How To Get Saxenda Covered By Insurance

Saxenda Now Available

Posted: May 11 in Weight Loss Medication by

Saxenda Now Available Saxenda, the newest FDA-approved prescription weight loss medication, is now available at retail pharmacies.

We are excited to announce the availability of another new and novel treatment to help you lose weight and keep it off permanently. Saxenda is a once daily injectable medication. It contains a compound similar to a substance your body makes naturally called glucagon-like peptide 1, or GLP-1. Have you ever noticed that about 20 minutes after you eat a meal, especially one rich in protein and/or fat, you feel a sense of fullness? Your small intestine releases GLP-1 in response to your meal, and this has a direct effect on the appetite center of your brain, signaling that the meal is over and that you shouldn't be hungry.

GLP-1 type medications have been successfully used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes for the past decade, and now we have one that has been specifically studied and approved as an adjunct to healthy eating and activity for chronic weight management. In 4 clinical trials of over 5000 patients, those treated with Saxenda lost 8% body weight compared with 2.6% for placebo at 56 weeks of treatment. Saxenda also improved the odds of losing at least 5% and at least 10% body weight.

The molecule comprising Saxenda, liraglutide, has been marketed as Victoza for the treatment of type 2 diabetes at doses up to 1.8 mg per day since 2010. Saxenda is the same molecule but is dosed at 3 mg per day.

The product will have a boxed warning stating that thyroid C-cell tumors have been seen in rodents but that the risk in humans is not known. Liraglutide should not be used in patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. It will also have warnings regarding acute pancreatitis, and should be avoided in those with a history of pancreatitis or at high risk for pancreatitis.

Because this is expected to be an expensive medication (~$1,100 per month), it is important for you to see if you have insurance coverage for this medication. If you are a candidate (BMI > 30 or > 27 with medical comorbidity) and have insurance coverage, you are encouraged to obtain any paperwork your insurance company will require and schedule a visit with Dr. Lazarus or Heather Thomas, P.A. –c to see if Saxenda might be right for you.