Obesity and type 2 diabetes rates continue to rise, despite government interventions and diets. This suggests that simply knowing about healthy eating and exercise is not enough to combat the issue. Researchers are now focusing on finding effective weight loss medications, like Saxenda. However, it’s important to remember that everyone has different hunger patterns, metabolisms, and genes, so not every medication will be suitable for everyone.
Due the lack of success with previous weight loss interventions and the inability for success in maintaining weight loss, individuals are seeking alternative medications. The medication known as Semaglutide has gained considerable attention after being featured in an article on the BBC website.
There is curiosity regarding Semaglutide and its distinctions from another injection known as Saxenda.
By the way feel free skip to the part of article that interests you the most in table of contents below.
Table of contents
What is Saxenda®?
Saxenda is the trade name for Liraglutide 3mg, which is licensed for weight loss. Victoza, on the other hand, is the trade name for Liraglutide and is licensed for Type 2 diabetes, with a lower dose being used.
Liraglutide is a medication that imitates GLP-1, a hormone naturally produced by the intestines. This hormone stimulates insulin production, decreases appetite, and slows down food digestion in the intestines.
What is Ozempic?
Semaglutide is the actual name of the medication, and it is currently licensed for the management of type 2 diabetes under the trade name Ozempic. Semaglutide is available as an injection and tablet for type 2 diabetes.®
For more information on Semaglutide and its effectiveness in weight loss, please refer to the our category “Ozempic“.
What are the distinctions between Saxenda® (Liraglutide 3mg) and Semaglutide?
- Both liraglutide and Semaglutide are GLP-1 analogues, meaning they mimic the function of the naturally occurring hormone called Glucagon Like Peptide (GLP-1). However, Semaglutide has a longer duration of action.
- Semaglutide is not approved for weight loss yet. When it is approved, it will have a different trade name and won’t be called Ozempic. Currently, semaglutide in Ozempic is used off-label for weight management, but NICE recommended it for obesity treatment in February 2022. This means that Semaglutide (marketed as Wegovy) will soon be licensed and won’t require off-label prescription anymore.
- Semaglutide is administered as a once weekly injection, whereas Liraglutide 3mg (Saxenda) requires daily injections. This is due to the longer duration of action of Semaglutide in the body.
- Research indicates that Semaglutide demonstrates superior effectiveness in improving blood glucose control and weight loss in comparison to Liraglutide.
- The recommended dose of Semaglutide for type 2 diabetes is 1mg, whereas the dose used in research for weight loss was 2.4mg.
- There were more side effects associated with Semaglutide in comparison to liraglutide, particularly nausea and diarrhea.
- The cost of Semaglutide for weight loss is still unknown.
It is recommended to seek guidance from a diabetes specialist or endocrinologist before initiating any weight loss medication or making chan
