Liraglutide (Saxenda®) PGD Training 2020/21

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Expert Clinic (EC) and Voyager Medical (VM) have jointly organised the Saxenda webinar and PGD-accredited services for pharmacists and allied healthcare professionals.

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The EC and VM training programme has two parts:

• Part (I) –  Webinar

• Part (II) – PGD online assessment with support materials

 

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What is Liraglutide (Saxenda®)

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The Liraglutide (Saxenda®) 3mg injection is an injectable prescription medicine that is licensed -:

As an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight management in adult patients with an initial Body Mass Index (BMI) of

• ≥30 kg/m² (obese), or

• ≥27 kg/m² to <30 kg/m² (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbidity such as dysglycaemia (pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus), hypertension, dyslipidaemia or obstructive sleep apnoea.

 

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How Liraglutide (Saxenda®) Works

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Liraglutide is an acylated human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue with 97% amino acid sequence homology to endogenous human GLP-1. Liraglutide binds to and activates the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R).

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GLP-1 is a physiological regulator of appetite and food intake, but the exact mechanism of action is not entirely clear. In animal studies, peripheral administration of liraglutide led to uptake in specific brain regions involved in regulation of appetite, where liraglutide, via specific activation of the GLP-1R, increased key satiety and decreased key hunger signals, thereby leading to lower body weight.

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GLP-1 receptors are also expressed in specific locations in the heart, vasculature, immune system and kidneys. In mouse models of atherosclerosis, liraglutide prevented aortic plaque progression and reduced inflammation in the plaque. In addition, liraglutide had a beneficial effect on plasma lipids.

Liraglutide did not reduce the plaque size of already established plaques.

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Overview of Training Content

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• Obesity as a Disease.

• Current Management of Obesity in the United Kingdom.

• Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and Liraglutide (Saxenda)

• SCALE Clinical Programme on efficacy and safety profile of Liraglutide (Saxenda)

• The XENSOR Study – Real-world study comparing effectiveness and tolerability of Orlistat and Liraglutide

• Safety Profile and Requirements for Liraglutide

• Practical Considerations on Liraglutide (Saxenda) – demonstration using Saxenda placebo pen by trainer.

• How to set up a weight management clinic in a pharmacy setting using Voyager Medical’s accredited PGDs on weightmanagement.