Buy Saxenda: how the legal route works in the Netherlands

How to buy Saxenda legally: doctor, prescription, recognised pharmacy

The legal route to Saxenda consists of five steps. At each step, it is clear who does what.

1. You: intake and medical details. You fill in a questionnaire about your weight, height, health and medication use, or you discuss this in a consultation.
2. The doctor: assessment. A BIG-registered doctor (registered in the Dutch register of healthcare professionals) assesses whether medical weight loss with liraglutide is right for you, based on your BMI, your medical history and any contraindications.
3. The doctor: prescription. If it is suitable, the doctor writes a prescription with the dosing schedule from 0.6 mg to 3.0 mg per day.
4. The pharmacy: delivery. A recognised Dutch pharmacy supplies the pens, with needles, to your home or at the counter.
5. The doctor: support. During use, the doctor monitors your weight and your side effects and adjusts the dosage.

You can read how to set the pen and how the dosing schedule goes week by week in our article on Saxenda dosage.

Who is Saxenda intended for?

Saxenda is registered for adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or of 27 to 30 with a weight-related condition such as prediabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea. That is the formal threshold. The doctor assesses whether the medication suits your situation.

The liraglutide entry in the Farmacotherapeutisch Kompas (the Dutch national drug reference) of Zorginstituut Nederland lists situations in which Saxenda is not used, including severe heart failure, severe liver problems and overweight caused by a hormonal disorder or by medication. You also do not use it during pregnancy or if you want to become pregnant.

The doctor also takes your other medicines and your gastrointestinal history into account. The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation, especially in the build-up phase; an overview is in our article on Saxenda side effects. Read more about stopping Saxenda.

What does 1 Saxenda pen cost and how many pens do you need per month?

A Saxenda pen costs €37.13 at the pharmacy, a pack of 5 pens €185.63, according to medicijnkosten.nl of Zorginstituut Nederland (the Dutch National Health Care Institute), reference date 1 September 2026. The pharmacy's dispensing fees (terhandstellingskosten) come on top of this.

How many pens you need per month depends on your dosage. Each pen contains 18 mg of liraglutide.

So on the maintenance dose of 3.0 mg, you use one pack of 5 pens per month. The full cost picture, including pharmacy costs and support, is in our article on Saxenda cost.

Ordering Saxenda needles: which ones do you need?

With the Saxenda pen, you use disposable needles of the NovoFine or NovoTwist type, with a maximum length of 8 mm and a gauge of 32G. The needles are not included in the pack; the pharmacy supplies them on prescription or separately. You use a new needle for every injection.

In practice: needles of 4 to 6 mm are comfortable for most people. You put used needles in a sharps container, which you can also get from the pharmacy. If you order needles online, choose a Dutch pharmacy and not a general webshop.

Already tried all sorts of things and want to lose weight under a doctor's supervision? Your own BIG-registered doctor assesses whether medical weight loss is right for you and arranges the prescription and delivery. Medical weight loss with injections →

Ordering Saxenda online: what should you look out for?

You can order Saxenda online legally, as long as a doctor and a recognised pharmacy are part of the chain. The Inspectie Gezondheidszorg en Jeugd (the Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate) warned as early as October 2023 about counterfeit injection pens in circulation and advises using and buying prescription medicines only through your doctor and pharmacy. Read more about the Saxenda diet.

How to recognise a reliable provider:

• A doctor assesses you first. No questionnaire or consultation means no prescription; a provider that lets you pay straight away is not a healthcare provider.
• BIG registration can be checked. The doctor's name is stated and can be found in the BIG register.
• A recognised Dutch pharmacy supplies the medication. The pharmacy is named on the invoice and is subject to supervision.
• No sales without an intake, no advertising of "stock". Prescription medicines are not promoted as a product.
• No delivery from abroad. Medication that comes in outside the Dutch pharmacy chain falls outside supervision.

The College ter Beoordeling van Geneesmiddelen (CBG, the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board) sums it up: if you buy online without a prescription, you do not know what you are buying. The same applies to other weight loss medication; also read our article on how to buy Ozempic.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Saxenda?

Yes, in two forms. First, there are other brands with the same active substance, liraglutide, such as Nevolat, Vobexoryn and Byesilor. They work in the same way and some health insurers have a preferred brand. You can read which brands exist and how they differ in our article on liraglutide.

Second, since April 2022 basic health insurance (basisverzekering) has reimbursed liraglutide for a small group: people with a BMI of 35 or higher with an additional condition, or a BMI of 40 or higher, who have first followed a recognised lifestyle programme for a year. The conditions per insurer are in our article on whether Saxenda is covered by insurance with CZ and other insurers.

Other medications, such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, are not a "cheaper Saxenda" but a different treatment with a weekly injection. The doctor assesses whether one of those suits you better; the comparison is in our article Mounjaro vs Saxenda.

Saxenda through an online clinic with support: how does it work?

With an online clinic, you follow the same legal route, but with your own doctor who supports you throughout the programme. At Qlinic, you start with the eligibility check and a consultation. The doctor assesses whether medical weight loss is right for you and which medication goes with it.

A programme with liraglutide (Saxenda) at Qlinic costs €850 per month, plus a one-off €400 support fee. This includes the prescription, home delivery through a recognised Dutch pharmacy and support from your own BIG-registered doctor, with a follow-up every 4 weeks. You can read how the programme is structured on the medical weight loss with injections page.

Want to know whether medical weight loss is right for you? Take the short check and the doctor will assess your situation. Eligibility check →

Frequently asked questions about buying Saxenda

Can I buy Saxenda without a prescription?

No. Saxenda is a prescription medicine. Only a doctor can prescribe it and only a recognised pharmacy may supply it. Offers without a prescription are illegal and often counterfeit.

How much does 1 Saxenda pen cost?

A pen costs €37.13 at the pharmacy and a pack of 5 pens €185.63 (medicijnkosten.nl, reference date 1 September 2026), excluding dispensing fees. On the maintenance dose of 3.0 mg a day, you use 5 pens per month.

Which needles do I need for my Saxenda pen?

Disposable needles of the NovoFine or NovoTwist type, a maximum of 8 mm long and 32G gauge. They are not included in the pack and you use a new needle for every injection.

How long does 1 Saxenda pen last?

That depends on your dosage. A pen contains 18 mg: at 0.6 mg a day a pen lasts 30 days, at 3.0 mg a day 6 days.

How much weight do you lose after 1 month of Saxenda?

That varies from person to person, and the first month is the build-up phase with low doses. You can read what research shows about the pace in our article on how fast Saxenda works.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Saxenda?

Other brands with liraglutide (Nevolat, Vobexoryn, Byesilor) work in the same way, and a small group gets liraglutide reimbursed from basic health insurance. The doctor assesses which medication suits you.

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