How many different doses of Wegovy are there?

The common misconception: people assume Wegovy comes in one or two fixed strengths

Most people asking this question have seen Wegovy described simply as a "2.4 mg weekly injection" and picture a single-strength medicine you pick up and use. That is the maintenance dose, the level at which the large clinical trials were run and the level most adults on long-term treatment reach. But it is not where treatment starts, and it is not the only pen on the shelf.

In the UK, Wegovy's licensed injection schedule involves five distinct dose levels: 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg, according to the NHS medicines information for semaglutide. Each is a real, separately supplied pen. The reason for gradual stepping is largely about tolerability, the gastrointestinal side effects (nausea, loose stools, reflux) that semaglutide can cause are far less likely to push someone to stop if the dose builds slowly rather than jumping straight to the full therapeutic level.

Then there is the 7.2 mg pen. On 14 April 2026 the MHRA approved a dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg pen for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, bringing the total number of injection strengths to six. Trials reported around 20.7% average weight reduction over 72 weeks at this dose, results that bring it much closer to the outcomes seen with tirzepatide at its highest level. The Wegovy treatment overview covers what the full evidence picture looks like.

So the short answer to the question is: if you are wondering how many strengths of Wegovy there are in the UK, six injection strengths exist, rising from a starter 0.25 mg pen to a maximum 7.2 mg pen. How many of those you actually use depends on your starting point, how you respond, and your prescriber's clinical assessment at each stage.

What each dose level is actually for

The 0.25 mg dose is not a therapeutic dose in the usual sense. Its job is to introduce your body to semaglutide with the least possible disruption. Think of it as four weeks of adjustment. The 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, and 1.7 mg steps each carry slightly more appetite-reducing effect but continue the staged approach. Somewhere between starting the first pen and finishing the fourth, most people find nausea settling and appetite noticeably lower.

The 2.4 mg maintenance dose is where the STEP 1 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine recorded around 15% average body-weight reduction over 68 weeks. That trial enrolled adults without diabetes, using the 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg titration pathway. It remains the primary evidence base for Wegovy's licensed use in weight management.

The 7.2 mg pen is not a routine next step for everyone who reaches 2.4 mg. It is a separately assessed clinical decision, currently licensed only for adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, and it is supplied as a dedicated single-dose pen with an auto-dosing mechanism. Whether a patient moves to it depends on their response to 2.4 mg, their overall health picture, and the prescriber's judgement. Nobody self-upgrades.

One practical note: the 7.2 mg pen does not require refrigeration in transit the way earlier pens might, but all Wegovy pens are stored refrigerated at 2–8°C. For exact storage windows, the Wegovy Patient Information Leaflet is the definitive source, the wording there is precise, and it is worth reading before you start. You can find the dose-specific detail in the guide to the different Wegovy doses.

Wegovy tablets, a completely separate dose schedule

Since June 2026 there has been a second form of Wegovy to be aware of: an oral tablet, approved by the MHRA as the first licensed oral GLP-1 medicine for weight management in the UK. The tablet uses the same active ingredient (semaglutide) but co-formulated with an absorption enhancer so it can work when swallowed rather than injected.

Its dose schedule is entirely different from the injection: starting at 1.5 mg daily, stepping through 4 mg and 9 mg, to a 25 mg daily maintenance tablet. These numbers bear no relation to the injection doses, and the two forms are not interchangeable. A patient established on the 2.4 mg weekly injection might, subject to clinical review, move to the 25 mg daily tablet, but this is a clinical decision rather than a simple swap.

The tablet is taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, with a small amount of plain water, and you wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking anything else or taking other oral medicines. There is no refrigeration needed, which makes it considerably more travel-friendly. In the OASIS 4 trial, participants who fully adhered to treatment saw around 17% average weight loss over 64 weeks, framed correctly, that figure applies to the fully adherent group in the trial, not as a universal expected outcome.

If you are trying to decide between the injection and the tablet, it helps to understand how many doses of Wegovy there are across both forms, and the Wegovy doses page runs through both schedules side by side. The right choice is a clinical one, it depends on your lifestyle, preferences and medical history, not just convenience.

Does the dose schedule affect what you pay privately?

It can, yes. In private practice, Wegovy is typically priced per pen, and a 7.2 mg pen may carry a different price to a starter-phase pen. The overall cost of a month's treatment therefore varies by which stage of titration you are at, and Wegovy pricing in the UK breaks that down honestly. The key point is that a legitimate private price always includes a prescription from a qualified prescriber, it is not simply a product sale.

At nume, the single price you see covers the free consultation, the clinical review by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber, the prescription, and free next-working-day DPD delivery in plain unbranded packaging. There are no hidden fees for aftercare, and no subscription that auto-renews without you choosing it. We are not the cheapest option around. That is a deliberate position, clinical oversight, genuine supply chain and same-day review by a real prescriber cost money, and we think they are worth it.

You can verify that our pharmacy is registered with the GPhC at registration number 9012878 on the GPhC register. For anyone who has spotted a significantly lower price elsewhere, the MHRA's guidance on identifying safe online pharmacies is worth reading before you proceed. A lot of the counterfeit pen activity in the UK has involved prices that look appealing right up until the product arrives. Worth checking.

If you are ready to talk through which Wegovy dose is appropriate for you, or whether Wegovy is the right treatment at all, start your free consultation and a prescriber will review your details the same day.