| Obesity
Saxenda vs Xenical
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for obesity.Deep comparison between: Saxenda vs Xenical 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 signalsXenical has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Saxenda based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Xenical but not Saxenda, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Saxenda
Xenical
At A Glance
SC injection
Daily
GLP-1 receptor agonist
Oral
Three times daily
Gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor
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 One 120-mg capsule three times a day with each main meal containing fat (during or up to 1 hour after the meal); distribute daily fat, carbohydrate, and protein over three main meals.
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
- Pregnancy
- Chronic malabsorption syndrome
- Cholestasis
- Known hypersensitivity to XENICAL or to any component of this product
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 (>=5%) Oily spotting, flatus with discharge, fecal urgency, fatty/oily stool, oily evacuation, increased defecation, fecal incontinence
Postmarketing Hepatitis, hepatic failure, hypersensitivity reactions (pruritus, rash, urticaria, angioedema, bronchospasm, anaphylaxis), bullous eruption, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, acute oxalate nephropathy, pancreatitis, lower gastrointestinal bleeding
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.
Orlistat is a reversible inhibitor of gastrointestinal lipases that forms a covalent bond with the active serine residue site of gastric and pancreatic lipases, preventing hydrolysis of dietary triglycerides into absorbable free fatty acids and monoglycerides, resulting in a caloric deficit that may have a positive effect on weight control.
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Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Saxenda
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (10/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
Xenical
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (9/12) · Step Therapy (4/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Saxenda
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (5/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (5/8)
Xenical
- 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)
Xenical
- 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 Xenical.
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SaxendaView full Saxenda profile
XenicalView full Xenical profile
Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.