Fact Checked
Fact Checked
This article has been fact checked by a licensed expert before publication to ensure all information provided is correct and safe.
Wegovy 7.2mg: Everything on the New Max Dose
A higher dose of Wegovy was approved in the UK in January 2026. The new Wegovy 7.2mg dose is similarly effective to the highest dose of Mounjaro and is much stronger than Wegovy’s previous top dose of 2.4mg.
Find out everything about it, from how it compares to other weight loss treatments, what the possible side effects are, and how to switch to the new Wegovy 7.2mg dose.
Medically reviewed by
Craig Marsh, Independent Prescriber
- A new maximum dose of Wegovy 7.2mg is now available in the UK.
- The Wegovy 7.2mg dose was approved in January 2026.
- It’s similarly effective to the highest dose of Mounjaro.
- Its side effects are similar to the ones reported with lower doses.
Aside from the new 7.2mg strength, Wegovy is available in the following five doses: 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg.
As one of the few GLP-1 agonists available on the market, Wegovy works by helping you feel fuller for longer and decreasing your appetite, while also regulating your blood sugar levels and protecting your heart.
Is Wegovy 7.2mg available now?
The Wegovy 7.2mg dose is now available and is currently the highest strength weekly dose of Wegovy. This development comes after the MHRA, the organisation responsible for approving new medicines in the UK, approved the new Wegovy 7.2mg dose in January 2026.
The 7.2mg pens are also available across all 32 EU member states, as Novo Nordisk (the company behind Wegovy) also submitted an application for approval for the new dose to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in July 2025.
How much will it cost?
With Treated, the 7.2mg dose costs £339.95 per month. Prior to this new, higher-dose 7.2mg pen being released, using this amount of Wegovy each week was only available if you administered 3 doses of 2.4mg per week (or if you ordered three packs of 2.4mg pens each month). Under specific instructions from your clinician, you could use three doses of the 2.4mg pen per week to make up a 7.2mg dose. Since each pen contains four doses, you’d need three 2.4mg pens per month to follow this treatment plan. This would mean that this option would cost more than simply buying one 7.2mg pen, as you’d be using three pens throughout the month rather than just one.
But if you’ve been recommended the 7.2mg pen as your maintenance dose, you’ll use just one dose a week, making the administration much simpler.
How effective is Wegovy 7.2mg?
Data from a phase 3 clinical trial, the STEP UP trial, has shown that it’s very effective, similar to the highest dose of Mounjaro. The study involved 1407 participants and has found that, on average, after 72 weeks:
- on Wegovy 7.2mg, people lost 18.7% of their starting body weight,
- on Wegovy 2.4mg, they lost 15.6% of their starting weight, whereas:
- on placebo, they only lost 3.9% of their body weight.
What’s more, according to the STEP UP trial, around one in three participants (33.2%) lost at least 25% of their starting body weight and were, on average, 2.4 times more likely to lose 25% of their starting weight than those in the 2.4mg group. This is similar to the results reported for Mounjaro in the SURMOUNT-1 trial, where 36.2% of participants taking the highest (15mg) dose also lost at least 25% of their body weight.
How does Wegovy 7.2mg compare with other weight loss treatments?
Although they haven’t been tested in a head-to-head trial yet, Wegovy 7.2mg seems to be similarly effective to the highest dose of Mounjaro (15mg) and significantly more effective than other popular treatments for obesity (check out the table below for a rough comparison based on the currently available data)
![Treatment Active ingredient Effectiveness (percentage of baseline body weight lost) Wegovy 7.2mg Semaglutide -18.7% over 72 weeks[1] Wegovy 2.4mg Semaglutide -15.6% over 72 weeks[1] Mounjaro 15mg Tirzepatide -20.9% over 72 weeks[2] Mounjaro 10mg Tirzepatide -19.5% over 72 weeks[2] Mounjaro 5mg Tirzepatide -15.0% over 72 weeks[2] Saxenda Liraglutide -8% over 56 weeks[3] Xenical Orlistat -8.8% over 52 weeks[4]](https://uk.treated.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/Wegovy-7.2mg-compare-with-other-weight-loss-treatments-1024x530.png "Wegovy 7.2mg compare with other weight loss treatments")
![Treatment Active ingredient Effectiveness (percentage of baseline body weight lost) Wegovy 7.2mg Semaglutide -18.7% over 72 weeks[1] Wegovy 2.4mg Semaglutide -15.6% over 72 weeks[1] Mounjaro 15mg Tirzepatide -20.9% over 72 weeks[2] Mounjaro 10mg Tirzepatide -19.5% over 72 weeks[2] Mounjaro 5mg Tirzepatide -15.0% over 72 weeks[2] Saxenda Liraglutide -8% over 56 weeks[3] Xenical Orlistat -8.8% over 52 weeks[4]](https://uk.treated.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/Wegovy-7.2mg-compare-with-other-weight-loss-treatments_m.png "Wegovy 7.2mg compare with other weight loss treatments_mobile version")
Will a higher dose cause more side effects?
Not necessarily. The side effects reported in clinical trials for Wegovy 7.2mg were mostly the same as those reported with lower doses. And as long as the treatment progression is done correctly, under the supervision of your clinician, you’re likely to experience side effects similar to those you had with previous dose increases (or possibly none whatsoever).
In clinical trials, the most commonly reported side effects were gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation. And although they were more frequently reported for the new 7.2mg dose, the difference was relatively small compared to the 2.4mg dose (71% versus 61%).
