Saxenda is the oldest of the five and the only one injected daily. Smaller average weight loss than the weekly treatments, but the lowest entry cost and the widest availability, which makes it the practical starting point for a lot of people.
How much does Saxenda cost in Ireland?
Saxenda is the only treatment of the five where buying in volume changes the price. The per-pen cost falls as the pack size rises.
| Pack | Price | Per pen | Saving per pen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 pen | €149.99 | €149.99 | — |
| 2 pens | €259.99 | €130.00 | €19.99 |
| 3 pens | €329.99 | €110.00 | €39.99 |
| 4 pens | €469.99 | €117.50 | €32.49 |
| 5 pens | €529.99 | €106.00 | €43.99 |
Check the four-pen pack before you buy it. At €117.50 per pen it is dearer than the three-pen pack at €110.00. Four pens cost €469.99, while three pens plus a single pen would come to €479.98, so the pack still wins marginally, but the volume discount reverses at that step rather than continuing to fall. If you need four, price the five-pack too.
What else you pay for Saxenda in Ireland
- Consultation: €35 to €90 privately, €50 to €70 at a GP
- Baseline bloods: €60 to €100
- More needles. Daily dosing means roughly seven times the needle count of a weekly injection
Compare Saxenda against all five treatments →
How we help you get Saxenda in Ireland
The medication is the easy part. The difficulty is finding a prescriber who will assess you, and knowing which pharmacy to fill the script at once you have it.
- 1 We check the price for you. The same pack varies between Irish pharmacies by enough to matter across a year. We tell you what each charges and where the cheapest supply near you is.
- 2 We connect you with an Irish specialist. A registered prescriber assesses whether this treatment is appropriate for you. That clinical decision is theirs, not ours.
- 3 You get a valid Irish prescription if you are suitable, dispensed at a registered pharmacy and eligible for reimbursement where the indication qualifies.
- 4 We tell you when the price moves so you are not overpaying six months in.
Let us find your price and your prescriber
Tell us your county. We will come back with the best price near you and an Irish specialist who can assess whether it suits you.
- The best price available near you, pharmacy by pharmacy
- An Irish specialist who can assess you and prescribe if suitable
- Whether your case is likely to qualify for State reimbursement
Is Saxenda available in Ireland?
Yes, and generally more reliably than the weekly treatments. Saxenda has been licensed longer, demand has shifted towards semaglutide and tirzepatide, and Irish pharmacies have tended to hold stock when Wegovy and Mounjaro were short.
For someone who wants to start now rather than wait, that availability is a genuine advantage. Licensing can be verified on the HPRA register.
How to get a Saxenda prescription in Ireland
Saxenda is prescription-only. There are three legitimate routes.
Getting Saxenda through your GP
€50 to €70 for the visit, and the only route that reaches State reimbursement. If you have type 2 diabetes this is the route that gets the treatment onto the Drugs Payment Scheme or your medical card.
Getting Saxenda through a weight management clinic
€35 to €90 for the consultation. Registered clinics prescribe for weight management where a GP may not, with monthly follow-ups and no reimbursement on the medication itself. An online consultation with an Irish-registered doctor is lawful and increasingly common.
Getting Saxenda through hospital referral
Specialist bariatric and endocrinology services in the public system. Free at the point of access, with waiting lists measured in months to years depending on catchment.
The three routes in full detail →
Does the Drugs Payment Scheme cover Saxenda?
No. Saxenda is licensed for weight management only, and weight management is not a reimbursed indication in Ireland. That holds across the Drugs Payment Scheme, the medical card and the Long Term Illness Scheme.
Liraglutide is also sold as Victoza for type 2 diabetes, and that version is reimbursed. Same molecule, different licence, different answer. It is the identical pattern to Ozempic and Wegovy.
How Saxenda works
Liraglutide mimics GLP-1, the same hormone semaglutide targets. It slows gastric emptying and acts on appetite signalling. The difference is duration: liraglutide clears the body faster, which is why it is injected daily rather than weekly.
The Saxenda titration schedule
Start at 0.6 mg daily, increasing by 0.6 mg each week to a 3 mg maintenance dose over five weeks. That is a faster ramp than the weekly treatments, and some people find the first fortnight harder as a result.
Prescribing information is published by the European Medicines Agency.
Saxenda side effects
Common Saxenda side effects
Nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting and headache, most pronounced during the five-week titration. Injection site reactions are more frequent than with weekly treatments simply because there are seven times as many injections.
When Saxenda side effects need a doctor
Severe or persistent abdominal pain, particularly radiating to the back, needs prompt attention as pancreatitis is a recognised risk. Gallbladder symptoms are also worth reporting.
This page is not medical advice. Discuss side effects with your prescriber or pharmacist. Report suspected adverse reactions to the HPRA.
Saxenda compared with Wegovy and Mounjaro
| Saxenda | Wegovy | Mounjaro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Liraglutide | Semaglutide | Tirzepatide |
| Dosing | Daily | Weekly | Weekly |
| Injections per month | ~30 | ~4 | ~4 |
| Entry price | €149.99 | €279.95 | €554.95 |
| Availability | Generally good | Variable | Variable |
| State cover | None | None | Diabetes only |
Saxenda’s case is cost and availability, not efficacy. If you want the lowest entry price and stock you can rely on, it is the practical choice. Compare all five →
Who Saxenda is prescribed for
Prescribers typically consider it where BMI is 30 or above, or 27 and above with a weight-related condition. It carries the weight management licence, so prescribing it for that purpose is straightforward and within indication.
The honest question to ask yourself is whether you will keep up a daily injection. Adherence to daily dosing drops off faster than weekly in practice, and a treatment you stop taking does not work. What happens when you stop →
More on Saxenda and GLP-1 treatment in Ireland
Mounjaro vs Wegovy
Almost double the price. Whether the difference is worth it.
GuideGLP-1 side effects
What to expect, how long it lasts, when to see a doctor.
GuideWhat happens when you stop
Two thirds of lost weight returned within a year in the trial.
Compare all five weight loss treatments
Cost per kilo lost, dosing and what each one is licensed for.
GuideWegovy in Ireland: cost and access
Semaglutide licensed for weight management, and what it costs.
GuideWeight loss injection prices in Ireland
Every current price for all five treatments, side by side.
Saxenda in Ireland: common questions
A single Saxenda pen costs €149.99. Buying in packs brings the per-pen price down: €130.00 each in a two-pack, €110.00 in a three-pack and €106.00 in a five-pack. Saxenda is not reimbursed under the Drugs Payment Scheme.
At the 3 mg maintenance dose a pen lasts about six days, so most people use roughly five pens a month once fully titrated. During the first weeks at lower doses a pen lasts considerably longer.
In trial data semaglutide produced greater average weight reduction than liraglutide. Saxenda requires a daily injection rather than weekly. Its advantages are a lower entry cost and generally better availability. The right choice depends on what you tolerate and what your prescriber recommends.
Yes. Saxenda carries a weight management licence in Ireland, so prescribing it for weight loss is within its indication and does not require off-label prescribing. There is no State reimbursement either way.
No. Saxenda is licensed only for weight management, which is not a reimbursed indication in Ireland. That applies under the Drugs Payment Scheme, the medical card and the Long Term Illness Scheme.