What is the difference between Saxenda and Ozempic?

With so many GLP-1 medications on the market, it can be hard to know which one might be right for you. Take Saxenda vs. Ozempic. Yes, both are prescription glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications, but you can’t make an “apples-to-apples comparison” of the two, as their active ingredients and their approved usages are different, says Dr. Michael Glickman, M.D., a board-certified physician in obesity, family and lifestyle medicine, and the founder of Revolution Medicine, Health & Fitness in Washington, D.C. Here’s what you need to know about Saxenda and Ozempic, including which health conditions they’re approved to treat, how they’re administered, what they cost, and what the potential side effects could be.

What is Saxenda?

Saxenda is a daily injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist with the active ingredient liraglutide. Back in 2014, Saxenda became the first GLP-1 drug to be approved by the FDA for chronic weight management. It’s approved for adults with obesity as well as adults with overweight and at least one weight-related health condition, like high cholesterol. There is another brand of liraglutide that’s FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes: Victoza.

GLP-1 medications, including Saxenda, work by mimicking the action of the GLP-1 hormone, which is naturally made in the body. The GLP-1 hormone releases insulin to regulate blood sugar and helps you feel full after eating. GLP-1 drugs also delay stomach emptying, which helps reduce overeating, says Dr. Supriya Rao, M.D., a board-certified physician in internal medicine, gastroenterology, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine based in Boston.

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic is also an injectable GLP-1 medication and has the active ingredient semaglutide. It’s taken once a week and was approved by the FDA in 2017 to treat type 2 diabetes. (Wegovy is the brand name of semaglutide that’s FDA approved for weight loss.) In January 2025, Ozempic received additional approvals by the FDA to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, end-stage kidney disease, and kidney failure in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Like Saxenda, an Ozempic prescription works by mimicking the body’s GLP-1 hormone to regulate blood sugar and decrease appetite and “food noise” — the constant thinking about food that some people experience.

Key differences between Ozempic and Saxenda

The main differences between these medications, which are both manufactured by Novo Nordisk, are the active ingredient, how often they’re administered, and what the FDA has approved for use.

• Active ingredient: Both are GLP-1s, but Saxenda contains liraglutide while Ozempic contains semaglutide.
• Frequency: Saxenda is injected once a day while Ozempic is injected once a week.
• FDA approved use: Saxenda is approved to treat obesity while Ozempic has multiple approvals: to treat type 2 diabetes; to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in adults with both type 2 diabetes and heart disease; and to reduce the risk of decline in kidney function, kidney failure, and death from cardiovascular disease in adults with both type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Saxenda vs. Ozempic uses

Saxenda is approved by the FDA as a chronic weight-management medication and Ozempic is approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes and to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and kidney failure in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. That said, people taking Ozempic for one of those approved uses will likely also lose weight.

Saxenda vs. Ozempic dosages and administration

Both medications come in prefilled injector pens that are easy to use at home. You hold the pen against your skin on your abdomen, upper arm, or upper thigh and the medications are injected subcutaneously, meaning just below your skin (not into muscle).

Saxenda is injected once a day from a multiple-use pen (you do have to insert a new needle in the pen every time you use it). Saxenda dosage options include 0.6mg, 1.2mg, 1.8mg, and 3mg, allowing for gradual increases based on your treatment plan and tolerance.

Ozempic is injected once a week from a single-use disposable pen. Because you throw the Ozempic pen away after a single injection, you do not need to change the needles. Ozempic dosage options include 0.25mg/0.5mg, 1mg, and 2mg pens, allowing for flexibility based on your prescribed treatment plan.

For both medications, a healthcare provider will typically start you on the lowest dose, evaluate your progress, and then gradually increase the dosage over time, if needed.

Effectiveness of Saxenda vs. Ozempic

It’s hard to do a one-to-one comparison of the two medications, as they’re not indicated to treat the same conditions. Ozempic’s primary indication is to regulate blood sugar, and research shows that the average person taking Ozempic decreased their A1c levels (a way to measure blood sugar over time) from more than 8% to below 7%, which is the level recommended by the American Diabetes Association for people with type 2 diabetes.

