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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, its availability in the UK, 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.
- Currently, it’s only available as a pack of three 2.4mg pens.
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?
At the time of writing, the Wegovy 7.2mg dose is available on request, but only as three 2.4mg pens. 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.
In the rest of Europe, the estimated time of approval for the new 7.2mg dose is early 2026, 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.
This means that Novo Nordisk is expected to release a 7.2mg pen later this year. But, until then, the 7.2mg dose is available as three shots of the 2.4mg dose.
How much will it cost?
Because the 7.2mg pen hasn’t been released yet by the manufacturer, we cannot fully gauge what the price would be. But it’s expected to be priced similarly to the highest dose of Mounjaro.
At the moment, it’s only available as a pack of three 2.4mg pens. When you purchase a Wegovy ‘multipack’ with Treated, you won’t pay the same as you would if you were buying three individual pens separately — there’s a discount for getting multiple pens in one delivery. That said, it will still cost more than the standard 2.4mg Wegovy, simply because the pack contains more medication overall (7.2 mg compared with 2.4 mg).
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)
![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)
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)
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. You might find yourself in a few different situations.
If you’ve taken your most recent dose within the last two weeks, and the last Mounjaro dose was:
- 2.5mg, start with 0.25mg Wegovy
- 5mg, start with 0.5mg Wegovy
- 7.5mg or 10mg, change to 1mg Wegovy
- 12.5mg or 15mg, 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, and your last Mounjaro dose was:
- 2.5mg or 5mg, start with 0.25mg Wegovy
- 7.5mg or 10mg, change to 0.5mg Wegovy
- 12.5mg or 15mg, switch to 1mg Wegovy
Again, you’ll be able to increase your Wegovy dose every four weeks as long as you tolerate the treatment well.
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.
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