Saxenda (liraglutide) is registered in Singapore for weight management as a daily prescription injection (NDF). GetLean does not prescribe or supply Saxenda. Dr Quek assesses whether a registered medicine GetLean supplies, such as Wegovy or Mounjaro, suits you at a S$20, 30-minute video consultation. If prescribed, the programme includes delivery, monthly reviews and daily WhatsApp coaching.
Novo Nordisk, which makes Saxenda, is discontinuing it in the United States, with last shipments to wholesalers in late January 2027, and told Australian doctors in May 2025 that it would not be available there after December 2025 (Novo Nordisk; Novo Nordisk Australia). Those notices cover those two countries. In Singapore, Saxenda and a generic liraglutide for weight management, Obetide, are on the register (HSA register).
Availability in Singapore. This medicine is registered with Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, and its registered indication includes weight management. GetLean does not prescribe or supply it. Which medicine suits a particular person, if any does, is decided by the doctor who assesses them.
Is Saxenda available in Singapore?
Yes, on prescription: Saxenda has been registered in Singapore since 9 October 2017 and is classified Prescription Only (HSA register). Its registered use is weight management, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, in adults with a starting BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, and in adolescents from 12 with obesity and a body weight above 60 kg (NDF). Those are the label's numbers, not GetLean's criteria: am I eligible? sets out how they differ.
Four liraglutide products are registered here, and only two are for weight management:
| Product | Registered in Singapore | Registered for | Daily dose on the label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saxenda (Novo Nordisk) | 9 October 2017 | weight management | 0.6 mg, stepped up to 3.0 mg |
| Obetide (generic, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries) | 26 September 2025 | weight management | 0.6 mg, stepped up to 3.0 mg |
| Victoza (Novo Nordisk) | 30 December 2010 | type 2 diabetes | 0.6 mg, up to 1.8 mg |
| Diaglutide (generic, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries) | 26 September 2025 | type 2 diabetes | 0.6 mg, up to 1.8 mg |
The dates are from the register (HSA register) and the registered uses and doses from each product's information (NDF; NDF; NDF; NDF). The register records what is registered, not what a pharmacy has in stock. GLP-1 medicines here may be dispensed only by a registered doctor or a licensed retail pharmacy, against a valid prescription (MOH 2024).
Is Saxenda being discontinued?
Saxenda is being discontinued in the United States, and Novo Nordisk said in May 2025 that it would not be available in Australia after December 2025; in Singapore it is still registered (HSA register).
In the United States, Novo Nordisk's notice puts the last shipments to wholesalers in late January 2027. It gives two reasons, more alternative treatments and fewer patients using Saxenda, calls it a portfolio decision and says it is "not the result of any safety or quality-related concerns" (Novo Nordisk). In Australia, its letter to doctors linked the decision to its once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg, sold as Wegovy, and asked them to discuss other treatments with patients on Saxenda (Novo Nordisk Australia).
If you take Saxenda now, any change to it belongs to the doctor who prescribed it. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine on your own.
Is Saxenda the same as Ozempic?
No: Saxenda is liraglutide, injected once a day, and Ozempic is semaglutide, injected once a week; both are GLP-1 medicines made by Novo Nordisk (NDF; NDF). In Singapore, Saxenda is registered for weight management and Ozempic for type 2 diabetes.
Each molecule has a second name with a different registration. Liraglutide for type 2 diabetes is Victoza (NDF), and semaglutide for weight management is Wegovy (NDF). Wegovy vs Ozempic explains that pair.
Is Saxenda stronger than Ozempic or Wegovy?
Not against semaglutide at Wegovy's 2.4 mg dose. In STEP 8, 338 adults with overweight or obesity and without diabetes had a mean weight change of −6.4% on liraglutide 3.0 mg once daily, against −15.8% on semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly and −1.9% on placebo, over 68 weeks (Rubino 2022).
| STEP 8, 68 weeks | Liraglutide 3.0 mg, once daily (Saxenda's dose) | Semaglutide 2.4 mg, once weekly (Wegovy's dose) |
|---|---|---|
| Mean weight change | −6.4% | −15.8% |
| Lost 10% or more | 25.6% | 70.9% |
| Stomach and gut side effects reported | 82.7% | 84.1% |
| Stopped treatment, for any reason | 27.6% | 13.5% |
The comparison between the two medicines was open-label. Ozempic's doses, up to 1 mg, were not part of STEP 8. These are trial averages; individual results vary and are not guaranteed.