You can, though, compare weight loss for people taking liraglutide (the active ingredient in Saxenda) versus semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic). Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that patients treated with semaglutide lost 15.8% of their weight over 68 weeks, while those on liraglutide lost 6.4% of their weight. That study looked at the Wegovy form of semaglutide, which maxes out at a higher dose than Ozempic, so the weight loss on Ozempic would likely be less. Both medications should be paired with a healthy diet and regular exercise. “These medications work best alongside lifestyle changes,” Rao says. “That means getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, reducing the stress in your life, eating a plant-forward diet, staying hydrated with water, reducing your alcohol consumption, and getting in daily movement and exercise.”

Saxenda vs. Ozempic cost and insurance coverage

Both the cost of Saxenda and the cost of Ozempic can be expensive if paying out-of-pocket: Saxenda’s list price is $1,349 for five 3.0 mg pens (how long that lasts depends on your dosage) while Ozempic costs $997 for a one-month supply. Whether or not they are covered by your insurance depends on your plan, but Glickman says that Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications for type 2 diabetes are covered more regularly than GLP-1s approved for weight loss, like Saxenda. Medicare does not cover any obesity medications and only some Medicaid plans do, while both Medicare and Medicaid cover type 2 diabetes medications like Ozempic.

Saxenda vs. Ozempic side effects

Side effects vary from person to person — some people on Saxenda or Ozempic may not have any noticeable side effects, while others will feel really uncomfortable. The most common side effects of all GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic and Saxenda, are gastrointestinal: nausea, constipation, vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea. People are more likely to experience nausea and vomiting on Ozempic than Saxenda, which might explain why liraglutide users are more likely to stop treatment because of side effects than those on semaglutide.

Serious side effects for both medications include pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), vision changes, severe stomach problems, gallbladder problems, and severe allergic reactions. These require medical attention and treatment if you experience them. Let your provider know if you notice any side effects so they can make sure your medication dosage is appropriate.

Saxenda side effects

Here are the most common side effect of Saxenda, which tend to involve the digestive system:

• Nausea: 39.3% (compared to 13.8% for a placebo)
• Diarrhea: 20.9% (compared to 9.9% for a placebo)
• Constipation: 19.4% (compared to 8.5% for a placebo)
• Vomiting: 15.7% (compared to 3.9% for a placebo)
• Injection site reaction: 13.9% (compared to 10.5% for a placebo)
• Headache: 13.6% (compared to 12.6% for a placebo)

Find the full list of Saxenda side effects here.

Ozempic side effects

This list looks very similar to the Saxenda list, with gastrointestinal issues making up the majority of common Ozempic side effects:

• Nausea: 20.3% (compared with 6.1% for a placebo)
• Vomiting: 9.2% (compared with 2.3% for a placebo)
• Diarrhea: 8.8% (compared with 1.9% for a placebo)
• Abdominal pain: 5.7% (compared with 4.6% for a placebo)
• Constipation: 3.1% (compared with 1.5% for a placebo)

Find the full list of Ozempic side effects here.

Saxenda and Ozempic drug warnings

Both Saxenda and Ozempic have a “black box” warning, which notifies patients of the risk of dangerous side effects. Both medications carry a warning about an increased risk of developing thyroid tumors, which could possibly be cancerous. But that warning is based on research on rats, not in humans. Recent research by the American Thyroid Association has found no association between the use of GLP-1 drugs and an increased risk of thyroid cancer in humans.

The bottom line

Saxenda (liraglutide) and Ozempic (semaglutide) are both injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist medications. Saxenda is FDA-approved to treat obesity and is taken once a day. Ozempic, on the other hand, is approved for type 2 diabetes and is taken once a week. Both medications can help people lose weight, and clinical trials have shown semaglutide to be more effective for weight loss than liraglutide. Side effects for both medications are pretty similar, but you might have more nausea and vomiting on Saxenda than on Ozempic.