Wegovy vs Saxenda vs Ozempic

*These numbers come from clinical studies featured in the EMC’s summary of product characteristics for Wegovy and for liraglutide as well.

**These numbers come from a comparison study of semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic) vs liraglutide (the active ingredient in Saxenda).

***These numbers come from a study of semaglutide 1mg (the active ingredient in Ozempic at the maintenance dose).

Both Wegovy and Saxenda can be effective weight loss treatments and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Wegovy pros:

• helps make weight loss more likely
• higher chance of weight loss than Saxenda

Wegovy cons:

• takes up to 20 weeks to reach the maximum dose

Saxenda pros:

• helps make weight loss more likely
• takes only 5 weeks to reach the maximum dose

Saxenda cons:

• lower chance of weight loss than Wegovy

Different people react to medications differently, so which treatment works best for you may be different to other people who’ve tried them. You can’t tell which treatment is going to work for you until you try it.

Wegovy vs Saxenda: Which is more affordable?

Wegovy and Saxenda are only available on NHS prescription if they’ve been prescribed by a weight management specialist. This will usually only happen if other weight management options like diet, exercise, and medication like Orlistat haven’t worked. Due to long term stock issues, Saxenda is not available in the UK. However, generic Saxenda is available with the same active ingredient.

You can get Wegovy or generic Saxenda on private prescription. At ZAVA you can use our online weight loss treatment service to

• request treatment with Nevolat (which contains the same ingredient as Saxenda, liraglutide) from £57.00 per pen (each pen contains 17 doses at the lowest dosage)
• request treatment with Wegovy from £99.00 per pen (each pen contains 4 doses, lasting for 4 weeks)

No. Because they’re similar medications that work in almost the same way, taking them together isn’t safe. It would be like overdosing on one or the other and could cause some serious health problems.

If you’re on either Wegovy or Saxenda and you’re worried your treatment isn’t working well enough, go back to your doctor to explore more options. Never combine medications unless a doctor has agreed they’re safe for you to take together.

*these numbers come from the STEP 8 Trial comparing Wegovy with liraglutide (Saxenda)

The table above shows that these side effects are a little more likely on Wegovy than Saxenda:

• nausea
• constipation
• diarrhoea
• throwing up
• headache
• burping

And these side effects are more likely on Nevolat than Wegovy:

• decreased appetite
• tiredness
• indigestion
• cold symptoms
• upper respiratory tract infection
• stiff joints
• back pain
• flu symptoms

The table features the chance of side effects on 2.4mg, the previous maximum dose of Wegovy. On the current maximum dose of 7.2mg, chances of side effects are slightly higher:

• Mild side effects are more common overall, with 80.2% of patients getting them on 7.2mg compared to 76.6% on 2.4mg.
• 70.8% of patients on 7.2mg experienced stomach-related side effects compared to 61.2% on 2.4mg.
• Skin problems e.g. skin sensitivity are also more likely as 21.5% of patients experienced them on 7.2mg compared to 2.4mg.

For more information on specific side effects and how to manage them, read our dedicated Wegovy side effects and Saxenda Side Effects pages.

Wegovy and Saxenda have different doses because the active ingredients are different.

It takes longer for you to start taking your maximum dose on Wegovy compared to Saxenda but that doesn’t mean one works slower than the other. But, Wegovy only needs to be taken once a week compared to Saxenda which has to be taken every day. If you find injections uncomfortable or have trouble remembering to take your treatment every day then Wegovy might suit you better.

Wegovy and Ozempic are 2 treatments with exactly the same active ingredient, semaglutide. Ozempic is licensed for treating type 2 diabetes in the UK since it helps control blood sugar as well as helping with weight loss. Wegovy is available as a weight loss treatment whether you have diabetes or not.

Even though they both contain semaglutide, the doses used in Ozempic are slightly lower and only 4 are available. Still, both Wegovy and Ozempic have similar chances of causing side effects because they both use semaglutide.

Yes there are some key differences between Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda. Since Saxenda has a similar but different active ingredient, it has a different effectiveness and dosing schedule. Liraglutide is the active ingredient in Saxenda and is also available as an injection called Nevolat.

Although Ozempic and Wegovy do have the same active ingredient, Wegovy is licensed for weight loss and Ozempic isn’t. They have different available dosages and are meant to treat different conditions.

If you’re looking for weight loss treatment, the choice is between Wegovy (semaglutide) and Saxenda (liraglutide). Since Wegovy has been shown to be more effective and only requires an injection once a week instead of daily, it might be a good first choice. If Wegovy doesn’t work for you, trying liraglutide – for example – Saxenda or Nevolat – might be a good next step.

Wilding J. P. H. et al. (2021) Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/ [accessed 27 January 2026]

Mehta A. et al. (2016) Liraglutide for weight management: a critical review of the evidence. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5358074/ [accessed 27 January 2026]

Rubino D. M. et al. (2022) Effect of Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Daily Liraglutide on Body Weight in Adults With Overweight or Obesity Without Diabetes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8753508/ [accessed 27 January 2026]

Wegovy® Common Adverse Reactions | Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg (novomedlink.com) https://www.novomedlink.com/obesity/products/treatments/wegovy/efficacy-safety/adverse-reactions.html [accessed 27 January 2026]

Wegovy 0.25 mg, FlexTouch solution for injection in pre-filled pen, emc https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/13799/smpc#gref [accessed 27 January 2026]

Drugs.com (2023) Saxenda Prescribing Information. https://www.drugs.com/pro/saxenda.html [accessed 27 January 2026]

novoMEDLINK (2013) Wegovy. EFFICACY & SAFETY. Head-to-Head Results in STEP 8. https://www.novomedlink.com/obesity/products/treatments/wegovy/efficacy-safety/clinical-trial-8-results.html [accessed 27 January 2026]