How much is Saxenda in the UK?
Saxenda (liraglutide) has a UK list price of £196.20 for 5 pens of 18 mg, before VAT. At the full 3.0 mg daily dose, 5 pens last 30 days: about £198 a month, or £2,381 a year. On an NHS prescription you pay £9.90 an item in England, or nothing in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Saxenda, like every GLP‑1 medicine, is a prescription-only medicine in the UK.12
- Prices here are official list prices, before VAT. We never quote a seller’s price, and we don’t name or rank sellers.
- Nothing here promises any result, and nothing here is for sale. The risks are in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
What is Saxenda’s list price, and how long does a pack last?
Saxenda lists at £196.20 for 5 pens of 18 mg, excluding VAT, and how long they last depends on your daily dose.1,2,3
NICE published that price in 2020, and it is still the basic NHS price in July 2026 prescribing data.1,2 Each pen holds 18 mg and gives doses from 0.6 mg to 3.0 mg.3
| Daily dose | 5 pens last | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| 0.6 mg | 150 days | £40 |
| 1.2 mg | 75 days | £79 |
| 1.8 mg | 50 days | £119 |
| 2.4 mg | 37.5 days | £159 |
| 3.0 mg | 30 days | £198 |
Our arithmetic: 90 mg in 5 pens ÷ daily dose = days; £196.20 ÷ days × 30.3 days a month (a 52-week year ÷ 12). Excluding VAT.1,2
The dose starts at 0.6 mg and rises by 0.6 mg at least a week apart, to 3.0 mg.3 At 3.0 mg, a year comes to about £2,381 at list price, by our arithmetic.
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What do you pay for Saxenda on the NHS?
On an NHS prescription you pay £9.90 an item in England and nothing in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, but NHS Saxenda is limited to specialist services.4,5,6,7,8
NICE recommends NHS Saxenda only in a specialist tier 3 weight service.8 It applies to people with a BMI of 35 or more (32.5 for some ethnic groups), prediabetes and a high risk of heart disease.8
The NHS buys it under a commercial arrangement, with a discount.1 Privately, you pay the full price each service sets. Our guide to getting a prescription in the UK covers both routes.
What does generic liraglutide cost?
The October 2026 Drug Tariff price for liraglutide prescribed by its generic name is £50.49 for 2 pens of 18 mg, excluding VAT; Saxenda lists at £196.20 for 5.9,1
Per pen, that is about £25.25 and £39.24, by our arithmetic. The tariff entry names no brand. The MHRA says liraglutide’s licensed use “is brand specific”.10 It advises checking the product information leaflet for what each brand is licensed for.10
The brands are compared in Generic liraglutide vs Saxenda.
- Stomach effects are very common (more than 1 in 10) on the UK Saxenda label: feeling sick, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. They usually come in the first weeks.3
- Gallstones are common (1 in 10 to 1 in 100) and pancreatitis uncommon (1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000) on the UK Saxenda label.3
- Pancreatitis warning sign: severe, persistent stomach pain that may spread to the back. Seek urgent help.11
- Pregnancy. The MHRA says liraglutide can be stopped just before trying to get pregnant, as it leaves the body quickly.10
Read the full picture
Related questions
Sources
- NICE. Liraglutide for managing overweight and obesity, TA664, section 2.3: “The list price of liraglutide (Saxenda) is £196.20 for 5 × 6 mg/ml 3-ml (18 mg) pre-filled pens (excluding VAT…)”, with a commercial arrangement for the NHS. December 2020. nice.org.uk
- NHS Business Services Authority. English Prescribing Dataset (EPD), July 2026: basic NHS price of Saxenda 6 mg/ml 3 ml pens, £196.20 for 5 (£39.24 a pen), excluding VAT. opendata.nhsbsa.net
- Novo Nordisk. Saxenda 6 mg/ml solution for injection in pre-filled pen: UK summary of product characteristics (SmPC), electronic Medicines Compendium. Date of revision 11/2025. Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.8 and 6.5. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
- NHS Business Services Authority. NHS prescription prepayment certificate (PPC): “The prescription charge in England is £9.90.” nhsbsa.nhs.uk
- Citizens Advice Scotland. Help with health costs: “Prescriptions in Scotland are free.” citizensadvice.org.uk
- Welsh Government. Free prescriptions. gov.wales
- nidirect (Northern Ireland). Help with health costs: “All prescriptions dispensed in Northern Ireland are free of charge for everyone.” nidirect.gov.uk
- NICE. Liraglutide for managing overweight and obesity, TA664, recommendation 1.1. nice.org.uk
- NHS Business Services Authority. Drug Tariff, Part VIIIA, October 2026: liraglutide 6 mg/ml solution for injection, 3 ml pre-filled pens, £50.49 for 2, excluding VAT. nhsbsa.nhs.uk
- MHRA. GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know. Guidance, updated 5 February 2026 (liraglutide’s licensed use “is brand specific”; stopping before pregnancy). gov.uk
- MHRA. MHRA updates guidance for GLP-1 prescribers and patients (acute pancreatitis). Press release, 29 January 2026. gov.uk
- MHRA. First GLP-1 tablet for weight loss approved in the UK. Press release, 11 June 2026 (“As with all GLP-1 receptor agonists, this is a prescription-only medication”). gov.uk
Last checked 14 Oct 2026 · Next review due 14 Apr 2027 · Report an error
How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above, all checked on 14 Oct 2026. Prices are official list prices or NHS charges, never a seller’s price, and we don’t name or rank sellers. Figures marked as our arithmetic are worked out from those sources. It’s general information, not medical advice. Talk to a GP, pharmacist or other qualified prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write