Liraglutide (Saxenda®)
Liraglutide (Saxenda®) 6 mg/ml solution for injection in pre-filled pen is available for reimbursement under the Community Drug Schemes from 1st January 2023. A Managed Access Protocol is in place for liraglutide (Saxenda®) for a subgroup of the licensed indication, defined as:
“Adult patients, as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight management, with an initial body mass index of ≥ 35 kg/m2 with prediabetes and high-risk of cardiovascular disease. Treatment should be discontinued for patients who have not lost ≥ 5 % of their initial body weight after 12 weeks of treatment at the 3.0 mg/day dose”.
This Managed Access Protocol outlines the criteria that must be satisfied in order for a patient to be recommended for reimbursement of liraglutide (Saxenda®).
A clinician must submit an online application for individual reimbursement approval for each patient. All clinicians (GPs and hospital prescribers), once user-registered with the HSE - Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS), can apply for reimbursement of liraglutide (Saxenda®).
The managed access of liraglutide (Saxenda®) includes two phases of reimbursement approval. Phase 1 reimbursement support is for an initial duration of six months (24 weeks). For continued reimbursement support after this time, a second reimbursement application is required to determine the patient’s response to treatment after 12 weeks of liraglutide (Saxenda®) at the 3 mg/day dose. Total duration of reimbursement support is two years (24 months) from the date of the initial Phase 1 application. Due to the information that is required to be submitted, the clinician responsible for the initiation of treatment should complete the online application.
The National Clinical Programme for Obesity has identified a number of resources and local initiatives that are available to prescribers to support adult patients with health behaviours relating to overweight and obesity. For healthcare professionals, ‘Making Every Contact Count’ (MECC) eLearning course is available on HSELand and includes the module ‘Talking about Overweight and Obesity’. HSE Patient Support Programmes that may be available include the ‘Diabetes Prevention Programme’ and ‘Best Health Weight Management Programme’. Further information on these programmes can be sought through the local HSE Community Nutrition and Dietetics Service or HSE Chronic Disease Management Hub. In addition, the HSE ‘Talking about weight: A guide to developing healthy habits’ booklet provides useful guidance and information to people living with overweight and obesity and is available to order from healthpromotion.ie.
A copy of the HSE- Managed Access Protocol for liraglutide (Saxenda®), correspondence issued to prescribers and pharmacists, reimbursement information for prescribers, and reimbursement information for pharmacists can be found in the Related Files section below.
By the end of October 2023, over 1,400 patients were accessing liraglutide (Saxenda®) for weight management under this protocol. More information available on the Data Snapshots and Publications page.