin, push the button, hear two clicks, done. Patient adherence studies have consistently favored Trulicity over Ozempic on this dimension, even though Ozempic produces larger A1C and weight reductions at maximum dose.
Children 10 and up. Dulaglutide has FDA-approved pediatric dosing for type 2 diabetes; most other injectable GLP-1s have only adult approvals.
Cardiovascular benefit in primary prevention. REWIND enrolled patients without prior cardiovascular events, which broadened the label compared to the trials behind semaglutide (SUSTAIN-6) and liraglutide (LEADER).

What dulaglutide gives up in exchange: head-to-head data show semaglutide produces larger A1C reductions and roughly 4 to 6 pounds more weight loss than dulaglutide at maximum approved doses. Tirzepatide outperforms both.

Side effects and warnings

The side effect profile of Trulicity is dominated by gastrointestinal symptoms, the class effect of every GLP-1 ^[3].

Most common (occurring in more than 5% of users):

Nausea
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Decreased appetite
Indigestion
Fatigue

Most of the GI side effects appear in the first weeks after a dose escalation and ease as the gut adapts. Eating smaller meals, avoiding very greasy or very sweet food, and staying hydrated are the standard mitigations.

Serious risks called out in the prescribing information ^[1]:

Thyroid C-cell tumors (boxed warning)
Acute pancreatitis (stop the drug if severe persistent abdominal pain develops)
Hypoglycemia, mainly when combined with insulin or a sulfonylurea
Acute kidney injury, usually secondary to dehydration from GI symptoms
Severe gastrointestinal disease, including gastroparesis
Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis and angioedema
Acute gallbladder disease
Pulmonary aspiration during procedures requiring anesthesia or deep sedation (tell every prescriber and surgeon if you take Trulicity)
Diabetic retinopathy complications in patients with a history of retinopathy

People with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, those with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, and those in diabetic ketoacidosis must not use Trulicity.

Do they still make Trulicity?

Yes. Eli Lilly still manufactures Trulicity in 2026, and it remains FDA approved and on the US market. Two things made people ask:

Intermittent shortages. Trulicity, like Ozempic and Mounjaro, hit periodic supply constraints during the 2022 to 2024 GLP-1 demand surge. Specific doses (especially 1.5 mg) showed up on the FDA drug shortage list at various points. Most strengths returned to normal availability through 2025.
Lilly's portfolio shift toward tirzepatide. Mounjaro and Zepbound (both tirzepatide) are now Lilly's strategic priority because tirzepatide outperforms dulaglutide on every clinical endpoint. Some prescribers have shifted patients to tirzepatide when insurance allows. That is a market trend, not a discontinuation.

Trulicity has not been withdrawn, recalled, or scheduled for sunset. If your pharmacy reports an out-of-stock, ask whether it is the specific strength or all strengths, and check Lilly's manufacturer site or the FDA shortage database before assuming the brand is gone.

Who Trulicity is a good fit for

Based on the label, the trial data, and what prescribers tend to recommend:

Adults with type 2 diabetes whose A1C is not controlled on metformin and lifestyle changes
Adults with type 2 diabetes who have established cardiovascular disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors and want a single drug that addresses both glucose and cardiovascular risk
Children 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes (one of the few GLP-1s with a pediatric indication)
People who want the simplest possible once-weekly injection pen
People with needle anxiety, since the Trulicity pen hides the needle entirely

Trulicity is less ideal for people whose primary goal is significant weight loss (consider tirzepatide), for people who want an oral GLP-1 (Rybelsus), for people with type 1 diabetes (insulin is required), or for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2 (contraindicated).

What dulaglutide does to your body, summarized

Within 24 hours of your first injection, GLP-1 receptors throughout your pancreas, gut, and brain begin receiving continuous signaling that they normally only get for minutes at a time after meals. Over weeks the cumulative effects show up as lower fasting blood sugar, smaller post-meal glucose spikes, reduced appetite, slower gastric emptying that you may notice as faster satiety or occasional reflux, and modest weight loss. Over years, in the right population, the data show a measurable reduction in cardiovascular events.

That is the full picture. Trulicity is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, it is dulaglutide, it has been on the market for over a decade, and it is still made.

FAQ

Is Trulicity a GLP-1 medication?: Yes. Trulicity is dulaglutide, a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly and FDA approved in 2014 for type 2 diabetes.
What is the generic name for Trulicity?: The generic name is dulaglutide. There is no generic version available as of 2026; Trulicity is brand-name only in the United States.
What is Trulicity used for?: Trulicity is approved to improve blood sugar in adults and children 10 and older with type 2 diabetes, and to reduce major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes who have heart disease or cardiovascular risk factors.
What does Trulicity do to your body?: It activates GLP-1 receptors continuously, which prompts the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar is high, suppresses glucagon, slows stomach emptying, and reduces appetite.
Is Trulicity insulin?: No. Trulicity is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that helps your own pancreas release insulin when needed. Insulin is a hormone replacement; the two are different drug classes.
What are the benefits of Trulicity for type 2 diabetes management?: A1C reduction of roughly 1.0 to 1.5 percentage points, modest weight loss of two to six pounds at standard doses, a once-weekly dose, a simple no-needle-visible pen, and a 12% relative reduction in major cardiovascular events shown in the REWIND trial.
What is the maximum dose of Trulicity?: 4.5 mg once weekly in adults with type 2 diabetes. Pediatric maximum is 1.5 mg once weekly.
Do they still make Trulicity?: Yes. Eli Lilly continues to manufacture Trulicity in 2026. Intermittent supply shortages have occurred but the drug is not discontinued.
How is Trulicity different from Ozempic?: Both are once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonists, but Trulicity contains dulaglutide and Ozempic contains semaglutide. Ozempic produces larger A1C and weight reductions; Trulicity uses a simpler pen and has the broader cardiovascular indication that includes primary prevention.
Can children take Trulicity?: Yes, for type 2 diabetes in children 10 years and older, up to a maximum of 1.5 mg weekly. The cardiovascular risk reduction indication is adults only.