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As part of the Frosts Pharmacy Group, a family run business established in 1925 by John Frost and now run by his grandson Stuart Gale, we are a fully registered UK pharmacy and adhere to the standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council. We run successful high street pharmacies in Banbury and Oxford, in the UK, as well as our online chemist services.
Wegovy vs Saxenda - What's the difference
Monday, December 5, 2022
Wegovy is a new weight loss product likely to be launched by the Summer of 2023.
Is Wegovy available in the UK?
Not yet, we believe Wegovy will launch in the UK in Spring/Summer 2023. This is later than the original planned launch which was this past Summer (2022) due to higher than expected demand for the product in the US, where it was launched first.
What is Wegovy?
Wegovy is a once weekly injection that you administer to yourself as a treatment to aid weight loss.
It contains the active ingredient Semaglutide, which is very similar to a natural hormone in your body called GLP-1. Wegovy works by suppressing your appetite which makes you feel less hungry, slowing down the emptying of food from your stomach and helping you feel fuller for longer between meals.
Wegovy weight loss injections must be used alongside a calorie-controlled diet and regular exercise.
Wegovy is not yet available in the UK but is expected in the Spring/Summer of 2023.
What is Saxenda?
Saxenda is a weight loss treatment that works in the same way as Wegovy but is already available in the UK.
The biggest difference is that Saxenda is injected once daily and Wegovy will be a once weekly injection.
Although we’re not completely sure, we also think the rules around who can use Wegovy might be slightly different to Saxenda. There are rumours it could also be used for weight maintenance as well as weight loss but this is still unconfirmed.
Is Wegovy the same as Saxenda?
No, they are different medicines. But they are from the same group of medicines and work in almost the same way. Both Saxenda and Wegovy are administered via easy-to-use, pre-filled pens. You simply twist a small cap at the end of the pen to select the dose required.
Interestingly, Saxenda and Wegovy are both made by the same manufacturer - Novo Nordisk. The pens and the packaging look very similar.
Saxenda vs Wegovy - which is better?
So far, trial results from these two treatments are also different, with Wegovy showing to be more effective for weight loss than Saxenda.
As Saxenda was the first weight loss injection ever launched, it remains the most popular. But when the company that developed the treatment, Novo Nordisk, saw the results of the Wegovy trials they started manufacturing that too.
Will Wegovy be right for me?
Both Wegovy and Saxenda should only be used by people who have tried and struggled to lose weight by diet and exercise alone.
Wegovy or Saxenda can only be prescribed to people who have a body mass index (BMI) over 30 or over 27 in patients with weight-associated health conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension), pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol.
Where can I buy Wegovy?
Once Wegovy is available in the UK, we will be offering it as one of our weight loss treatments. In the meantime, to find out if it works for you or to start your weight loss journey sooner, we recommend you try Saxenda. It is very similar to Wegovy and is from the same group of weight loss medicines. Saxenda works in the same way as Wegovy.
Find out more about Saxenda and how it can reduce your weight by at least 5% in only 12 weeks.
This is not personalised advice. To speak to one of our clinically trained team about finding the right treatment for you, email us at [email protected] or call us on 01295 262925.
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Reviewed on 05 December 2022
