| Obesity
Saxenda vs Wegovy
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for obesity.Deep comparison between: Saxenda vs Wegovy with Prescriber.AI
AI compares prescribing info and payer-specific access barriers across 1,200+ formularies. Here's a preview of what prescribers are already asking.Safety signalsWegovy has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Saxenda based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Wegovy but not Saxenda, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Saxenda
Wegovy
At A Glance
SC injection
Daily
GLP-1 receptor agonist
SC injection
Once weekly
GLP-1 receptor agonist
Indications
- Obesity
- Overweight and obesity
- Obesity
- Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Dosing
Obesity, Overweight and obesity Initiate at 0.6 mg SC once daily; escalate weekly to recommended dose of 3 mg SC once daily in abdomen, thigh, or upper arm; pediatric maintenance dose may be reduced to 2.4 mg daily if 3 mg not tolerated.
Obesity Adults: maintenance 2.4 mg (or 1.7 mg) SC injection once weekly after escalation from 0.25 mg, or 25 mg tablet orally once daily after escalation from 1.5 mg; pediatric patients aged 12 years and older: 2.4 mg (or 1.7 mg) SC injection once weekly.
Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis 2.4 mg SC injection once weekly (maintenance) after escalation from 0.25 mg; may reduce to 1.7 mg once weekly if 2.4 mg not tolerated.
Cardiovascular risk reduction Maintenance 2.4 mg (or 1.7 mg) SC injection once weekly after escalation from 0.25 mg, or 25 mg tablet orally once daily after escalation from 1.5 mg.
Contraindications
- Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
- Serious hypersensitivity reaction to liraglutide or any excipient in SAXENDA
- Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
- Prior serious hypersensitivity reaction to semaglutide or to any excipient in WEGOVY injection or WEGOVY tablet
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>=2%) Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, injection site reaction, headache, hypoglycemia in T2DM, dyspepsia, fatigue, dizziness, abdominal pain, increased lipase, gastroenteritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, abdominal distension, eructation, flatulence
Serious Thyroid C-cell tumors, acute pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease, hypoglycemia with concomitant anti-diabetic therapy, heart rate increase, acute kidney injury due to volume depletion, severe gastrointestinal reactions, hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis, pulmonary aspiration
Postmarketing Acute pancreatitis, hemorrhagic and necrotizing pancreatitis, ileus, hyperbilirubinemia, cholestasis, hepatitis, angioedema, anaphylactic reactions, medullary thyroid carcinoma, acute kidney injury, cutaneous amyloidosis, alopecia
Most common (>=2%) Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, dyspepsia, dizziness, abdominal distension, eructation, flatulence, gastroenteritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, hair loss, dysesthesia
Serious Risk of thyroid C-cell tumors, acute pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease, hypoglycemia, acute kidney injury, severe gastrointestinal reactions, hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis and angioedema, diabetic retinopathy complications, heart rate increase, pulmonary aspiration during anesthesia
Postmarketing Acute pancreatitis and necrotizing pancreatitis, ileus, intestinal obstruction, severe constipation including fecal impaction, anaphylaxis, angioedema, rash, urticaria, pulmonary aspiration, acute kidney injury
Pharmacology
Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1(7-37) that binds and activates the GLP-1 receptor to reduce calorie intake and lower body weight; it also stimulates insulin secretion and reduces glucagon secretion in a glucose-dependent manner.
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist with 94% sequence homology to human GLP-1 that selectively binds and activates the GLP-1 receptor, regulating appetite and caloric intake, stimulating glucose-dependent insulin secretion, reducing glucagon secretion, and delaying gastric emptying.
Enter your patient's insuranceCheck specific coverage details for your patient.
Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Saxenda
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (10/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
Wegovy
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (0/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Saxenda
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (5/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (5/8)
Wegovy
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (5/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (1/8)
Humana
Saxenda
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
Wegovy
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (1/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Saxenda.
$349/momo
Wegovy Self-Pay Program - InjectableCommercial or private insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, VA, TRICARE
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SaxendaView full Saxenda profile
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.