Daily Medication Pearl: Liraglutide (Saxenda)

Medication Pearl of the Day: Liraglutide (Saxenda)

Indication: Liraglutide (Saxenda) is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated for type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adult patients with an initial body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese) or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least 1 weight-related comorbid condition (e.g. hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or dyslipidemia).

Insight:

• Dosing: Recommended dose of liraglutide is 3 mg daily. Administer at any time of day, without regard to the timing of meals.
• Dosage forms: Solution for subcutaneous injection, pre-filled, multi-dose pen that delivers doses of 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, 2.4 mg, or 3 mg (6 mg/mL, 3 mL).
• Adverse events: Most common adverse reactions, reported in greater than or equal to 5% are: nausea, hypoglycemia, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, headache, decreased appetite, dyspepsia, fatigue, dizziness, abdominal pain, and increased lipase.
• Mechanism of action: Liraglutide is an acylated human GLP-1 receptor agonist with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1 (7-37). Like endogenous GLP-1, liraglutide binds to and activates the GLP-1 receptor, a cell-surface receptor coupled to adenylyl cyclase activation through the stimulatory G-protein, Gs.

Source: SAXENDA (liraglutide [rDNA origin] injection), (fda.gov)