Biolide®

What is Biolide?

Biolide is a weight loss injection that can manage your appetite and cravings to help you lose weight. It’s a generic version of Saxenda, which means it contains the same active ingredient – liraglutide.

Liraglutide is a type of medicine called a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It was originally developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, because it helps your body to release insulin when your blood sugars are high. But when it was also found to help people lose weight by managing appetite and cravings, it was approved as a weight loss treatment too.

How does Biolide work?

Biolide’s active ingredient, liraglutide, mimics the action of the natural GLP-1 hormone that your body releases after eating. This hormone sends signals to your brain to let it know you’re full, and releases insulin to help manage your blood sugar levels. It also slows down the speed at which food leaves your stomach.

This is what makes us feel satisfied after eating. By mimicking natural GLP-1, you should feel fuller for longer after eating, and get fewer cravings between meals. This helps you to reduce the amount of food you eat, and in turn lose weight.¹

What doses does Biolide come in?

Biolide comes in an adjustable dose pen that contains a total of 18 mg of liraglutide. You’ll use this pen every day until it runs out, then start a new pen when it’s done. When you first start Biolide, you’ll inject 0.6 mg every day for the first week. After each week of Biolide, if you’re happy with your treatment and aren’t struggling with side effects, you’ll increase your dose by 0.6 mg to a maximum of 3.0 mg per day.

This means you’ll usually inject:

• 0.6 mg per day in week one
• 1.2 mg per day in week two
• 1.8 mg per day in week three
• 2.4 mg per day in week four
• 3.0 mg per day in week five.

From week 5, you’ll carry on taking the maintenance dose of 3.0 mg every day.

How to use Biolide

You’ll inject Biolide once every day. You can inject it at any time that suits you, but try to take it at the same time each day. Picking a time that’s easy to remember (like first thing in the morning, before bed, or with a meal) can help you remember to use it at the same time each day.

To prepare your dose of Biolide, remove the cap from the pen and make sure the solution inside is clear and colourless. Then, attach an unused needle to your pen.

If it’s the first time you’re using a new pen, you’ll need to check to make sure the medicine is flowing through properly.

1. Turn the dose selector to the flow check symbol.
2. Holding the pen upright, push the button until the dose counter reaches zero.
3. You should see a small drop of medicine come out of the tip of the needle.
4. If not, repeat step two up to six times until you see a drop appear. If no drop appears, dispose of the pen and use a new one.

To inject your dose of Biolide:

1. Make sure your dose selector is turned to the correct dose. If it isn’t, turn the selector to your prescribed dose.
2. Push the needle into your waist, thigh, or the back of your upper arm.
3. Press and hold the button on the pen until the dose selector reaches zero.
4. Keep the button pressed down for six more seconds, to ensure all of the medicine is injected properly.
5. Remove the needle from your skin.

Once you’ve removed the needle, put the outer cap back onto your needle, unscrew it, and dispose of it in a sharps bin.

If you have any questions or concerns about how to take Biolide, speak to your clinician or check the patient information leaflet.

How long does it take for Biolide to work?

Biolide is a long term medicine that you’ll use every day to help manage your weight. This means you’ll have to use Biolide for a little while before you’ll start noticing results. But evidence suggests that you could start to see your weight go down in as little as four weeks.¹

However, if you’ve taken Biolide for 12 weeks and haven’t lost at least 5% of your starting body weight, Biolide might not be the right treatment for you – speak to your clinician about your other weight loss treatment options.

What should I do if I make a mistake taking Biolide?

If you (or someone else) uses too much Biolide, talk to a doctor or seek emergency medical attention right away. Take your medicine and any packaging it came in with you. Taking too much Biolide could cause:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Low blood sugar levels.

If you miss a dose of Biolide, you can take it as soon as you remember – provided it’s been less than 12 hours from when you would’ve normally taken the dose. If it’s been more than 12 hours since you should have taken Biolide: skip the dose you missed, take your next dose when you usually would, and carry on as normal from there.