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    Fact-checked by the Peptide Authority Editorial Board · Last reviewed:

    Reviewed by Dr Sarah Mitchell, PhD · Editorial Board

    GLP-1 Centre

    Fake Saxenda pens — UK identifiers

    Counterfeit Saxenda (liraglutide 3 mg) pens are rarer than fake Wegovy, Ozempic, or Mounjaro, but they do appear in UK and EU enforcement reporting. This page covers genuine-product identifiers — particularly the daily-injection multi-dose format — and the action ladder if your supply doesn’t look right.

    Why fewer fakes than other GLP-1s

    Saxenda’s market has shrunk since Wegovy and Mounjaro launched: lower trial-effect weight loss, daily rather than weekly injection, and NICE pathways favouring the newer products. Less consumer demand means less counterfeiter interest. But fakes do appear — patients pushed off lawful UK supply by waiting lists or cost still buy Saxenda from unregulated routes.

    Genuine Saxenda — what to check

    • Outer carton: Novo Nordisk-branded, “Saxenda 6 mg/mL solution for injection in pre-filled pen” on the label, UK English Patient Information Leaflet inside, tamper-evident seals.
    • Pen body: Pre-filled multi-dose pen with a dial that selects from 0.6 to 3.0 mg. Recognisable Novo Nordisk pen design. Each pen contains 3 mL of solution (18 mg of liraglutide total).
    • Solution: Clear, colourless. Particulates or discoloration are red flags.
    • Dosing instructions: Daily injection, titrating weekly from 0.6 → 1.2 → 1.8 → 2.4 → 3.0 mg. Weekly-injection instructions on a pen labelled Saxenda are a counterfeit signal.

    Counterfeit patterns

    • Repackaged non-Novo cartons with Saxenda-style labels.
    • Missing PIL or non-English PIL only.
    • Mismatched batch number between carton and pen.
    • Pens with incorrect dose-dial mechanism (Saxenda’s dial steps to specific increments — wrong steps = wrong pen).
    • Sometimes substituted with a different liraglutide product (Victoza, max 1.8 mg) — same active ingredient but different licence and dose range.

    What to do if you suspect a fake

    1. Don’t inject the next dose.
    2. Photograph carton, pen, PIL or absence, shipping label, and any correspondence with the seller.
    3. If supplied via UK GPhC-registered pharmacy — contact them and ask them to investigate the batch.
    4. Report to MHRA via Yellow Card and the GOV.UK report-a-problem form.
    5. If you’ve injected, contact your prescriber or NHS 111.

    Red-flag claims

    If you see wording like this on a seller, clinic, or social-media advert, treat it as a warning sign rather than a benefit.

    • “Saxenda — UK delivery, no prescription required”

      POM supply without prescription is unlawful and is the route counterfeit Saxenda has taken to reach UK patients.

    • “Generic liraglutide pens — same as Saxenda at half price”

      ‘Generic liraglutide’ supply isn't a UK-licensed product. Saxenda is the brand; alternatives marketed this way are unlicensed-medicine supply.

    • “Saxenda from our EU pharmacy partner”

      Cross-border supply is the recurring UK counterfeit-pen route. Country of origin doesn't validate the product.

    • “Use Victoza for weight loss — same drug as Saxenda”

      Same active ingredient but a different UK licence and different max dose (1.8 mg vs 3.0 mg). Off-label substitution isn't appropriate self-administration.

    Sources & further reading

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