How many levels of Wegovy are there — and what does each one do?

Where the dose schedule comes from

The Wegovy injection schedule was established through the STEP clinical trial programme and codified in the Summary of Product Characteristics approved by the MHRA. The NHS medicines page for semaglutide sets out the sequence clearly: treatment opens at 0.25 mg once weekly, then moves through 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg and 1.7 mg before reaching the 2.4 mg maintenance dose. Each rung is held for approximately four weeks. That sixteen-week minimum to reach full maintenance is not a commercial convenience, it reflects what the STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed about the relationship between gradual titration and gastrointestinal tolerability in more than 1,900 participants. Side effects such as nausea and diarrhoea were most pronounced after dose increases and generally eased within days to a couple of weeks as the body adjusted, and if you are curious about less obvious reactions you can read more about Wegovy tongue and how it presents.

The 0.25 mg starting level deserves a particular note. Clinically it is a settling-in step. Expecting visible weight loss at that level is likely to lead to frustration. The therapeutic effect builds as the dose rises, and the trial data showed the clearest results at 2.4 mg over 68 weeks, around 15% average body-weight reduction compared with placebo. That figure is the anchor for understanding the schedule: patience with each level is part of how the medicine works, and our guide to what levels of Wegovy are there walks through each one if you want more detail before starting.

The newer 7.2 mg level and what changed in 2026

On 14 April 2026 the MHRA approved a dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg Wegovy pen, the approval notice is published on GOV.UK. This adds a sixth level above 2.4 mg for adults whose BMI is 30 or above. The pen is pre-set with an auto-dosing mechanism, a covered needle, and a lock-after-use design. Trials at the 7.2 mg level reported around 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks, which narrows the gap with tirzepatide at its highest dose. It is worth being clear: 7.2 mg is the ceiling, not a step on the way to something higher, and it is only appropriate for BMI ≥30, the cardiovascular indication has a different eligibility framework.

Whether this level is available at any given time, and whether it is appropriate for a specific patient, is a clinical decision. Availability of any particular dose or pen format is confirmed during the consultation process, not assumed in advance. If you are exploring the full picture of Wegovy dose levels, the prescriber review is where that picture becomes personal.

Wegovy tablets: a separate four-level schedule

Since June 2026 there has been a second Wegovy format to account for: the oral tablet, the first GLP-1 weight-loss medicine approved in the UK in tablet form. It runs on its own completely distinct dose ladder (1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg, and 25 mg daily) with a minimum of one month at each level before any increase, and a closer look at what are the levels of Wegovy covers both the tablet and injection schedules side by side. The 25 mg tablet is the maintenance dose. This schedule is unrelated to the injection levels; the two formats are not interchangeable and the strengths are not comparable on a like-for-like basis because the absorption mechanism is different.

One practical difference: the tablets require no refrigeration, which some people find useful when travelling. They are taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a small amount of plain water, at least thirty minutes before anything else. The injection, by contrast, arrives in a pre-filled pen and is stored in the fridge, it leaves in plain, unbranded packaging via DPD, with tracking, so you know exactly when to be in. The Wegovy overview page covers both formats in more detail if you are weighing up which route to explore.

What the dose levels mean for eligibility and prescribing

The dose schedule exists within a licensing framework. Wegovy injection is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 29.9 with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or obstructive sleep apnoea. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK clinical guidance. NICE's appraisal of semaglutide (TA875) sets out the criteria under which it is recommended on the NHS, which include specialist service involvement and a maximum two-year treatment duration under that route.

Private prescribing follows the licensed indications but does not require NHS specialist referral, and there is no waiting list. At nume (sorry, at a regulated pharmacy like ours) a named GPhC-registered prescriber reads your consultation, not software. That review determines your starting dose and whether treatment is appropriate at all. How Wegovy affects blood sugar is one of the clinical factors that shapes that decision, particularly if diabetes or prediabetes is part of your history. For a broader look at treatment options alongside the injection, the weight-loss treatment overview covers the landscape clearly. If you are ready to take the next step, checking your eligibility is free and takes a few minutes.