How does Saxenda compare with Mounjaro?
No published trial has compared Saxenda with Mounjaro head to head for weight loss, as far as a PubMed search on 25 October 2026 found: the two randomised trials naming both medicines did not compare their weight loss (PubMed).
Each was tested against placebo in its own trial. In SCALE, adults without type 2 diabetes on liraglutide 3.0 mg lost a mean 8.4 kg over 56 weeks, against 2.8 kg on placebo (Pi-Sunyer 2015). In SURMOUNT-1, adults on tirzepatide, the medicine in Mounjaro, had a mean weight change of −15.0%, −19.5% and −20.9% at 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg over 72 weeks, against −3.1% on placebo (Jastreboff 2022). Those trials cannot be lined up against each other: different people, different lengths and, here, different measures, kilograms against per cent. A 2026 analysis pooling 262 trials put liraglutide among the medicines most often stopped because of side effects (Nong 2026). Individual results vary and are not guaranteed.
Saxenda is injected every day and Mounjaro once a week, and in Singapore Mounjaro's current registrations cover weight management and type 2 diabetes (NDF).
How is Saxenda taken?
Saxenda is injected once a day: Singapore's label begins at 0.6 mg daily and raises the dose in 0.6 mg steps, at least a week apart, to 3.0 mg a day, the highest daily dose it recommends (NDF). If the next step is not tolerated for two weeks running, the label says to consider stopping. It can be injected at any time of day, with or without meals, in the abdomen, thigh or upper arm.
Wegovy and Mounjaro are injected once a week instead (NDF; NDF). Never change a prescribed dose on your own.
How long can you stay on Saxenda for?
Singapore's label sets a 12-week checkpoint rather than an end date: an adult who has not lost at least 5% of their starting weight after 12 weeks on 3.0 mg a day should stop (NDF). For adolescents, treatment is stopped and reviewed if BMI, or BMI z-score, has not fallen by at least 4% after 12 weeks on 3.0 mg or the highest dose tolerated. Sections 4.1 to 4.3 of the label, as published on Singapore's National Drug Formulary, set no other time limit.
How long to stay on any GLP-1 medicine, and how to come off it, is the question GetLean is built around. For the medicines Dr Quek prescribes, the plan for coming off is the GetLean GLP-1 Taper Plan: he steps the dose down at monthly reviews towards the lowest effective dose and, where clinically appropriate, off the medication. Individual results vary. Do you have to take Mounjaro or Wegovy forever? sets out the evidence.
What are the side effects of Saxenda?
In its main trial, SCALE, the most frequently reported side effects were mild or moderate nausea and diarrhoea, and serious adverse events were reported in 6.2% on liraglutide 3.0 mg against 5.0% on placebo over 56 weeks (Pi-Sunyer 2015). In STEP 8, stomach and gut side effects were reported by 82.7% on liraglutide and 84.1% on semaglutide 2.4 mg, and more people stopped treatment for any reason on liraglutide, 27.6% against 13.5% (Rubino 2022).
Singapore's label lists one contraindication, hypersensitivity to liraglutide or to any of its other ingredients (NDF). The full list of side effects is in the product insert HSA publishes, which the National Drug Formulary page does not reproduce.
Does GetLean prescribe Saxenda?
No. GetLean does not prescribe or supply Saxenda or any other liraglutide.
GetLean does prescribe and supply HSA-registered GLP-1 medications, after a consultation with Dr Quek: the weekly injections Mounjaro and Wegovy, both registered here for weight management (NDF; NDF), when he finds one clinically appropriate. A consultation does not guarantee a prescription. The programme is designed to end: daily WhatsApp coaching builds the habits while the medication is working, and Dr Quek steps the dose down at monthly reviews. Mounjaro in Singapore and Wegovy in Singapore set out each medicine.
