Wegovy 7.2mg: What the New Higher Dose Means

For its first years in the UK, Wegovy's maximum dose was 2.4mg once a week. In 2026 that changed. Following the STEP UP trial, the MHRA approved a higher 7.2mg maintenance dose, three times the previous maximum. For adults living with obesity. This guide explains what the 7.2mg dose is, how much extra weight loss it delivers (up to around 21% for people who reached and stayed on the dose), who is eligible, and the one side effect that becomes more common at the higher dose.

What "Wegovy 7.2mg" actually is

It is the same medicine, semaglutide, a weekly GLP-1 injection. At a higher maintenance dose. It is not a new drug and not a different molecule. You still start at 0.25mg and titrate slowly upward; 7.2mg simply extends the dose ladder beyond the previous 2.4mg ceiling for people who need more. Since 14 April 2026, 7.2mg is also available as a single-dose pen, so the full dose is one injection. (When the higher dose was first authorised in January 2026, it was given as three 2.4mg injections on the same day, which is why you may still see it described as "triple-strength Wegovy".)

How much more weight loss? The STEP UP trial

STEP UP was a 72-week, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3b trial of 1,407 adults with obesity and without type 2 diabetes, comparing semaglutide 7.2mg, 2.4mg and placebo (Wharton S et al., Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2025).

• 7.2mg: up to around 21% average body-weight loss at 72 weeks in people who reached and maintained the dose; about 18.7% on a treatment-policy basis
• 2.4mg: 15.6%
• Placebo: 3.9%

When the medication was taken as prescribed throughout the trial, average loss on 7.2mg reached 20.7%. Nearly half of people on 7.2mg (about 48%) lost at least 20% of their body weight, and around one in three lost 25% or more, roughly double the proportion achieving those thresholds on 2.4mg.

"The higher dose is a meaningful step up for people who've done everything right on 2.4mg but need more. It closes much of the gap with tirzepatide, while keeping semaglutide's unique cardiovascular evidence behind the standard dose."

Who is eligible for 7.2mg?

This is the most important part, and where a lot of online information is wrong. In the UK the 7.2mg dose is licensed for obesity, a BMI of 30 or above, only. It is not licensed for people using Wegovy in the BMI 27 to 30 range (who stay at up to 2.4mg), and not for the cardiovascular-risk-reduction indication, which remains at 2.4mg based on the SELECT trial. You would only move to 7.2mg after titrating up through the standard doses and reaching 2.4mg first, typically from around week 20 onward, and only if your prescriber judges you need additional weight loss and are tolerating treatment well. Escalation is always a clinical decision, never automatic.

Side effects: what changes at the higher dose

The overall side-effect profile is the familiar GLP-1 one, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation and reduced appetite, mostly during dose increases and mostly settling with time. Reassuringly, serious adverse events in STEP UP were no higher on 7.2mg than on 2.4mg. There is one new signal worth knowing about. Dysaesthesia, an altered skin sensation such as tingling, prickling or a mild burning feeling, was reported by about 23% of people on 7.2mg, versus 6% on 2.4mg. It was usually mild and resolved for most people while they stayed on treatment, but it's the clearest dose-related difference and something your pharmacist will ask about.

7.2mg Wegovy vs Mounjaro

The higher Wegovy dose narrows the gap with Mounjaro (tirzepatide), but doesn't overtake it. In separate trials, tirzepatide 15mg produced around 22.5% average weight loss, and the SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head still favoured tirzepatide. Where Wegovy remains unique is cardiovascular protection. It's the only weight-loss medication licensed to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, based on the SELECT trial, at the 2.4mg dose. Which medicine and dose suits you depends on your goals and full medical history, exactly what our consultation is designed to work out.

Availability in the UK

The 7.2mg dose is approved and available privately through pharmacies like Solira for eligible patients with obesity. It is not currently available on the NHS at this dose, which requires a separate NICE assessment. As with all our treatments, you'll complete an online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered pharmacist before any medication is supplied.