Saxenda

About Saxenda

Saxenda is a prescription weight management injection from Novo Nordisk containing liraglutide. It was the first GLP-1 licensed for weight management in the UK and has the longest real-world safety record in the category.

It is supplied as a multi-dose pre-filled pen with a dial, so you set your dose each day. Needles are supplied separately.

Expected weight loss

In the SCALE trial, adults taking 3mg daily alongside lifestyle changes lost an average of around 8% of their body weight over 56 weeks, compared with around 2.6% on placebo.

Why choose a daily injection over a weekly one?

Liraglutide clears from the body within about a day. That has two practical consequences. If a dose does not agree with you, the effect passes quickly rather than lingering for a week. And because you dial the dose yourself, adjustments can be made in far finer increments than a weekly pen allows.

This makes Saxenda a sensible choice if you have struggled with side effects on weekly treatments, or if you want the ability to fine-tune.

Who is Saxenda for?

Saxenda may be prescribed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above with a weight-related condition. It is also licensed for adolescents aged 12 and over meeting specific criteria.

How Saxenda works

Liraglutide is a modified copy of human GLP-1, about 97% identical to the natural hormone. The modification slows its breakdown enough to last roughly a day, which is why it is injected daily rather than weekly.

Appetite regulation

It acts on receptors in the hypothalamus that govern hunger and fullness, reducing the drive to eat and increasing satisfaction from smaller portions.

Delayed gastric emptying

Food leaves the stomach more slowly, extending the physical sensation of fullness well past the end of a meal.

Glucose handling

It stimulates insulin release only when blood glucose is elevated and suppresses glucagon, which helps smooth out the blood sugar dips that trigger cravings.

The daily rhythm

Because liraglutide clears within a day, its effect is more even and predictable than a weekly medicine, some people on weekly injections notice appetite returning towards the end of the week, which does not happen on Saxenda.

How to use Saxenda

When

Once a day, at any time, with or without food. Choose a time you will remember and keep to it.

Where

Into the fat just under the skin of your stomach, thigh or upper arm. Rotate the site daily.

Step by step

• Attach a fresh needle and check the flow before your first injection with a new pen
• Dial your dose using the dose selector
• Insert the needle and press the dose button all the way in
• Hold for at least six seconds with the button pressed before withdrawing
• Remove the needle and dispose of it in a sharps bin, never reuse needles

Dose schedule

Start at 0.6mg daily for one week, then increase by 0.6mg each week: 1.2mg, 1.8mg, 2.4mg, then 3mg as the maintenance dose from week five. If a step-up is uncomfortable, stay at the current dose an extra week.

Missed dose

If you miss a dose, take the next one at your usual time the following day. Do not take an extra dose to compensate. If you miss more than three days in a row, contact your prescriber. You may need to restart at a lower dose.

Side effects

Very common (more than 1 in 10 people)

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Constipation
• Headache

Common (up to 1 in 10 people)

• Indigestion, bloating and reflux
• Dizziness and fatigue
• Dry mouth and altered taste
• Injection site reactions
• Gallstones
• Increased heart rate

Seek medical advice urgently

• Severe stomach pain radiating to the back, possible pancreatitis
• Swelling of the face, lips or throat, or difficulty breathing
• Severe pain under the right ribs with fever or jaundice
• Symptoms of low blood sugar if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea

Nausea is most likely in the first weeks and after dose increases. It usually settles within a few days at each step.

Ingredients

Active ingredient: liraglutide, 6mg per ml.

Other ingredients: disodium phosphate dihydrate, propylene glycol, phenol and water for injections.

Each pre-filled pen contains 3ml (18mg of liraglutide) and delivers doses of 0.6mg, 1.2mg, 1.8mg, 2.4mg or 3mg. Needles are not included.

Important safety information

Do not use Saxenda if you:

• Are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding
• Have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2
• Have had pancreatitis
• Have severe heart failure
• Are allergic to liraglutide or any other ingredient

Discuss with your prescriber if you have thyroid disease, kidney or liver impairment, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroparesis, a history of eating disorders, or take insulin or a sulfonylurea.

Do not combine with any other GLP-1 medicine.

Needles must be disposed of in a sharps container. We can supply one with your order. Always read the patient information leaflet supplied with your medicine.