Book your consult with Dr Quek.
How does GetLean assess someone already taking Saxenda?
Dr Quek reviews your current treatment and goals before deciding whether a medicine GetLean supplies is appropriate. GetLean does not supply Saxenda or any other liraglutide, and a consultation does not guarantee a prescription or a switch.
- Book your consult. Tell us about your health conditions, your current prescription and the dose you take.
- Meet Dr Quek by video for 30 minutes. The first consultation is S$20. He decides whether a GLP-1 medicine suits you, and which one.
- If he prescribes it, the medication is delivered to you, with daily WhatsApp coaching and Dr Quek's monthly reviews.
The monthly programme includes doctor video consultations and ongoing medical oversight, the prescribed medication delivered discreetly to you, a personalised nutrition and daily activity plan, daily WhatsApp coaching and dose reviews that work toward your lowest effective dose. The pricing page names the actual GetLean plans; there is no GetLean Saxenda price. The GLP-1 programme explains the care journey.
The plan for coming off is the GetLean GLP-1 Taper Plan: after hitting your goal weight with the right nutrition and exercise habits built, the dose is stepped down at Dr Quek's monthly reviews towards your lowest effective dose and, where clinically appropriate, off the medication. Individual results vary. This describes medicines GetLean prescribes, not a Saxenda supply or taper service. Discuss changes to an existing Saxenda prescription with its prescriber. Weaning off GLP-1 explains the approach, and the GLP-1 side-effects guide covers symptoms and when to seek help.
Common questions
Is Saxenda available in Singapore?
Yes, on prescription. Saxenda, liraglutide 3 mg a day, has been registered in Singapore for weight management since 9 October 2017 and is classified Prescription Only, and a generic liraglutide for weight management, Obetide, was registered on 26 September 2025 (HSA register; NDF). The register records what is registered, not what a pharmacy has in stock. GetLean does not prescribe or supply Saxenda.
Why is Saxenda being discontinued?
Novo Nordisk is discontinuing Saxenda in the United States, with last shipments to wholesalers in late January 2027, because more alternative treatments have become available and fewer patients are using it, and it says safety and quality were not the reason (Novo Nordisk). In Australia it told doctors in May 2025 that Saxenda would not be available after December 2025, and pointed them to its weekly semaglutide (Novo Nordisk Australia). In Singapore, Saxenda is still on the register (HSA register).
Is Saxenda the same as Ozempic?
No. Saxenda is liraglutide, injected once a day, and Ozempic is semaglutide, injected once a week; both are GLP-1 medicines made by Novo Nordisk (NDF; NDF). In Singapore, Saxenda is registered for weight management and Ozempic for type 2 diabetes. The semaglutide registered here for weight management is Wegovy (NDF).
Is Saxenda stronger than Ozempic?
Not against semaglutide at Wegovy's 2.4 mg dose: in STEP 8, adults without diabetes had a mean weight change of −6.4% on liraglutide 3.0 mg once daily against −15.8% on semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly over 68 weeks (Rubino 2022). Ozempic's doses, up to 1 mg, were not part of that trial. Individual results vary and are not guaranteed.
How does Saxenda compare with Mounjaro?
No published trial has compared Saxenda with Mounjaro head to head for weight loss, as far as a PubMed search on 25 October 2026 found (PubMed). In their own placebo-controlled trials, liraglutide 3.0 mg gave a mean 8.4 kg loss over 56 weeks against 2.8 kg on placebo (Pi-Sunyer 2015), and tirzepatide a mean change of −15.0% to −20.9% over 72 weeks against −3.1% (Jastreboff 2022); those trials cannot be lined up against each other. Saxenda is daily and Mounjaro is weekly. Individual results vary.
How long can you stay on Saxenda for?
