| Obesity
Saxenda vs Contrave
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for obesity.Deep comparison between: Saxenda vs Contrave 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 signalsContrave has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Saxenda based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Contrave but not Saxenda, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Saxenda
Contrave
At A Glance
SC injection
Daily
GLP-1 receptor agonist
Oral
Twice daily
Opioid antagonist / NDRI combination
Indications
- Obesity
- Overweight and obesity
- Obesity
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 Dose escalation over 4 weeks to maintenance of 32 mg naltrexone/360 mg bupropion (two 8 mg/90 mg tablets twice daily) taken orally in morning and evening; not taken with high-fat meal; evaluate response after 12 weeks and discontinue if <5% weight loss.
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
- Uncontrolled hypertension
- Seizure disorder or history of seizures
- Concomitant use of other bupropion-containing products
- Bulimia or anorexia nervosa
- Chronic opioid or opiate agonist (e.g., methadone) or partial agonist (e.g., buprenorphine) use, or acute opiate withdrawal
- Abrupt discontinuation of alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or antiepileptic drugs
- Concomitant use of MAOIs, including reversible MAOIs such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue
- Known allergy to bupropion, naltrexone, or any other component of CONTRAVE
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, constipation, headache, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, dry mouth, diarrhea, anxiety, hot flush, fatigue, tremor, upper abdominal pain, viral gastroenteritis, influenza, tinnitus, urinary tract infection, hypertension, abdominal pain, hyperhidrosis, irritability, blood pressure increased, dysgeusia, rash, muscle strain, palpitations
Serious Suicidal behavior and ideation, neuropsychiatric adverse events, seizures, increase in blood pressure and heart rate, allergic reactions, angle-closure glaucoma
Postmarketing Loss of consciousness, malaise, Brugada pattern/syndrome, drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP), aseptic meningitis
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.
CONTRAVE combines naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, and bupropion, a relatively weak inhibitor of the neuronal reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine; together they act on the hypothalamus (appetite regulatory center) and the mesolimbic dopamine circuit (reward system) to reduce food intake and body weight, though the exact neurochemical effects are not fully understood.
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)
Contrave
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (9/12) · 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)
Contrave
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (4/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Humana
Saxenda
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
Contrave
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (0/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (0/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Saxenda.
No savings programs available for Contrave.
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SaxendaView full Saxenda profile
ContraveView full Contrave profile
Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.