Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Saxenda?What Is Wegovy?Which Is More Effective?DosageAlternativesPrecautionsWho Should Avoid Saxenda or Wegovy?InteractionsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Saxenda?
What Is Wegovy?
Which Is More Effective?
Dosage
Alternatives
Precautions
Who Should Avoid Saxenda or Wegovy?
Interactions
Frequently Asked Questions
Both medications belong to a class of drugs calledglucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists.
A main difference between the two is that Saxenda is injected once daily, while Wegovy is injected once weekly.
This article will cover differences in effectiveness and dosing, as well as other information about Saxenda and Wegovy.
In 2014, Saxenda became the first GLP-1 agonist approved for weight loss in people without diabetes.
The FDA also approved its use in adolescents 12 to 17 years old who weigh more than 132 pounds (60 kg).
How Does Saxenda Work?
Saxenda is a GLP-1 agonist, which mimics GLP-1, a hormone your body produces naturally. GLP-1 causes your body to release insulin, suppresses your appetite, and makes you feel full for longer. These actions together can help lead to weight loss.
The same drug, liraglutide, is also available as a brand-name product, Victoza, to treat type 2diabetes. This product is dosed differently than Saxenda, so they are not interchangeable.
Wegovy is a brand of semaglutide that’s a once-weekly injectable medication. It comes as a pen injector that’s injected under the skin.
In 2024, the FDA approved Wegovy to reduce the risk of serious heart problems in adults with obesity or who are overweight. Wegovy should be used in addition to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
Besides Saxenda, semaglutide comes in other brand-name products,Ozempicand Rybelsus, approved for treating type 2 diabetes. These other brands are dosed differently than Wegovy.
How Does Wegovy Work?
Being part of the same drug class, Wegovy works similarly to Saxenda. It is also a GLP-1 agonist that suppresses your appetite and helps you feel fuller for longer. However, it continues working for much longer than Saxenda. Wegovy is active for around 165 hours after injection, while Saxenda lasts just 13 to 15 hours.
Wegovy is a weekly injection, whereas Saxenda must be given daily.
Wegovy package.Picture Alliance / Getty Images
Picture Alliance / Getty Images
Is Saxenda or Wegovy More Effective?
In a study comparing weight loss results between the two medications, people who took Wegovy lost significantly more weight than those on Saxenda. At 68 weeks after starting the medication, the average weight loss was 15.8% on Wegovy and around 6.4% on Saxenda. These results came not only from the medication itself but with improvements in exercise and diet as well.
The results of this study align with the results of clinical trials that these drugs went through before approval as well.
When taking Wegovy or Saxenda for 68 weeks, weight loss results in people experiencing overweight or obesity who had at least one comorbid condition—a health condition such ashypertension, type 2 diabetes, ordyslipidemia—were:
8 FDA-Approved Drugs for Weight Management
Dosage: Saxenda vs. Wegovy
This table summarizes the differences and similarities in how Saxenda and Wegovy are to be taken.
Alternatives to Manage Blood Sugar and Body Composition
Drug administration is not the sole way to maintain healthy blood sugars andbody composition. As shown in the clinical trials for these drugs, results are much better if exercise and an improved diet are added to Saxenda and Wegovy use.
If you haveprediabetes, there are specific measures you can take to prevent its progression into diabetes and possibly the need to go on medication at all.
Plenty of habits and lifestyle choices can help reduce blood sugar and give you a healthier body composition.
The National DPP suggests the following ways to accomplish these goals:
The world of nutrition can feel complicated, especially if you’re trying to make a lot of lifestyle changes at once. As part of a care plan with your primary healthcare provider, it can help to consult aregistered dietitian (RD), registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN)or even a certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES). They can help make it easier to eat healthy and understand why certain foods affect blood sugar in certain ways.
Saxenda and Wegovy come with aboxed warning(the FDA’s strictest warning) regardingthyroid C-cell tumors. This is because GLP-1 agonists have been found to cause C-cell tumors in rats and mice.
The risk in humans is unknown, but you shouldn’t take Saxenda or Wegovy if you have a personal or family history of thyroid cancer.
Other potential severe effects of GLP-1 agonists like Saxenda and Wegovy include the following:
GLP-1 agonist medications like Saxenda and Wegovy are not appropriate for everyone.
You should avoid both of these drugs if you:
Interactions for Saxenda and Wegovy
Taking a GLP-1 agonist like Saxenda or Wegovy while you’re also on anotherdiabetes medication, such as glyburide or glipizide, may cause hypoglycemia (too-low blood sugar levels).
The risk of hypoglycemia is higher when taking multiple diabetes medications. The dose of other diabetes medications may need to be lowered when you start a GLP-1 agonist.
Summary
In clinical trials, people taking Wegovy lost an average of almost twice the weight of those taking Saxenda.
These medications are most effective when paired with exercise and dietary changes, which can include increasing the amount of fiber and vegetables in your diet, and ensuring you have enough protein,
Wegovy should be stored in the refrigerator (36 degrees F to 46 degrees F), never frozen, and kept in the original carton until you’re ready to use it. Wegovy comes with only one dose per pen that should be refrigerated. Discard after your dose. If needed, you can store pens at room temperature (at around 46 degrees F to 86 degrees F) for up to 28 days if you have not removed the pen cap.
Saxenda should be kept refrigerated (36 degrees F to 46 degrees F) in its original carton until you’re ready to use it. Saxenda pens contain multiple doses per pen. After your first dose, you can either continue to store that pen in the fridge or at controlled room temperature (at about 59 degrees F to 86 degrees F) between doses. Remember to keep the pen cap on when you’re not using it.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food and Drug Administration.Saxenda prescribing information.Ard J, Fitch A, Fruh S, Herman L.Weight loss and maintenance related to the mechanism of action of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists.Adv Ther. 2021;38(6):2821-2839. doi:10.1007/s12325-021-01710-0U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Wegovy prescribing information.Rubino DM, Greenway FL, Khalid U, et al.Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes: The step 8 randomized clinical trial.JAMA. 2022;327(2):138. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.23619Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food and Drug Administration.Saxenda prescribing information.Ard J, Fitch A, Fruh S, Herman L.Weight loss and maintenance related to the mechanism of action of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists.Adv Ther. 2021;38(6):2821-2839. doi:10.1007/s12325-021-01710-0U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Wegovy prescribing information.Rubino DM, Greenway FL, Khalid U, et al.Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes: The step 8 randomized clinical trial.JAMA. 2022;327(2):138. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.23619Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Food and Drug Administration.Saxenda prescribing information.Ard J, Fitch A, Fruh S, Herman L.Weight loss and maintenance related to the mechanism of action of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists.Adv Ther. 2021;38(6):2821-2839. doi:10.1007/s12325-021-01710-0U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Wegovy prescribing information.Rubino DM, Greenway FL, Khalid U, et al.Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes: The step 8 randomized clinical trial.JAMA. 2022;327(2):138. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.23619Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
Food and Drug Administration.Saxenda prescribing information.
Ard J, Fitch A, Fruh S, Herman L.Weight loss and maintenance related to the mechanism of action of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists.Adv Ther. 2021;38(6):2821-2839. doi:10.1007/s12325-021-01710-0
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Wegovy prescribing information.
Rubino DM, Greenway FL, Khalid U, et al.Effect of weekly subcutaneous semaglutide vs daily liraglutide on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes: The step 8 randomized clinical trial.JAMA. 2022;327(2):138. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.23619
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
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