Another side effect that was more common for the 7.2mg dose was dysaesthesia, a condition causing burning, tingling, or otherwise unpleasant or painful sensations, due to nerve damage. But this time, the difference between the 7.2mg and the 2.4mg dose was more substantial (23% versus 6%). It’s not yet known why this happens, but, as unpleasant as it is, dysaesthesia doesn’t seem to affect your health. It can resolve on its own after a few weeks or months, and it goes away after stopping the treatment.
You’ll find more info on the frequency of these side effects for Wegovy 7.2mg, compared to the 2.4mg dose and the placebo in the table below.
But no matter what the clinical trials report, your experience with the medication can be extremely different. If the dose increase doesn’t sit well with you, it’s important to communicate this to your clinician so that they might recommend the best way forward. Often, this will involve reducing the dose or switching to another weight loss treatment.
![Treatment Active ingredient Effectiveness (percentage of baseline body weight lost) Wegovy 7.2mg Semaglutide -18.7% over 72 weeks[1] Wegovy 2.4mg Semaglutide -15.6% over 72 weeks[1] Mounjaro 15mg Tirzepatide -20.9% over 72 weeks[2] Mounjaro 10mg Tirzepatide -19.5% over 72 weeks[2] Mounjaro 5mg Tirzepatide -15.0% over 72 weeks[2] Saxenda Liraglutide -8% over 56 weeks[3] Xenical Orlistat -8.8% over 52 weeks[4]](https://uk.treated.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/Wegovy-7.2mg-Will-a-higher-dose-cause-more-side-effects_M-344x1024.png "Wegovy 7.2mg Will a higher dose cause more side effects_Mobile version")
Who should use Wegovy 7.2mg?
Wegovy 7.2mg can be right for you if you don’t get the results you expected from your current dose. But there’s a caveat. You can only start using Wegovy 7.2mg after titrating up through the doses. So you should be on the 2.4mg dose for at least four weeks before using the new 7.2mg dose.
Before you start using it, ask your clinician whether this dose is right for you and how to take it.
How should I switch to Wegovy 7.2mg?
How to switch to Wegovy 7.2mg depends on whether you’re currently using Wegovy or you plan to switch from another GLP-1 treatment like Mounjaro.
From Wegovy 2.4mg
You need to cycle up through the Wegovy doses until you’ve taken the 2.4mg dose for at least four weeks. Once you’re at this point (which may already be the case for you), if you want better results, your clinician may recommend that you start taking the 7.2mg dose.
Switching from another GLP-1
We’ll use Mounjaro as an example. Below, we’ve included some typical switching examples to give you an idea of what the process may look like. That said, everyone’s needs are different, so your clinician may recommend a different starting dose depending on your individual circumstances.
If you’ve taken your most recent dose within the last two weeks, and the last Mounjaro dose was:
- 2.5mg, you may start with 0.25mg Wegovy
- 5mg, you may start with 0.5mg Wegovy
- 7.5mg or 10mg, you may change to 1mg Wegovy
- 12.5mg or 15mg, you may start by taking 1.7mg Wegovy
After four weeks on your starting dose, you then have the option to increase the dose incrementally every four weeks until you reach the new 7.2mg dose. So, if you start with the 1mg dose, you can cycle up to the 1.7mg dose after another four weeks, then 2.4mg, and ultimately 7.2mg, taking each dose for a minimum of four weeks. You can stop anywhere along the line, or decrease the dose if you experience side effects.
If you’ve taken your most recent dose of Mounjaro more than two weeks ago and less than four weeks ago, your recommended dose may differ.
If more than four weeks have passed since your last Mounjaro dose, the recommendation is to start at the lowest available dose of Wegovy (0.25mg), to reduce the risk of side effects.
Read more about your options in our health guide explaining how to switch between weight loss treatments.
In any case, you should always discuss any changes to your treatment with your clinician. They can take into account your personal response to these medications and any other factors that might affect the best way to proceed.
Reference Popover #ref1
Treated trusted source
Wharton, S., et al. (2025).
Once-weekly semaglutide 7·2 mg in adults with obesity (STEP UP): a randomised, controlled, phase 3b trial. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
Reference Popover #ref2
Treated trusted source
Jastreboff, A.M., et al. (2022).
Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. New England Journal of Medicine, 387(3), pp.205–216.
Reference Popover #ref3
Treated trusted source
Pi-Sunyer, X., et al. (2015).
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management. New England Journal of Medicine, 373(1), pp.11–22.
Reference Popover #ref4
Treated trusted source
Davidson, M.H., et al. (1999).
Weight Control and Risk Factor Reduction in Obese Subjects Treated for 2 Years With Orlistat. JAMA, 281(3), p.235.
Reference Popover #ref5
Treated trusted source
Ahern, S. (2025).
Allodynia and Dysesthesia Associated With Semaglutide and Tirzepatide. Cureus, 17(10), e94126.
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
Tell us what you want to hear.
Have a subject you’d like us to cover in a future article? Let us know.
Give us the inbox treatment.
We're making healthcare more about you. Sign up to our newsletter for personalised health articles that make a difference.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please talk to a doctor.
Find treatment
I'm looking for
Popular searches:
Sign up to our newsletter for all the latest on Weight loss and more.
By clicking 'Subscribe now' you're agreeing to our Privacy Policy.