Wegovy 7.2mg: The Complete UK Guide to the New High Dose

For years, 2.4 mg was the ceiling for the Wegovy injection. On 14 April 2026 the MHRA approved a new 7.2 mg high dose — three times the standard maintenance strength and the most potent version of semaglutide licensed for weight management in the UK. It's still the same active ingredient (semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist that quietens appetite and food noise) and still a once-weekly injection. What's new is a single-dose pen that delivers the full 7.2 mg in one click, so patients don't have to combine multiple injections to reach the top dose.

The approval matters because it raises the effectiveness ceiling for people who need to lose more. It also puts semaglutide into weight-loss territory that, until recently, only the highest doses of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) reached. Crucially, though, the licence is narrower than for standard Wegovy: the 7.2 mg dose is approved only for adults with obesity — a BMI of 30 or above — and not for people using Wegovy at a lower BMI or purely to reduce cardiovascular risk.

The 7.2 mg approval rests on the phase 3 STEP UP trial, which enrolled 1,407 adults with obesity (BMI 30+) and no diabetes, and ran for 72 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned to the 7.2 mg dose, the standard 2.4 mg dose, or a placebo, all alongside diet and activity support. The results were clear: the high dose produced an average of 20.7% body-weight loss, versus 17.5% on 2.4 mg and just 2.4% on placebo.

The more striking finding was at the top end. Around half of people on 7.2 mg lost 20% or more of their body weight, and roughly one in three lost 25% or more — a level of weight loss that, with medication, had previously been associated mainly with the strongest tirzepatide doses. That extra few percentage points can be the difference between a good result and a life-changing one for someone with a lot of weight to lose.

Two honest caveats. First, these are trial averages — real-world results vary with adherence, diet, activity and individual biology, and nothing here is a guarantee. Second, the gain over 2.4 mg (about three percentage points on average) is real but modest, so the high dose is most worthwhile for people who genuinely need more, not for everyone by default.

This is the point most headlines skip. Nobody starts on 7.2 mg. Wegovy is always titrated — the dose is increased gradually so your body adjusts. You begin at 0.25 mg once a week and step up roughly every four weeks: 0.25 → 0.5 → 1 → 1.7 → 2.4 mg, which takes about 16 weeks to reach the standard maintenance dose. Only once you're settled and tolerating 2.4 mg would your pharmacist consider moving up toward 7.2 mg.

In practice that means reaching the top dose is a journey of around five months or more, not an overnight jump. There's a good reason for the patience: side effects cluster around dose increases, so a slow, monitored climb is what keeps them manageable. If you increase and feel rough, staying longer at a lower step — or not going all the way to 7.2 mg at all — is a perfectly valid plan. The right dose is the one that gives you results you can live with, comfortably.

Because 7.2 mg is the same medicine, the side effects are the same type as on any Wegovy dose — overwhelmingly gastrointestinal: nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion and reduced appetite. In STEP UP these were mostly mild to moderate, most common during dose increases, and the overall safety profile was broadly in line with the 2.4 mg dose. They tend to ease as your body adjusts to each new step.

Our approach at the pharmacy is simple: titrate slowly, review monthly, and treat symptoms early with practical measures — smaller meals, more fluid and fibre for constipation, and giving each dose time to settle before climbing again. We cover this in detail in our upcoming Wegovy guides and at every review. As with any GLP-1 medicine, we'll also check for the rarer but important warning signs, and confirm you have none of the contraindications before increasing your dose.

Not sure where you'd sit? Our which-treatment guide and a quick suitability check are a good place to start before you book.

At WeightGone UK the 7.2 mg high dose is £250 per month, a £25 step up from the £225 standard 2.4 mg dose. You won't pay top-dose prices from the start, though: because you titrate up gradually, the lower doses cost less, from £100/month at the beginning of the pathway. Every price includes a face-to-face pharmacist review each month — there are no separate consultation or follow-up fees bolted on afterwards.

When comparing providers, check what's actually included. Some headline prices quote the starting dose only, or charge extra for reviews and aftercare. See the full, current price list on our Wegovy and treatments pages, and compare with Mounjaro if you're weighing up the two.

WeightGone UK is a GPhC-registered pharmacy (reg. 1118728) in Timperley, Altrincham, serving Sale, Hale, Stretford, Wythenshawe and the wider Greater Manchester area. A high dose like 7.2 mg is exactly where in-person care matters most: every patient is assessed face-to-face, weighed on the same scales each month, and reviewed by the same pharmacist before any dose increase — so the climb to 7.2 mg is planned around how you're actually responding, not a fixed schedule from an online form. If you're already on 2.4 mg elsewhere, we can also plan a switch without a gap in treatment.