Singapore's label sets a 12-week checkpoint rather than an end date: an adult who has not lost at least 5% of their starting weight after 12 weeks on 3.0 mg a day should stop (NDF). Sections 4.1 to 4.3 of the label, as published on Singapore's National Drug Formulary, set no other time limit. How long to stay on it is the prescribing doctor's decision.
What class of drug is Saxenda?
Saxenda is a GLP-1 medicine: liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue (Pi-Sunyer 2015), the same class as semaglutide in Wegovy and Ozempic, and Singapore's label says that in type 2 diabetes it should not be combined with another GLP-1 receptor agonist (NDF).
What are the side effects of Saxenda?
In its main trial the most frequently reported side effects were mild or moderate nausea and diarrhoea, and serious adverse events were reported in 6.2% on liraglutide 3.0 mg against 5.0% on placebo over 56 weeks (Pi-Sunyer 2015). In STEP 8, stomach and gut side effects were reported by 82.7% on liraglutide and 84.1% on semaglutide 2.4 mg, and 27.6% against 13.5% stopped treatment for any reason (Rubino 2022).
Is there a generic Saxenda in Singapore?
Yes: Obetide, a generic liraglutide registered on 26 September 2025, carries the same weight-management indication and the same 0.6 mg to 3.0 mg daily dosing (HSA register; NDF). A second generic liraglutide registered the same day, Diaglutide, is for type 2 diabetes, not weight management (NDF).
Does GetLean prescribe Saxenda?
No. GetLean does not prescribe or supply Saxenda or any other liraglutide. GetLean does prescribe and supply HSA-registered GLP-1 medications, after a consultation with Dr Quek: the weekly injections Mounjaro and Wegovy, both registered here for weight management, when he finds one clinically appropriate. A consultation does not guarantee a prescription.
How much does Saxenda cost at GetLean?
GetLean does not prescribe or supply Saxenda, so it has no Saxenda price. The pricing page lists GetLean's actual plans, and the Wegovy and Mounjaro pages give the supplied injections' dose prices. Dr Quek assesses suitability at a S$20, 30-minute video consultation; no prescription or switch is guaranteed.
Can I get Saxenda over the counter in Singapore?
No. Saxenda is classified Prescription Only in Singapore (HSA register). MOH says GLP-1 medicines can only be dispensed by a registered doctor or a licensed retail pharmacy against a valid prescription (MOH 2024).
Is Saxenda injected daily or weekly?
Saxenda is injected once a day, while Wegovy and Mounjaro are weekly injections (NDF Saxenda; NDF Wegovy; NDF Mounjaro). The medicines and schedules differ; follow your own prescription and discuss changes with its prescriber.
Is Saxenda the same as Victoza?
They contain liraglutide, but Singapore registers Saxenda for weight management and Victoza for type 2 diabetes. Their labelled daily doses differ: Saxenda steps to 3.0 mg, while Victoza goes up to 1.8 mg (NDF Saxenda; NDF Victoza). GetLean does not supply either product.
Can I switch from Saxenda to Wegovy or Mounjaro at GetLean?
Dr Quek can assess your current treatment and whether a medicine GetLean supplies suits you. GetLean supplies Wegovy and Mounjaro where clinically appropriate, not Saxenda; a consultation does not guarantee a switch. Bring your current prescription details to the S$20, 30-minute video consultation and discuss any change with the doctor managing it.
What happens when Saxenda is stopped?
Any decision to stop or change Saxenda belongs with its prescriber; this page does not apply semaglutide or tirzepatide withdrawal percentages to liraglutide. For medicines GetLean prescribes, coming off is planned through the GetLean GLP-1 Taper Plan, with Dr Quek's monthly dose reviews towards the lowest effective dose and, where clinically appropriate, off the medication. GetLean does not supply Saxenda; weaning off GLP-1 explains the programme's approach.
Is Saxenda registered for adolescents in Singapore?
The Singapore label includes adolescents from age 12 with obesity and body weight above 60 kg, alongside diet and physical activity (NDF). That is a statement about the product label, not GetLean's service criteria. GetLean does not prescribe or supply Saxenda.