Medical Weight Loss Programme

Why Choose Our Medical Weight Loss Programme?

Personalised Plans: Tailored to your individual health profile and goals.

Medical Supervision: Your health and success are our top priorities. Throughout your journey with us, you'll benefit from ongoing, integrated support from our dedicated team of healthcare professionals

Comprehensive Approach: Combining medication with lifestyle and behavioural strategies.

Proven Results: Utilising treatments backed by evidence based research. 

You will be under the care of a specialised team and myself who will provide comprehensive education and well-managed follow-ups to ensure your journey is both safe and effective.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The average amount of weight lost for the current medications available in NZ is around 8% of your current weight. However, it is important to note that some patients can lose 5%, while others can lose up to 15%. This effect is not entirely predictable. What is known is that medications should be viewed as a tool. A tool to assist lifestyle changes. If you incorporate lifestyle changes, you will be able to lose more weight. Continued medical therapy will help you to maintain that weight loss for sustainable treatment. When combined with VLCD (very low calorie diet), 10-15% of weight loss is definitely achievable for most patients.

  • This is a difficult question that is difficult to answer. There is still work to be done in this field, but it seems that certain obesity profiles suit certain medications better than others. We will consider potential cost of treatment, presence of other medical problems, side effects, and personal preference.

  • If your initial choice of treatment is not helpful, you should try a different medication. We still do not understand why some patients lose more weight than average (super-responders) and why some people do not lose much weight.

  • Most side effects with anti-obesity medications will eventually fade away as your body adjusts to the effects of medications. It is important to discuss with us if you have any side effects of treatment. We can talk about ways to improve side effects and discuss continuing treatment or not. If you find the side effects persist 2-3 months after treatment, you may consider alternative treatment.

  • Once you stop medical treatment, you will gain weight again. Currently, medications that are used to treat obesity are non-funded and we understand that they can be a significant financial burden. We can discuss strategies to minimise weight re-gain after stopping/reducing treatment.

  • Unfortunately, under current New Zealand guidelines, we are unable to provide medications if your BMI is less than 25. Patients between the BMI range 25 – 27.5 may be considered for treatment depending on their medical problems and clinical picture. Weight loss medications should not be used if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or currently breastfeeding.

Saxenda®

(Liraglutide)

What is Saxenda®?

Saxenda® is in the class of GLP-1 receptor agonists. It is 97% similar to the naturally produced gut hormone GLP-1, a physiological regulator of appetite. GLP-1 is released in your body after eating. Like the natural hormone, it helps to control your appetite, making you feel fuller and less hungry. It is a once daily injection underneath your skin. You start from a dose of 0.6mg and increase by 0.6mg every week to 3.0mg.

Saxenda® can be for you, if you:

  • Feel hungry soon after you have a meal

  • Have type 2 diabetes

You may consider other options if you:

  • Have history of pancreatitis

Common side effects may include:

Nausea, vomiting, reflux, change in bowel habit, abdominal pain, injection site reaction, headaches, fatigue, and dizziness.

Wegovy® (July 2025)

(Semaglutide 2.4mg)

Set of five Wego brand markers in different colors including black, blue, brown, pink, and teal.

Wegovy® (Semaglutide 2.4mg) also known as Ozempic is a prescription medication that has been approved by Medsafe NZ on 20 March 2025. Ozempic and Wegovy are different brand names for the same injectable drug. 

It is a once-weekly subcutaneous injection delivered by a small needle, and represents a promising treatment option that our patients will soon be able to access.

We will let you know as soon as the medication becomes available in July 2025. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or if you wish to be updated.

FAQ

  • Wegovy, semaglutide 2.4mg is a prescription medication used for treatment of obesity. 

    The current licensed indication for Wegovy is BMI >30 or >27 with obesity related complications.

  • Wegovy and Ozempic are different brands for the same product, Semaglutide.

    • Ozempic is Semaglutide 1.0mg licensed for type 2 diabetes.

    • Wegovy is Semaglutide 2.4mg licensed for obesity.


    • Wegovy (Semaglutide) is part of a class of medications in the GLP-1 receptor agonist family.

    • GLP-1 is a naturally occurring hormone that is made in your gut after you eat. One of its intended effects is to activate the ‘fullness signals’ in your brain. It is one of the natural signals that control your appetite.

    • When you take semaglutide, it helps to turn up these signals and helps you to feel more full, and feel less hungry. It also slows down your stomach emptying, making you feel fuller for longer.

    • It is important to have a healthy diet and exercise plan to make the most of treatment.

    • In clinical trials, semaglutide 2.4mg showed greater effacacy with average weight loss of 14.9% from initial weight over 68 weeks.

    • About a third of patients lost more than 20% of their initial weight.

    • These results outperform the results of current available medications in New Zealand.

    • The most common side effects are gastrointestinal side effects - nausea, change in bowel habit, and dehydration. With careful monitoring, these side effects can be managed in most cases.

    • More rarer side effects may include renal impairment and severe stomach problems.

    • Acute pancreatitis has been observed with the group of GLP-1 receptor agonist medications like semaglutide. However the incidence of acute pancreatitis with treatment is quite rare with 0.2 events over 100 person-years in the STEP1 trial.

    • For patients with Type 2 Diabetes on insulin/sulfonylurea medications, careful monitoring of blood sugar levels is a required to avoid the risk of hypoglycaemia (low sugar levels).

    • Gallstones are also associated with semaglutide, but weight loss treatment in all shapes and sizes comes with an increased risk of gallstone-related events.

    • When taking semaglutide, you must let your anaesthetist or endoscopist know if you are using this medication, as it may affect fasting status and risk of aspiration during the procedure.

    • Semaglutide should also be avoided in pregnancy and breast-feeding mothers.

    • With any medications, allergic reactions can happen.

    • The full datasheet can be viewed on https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Profs/Datasheet/w/wegovyinjection.pdf

  • Wegovy is administered as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection, meaning it's injected around the abdominal area. 

    When you begin your Wegovy weight loss journey with us, please know that we're with you every step of the way. We'll provide a thorough, hands-on education to ensure you feel completely comfortable and confident with the administration process. Your safety and peace of mind are our top priorities!