How many mg are in each Wegovy pen — and what does that mean for your treatment?

You've just been handed a Wegovy pen, here's what the label is actually telling you

Picture the moment: a small white box, a single pen inside, a number printed clearly on the side. That number (say, 0.25 mg) is the total dose of semaglutide you'll inject once this week. Not the amount per ml, not a daily figure. The whole weekly dose, pre-loaded, pre-set, ready.

Wegovy pens come in six strengths. The five that form the standard titration ladder are 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg. A sixth strength, 7.2 mg, was approved by the MHRA on 14 April 2026 as a dedicated single-dose pen for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, the highest maintenance dose now available for semaglutide in the UK, according to the MHRA's announcement.

Each pen is designed for exactly four weekly injections. So a 0.25 mg pen covers your first month. When that month ends, your prescriber decides whether to move you up. The pen does not do that calculation, a clinician does. If you want to understand how many individual doses sit inside one pen, our guide to doses per Wegovy pen walks through the detail.

The volume of liquid in each injection is small and differs across strengths. Many people find themselves curious about the ml figure, but for clinical purposes the mg is what matters, it's the unit your prescriber works in, the unit on the prescription, and the unit that determines effect.

Why the dose ladder runs the way it does, and why you can't skip rungs

A question our prescribers hear most weeks: "Can I just start on 2.4 mg and get results faster?" The short answer is no, and the reason matters. Semaglutide slows how quickly food leaves the stomach. Starting at a higher dose before your body has adjusted tends to produce intense nausea, vomiting and digestive discomfort. The titration schedule (four weeks at each strength) is a clinical decision built into the licence, not a commercial choice.

The path from 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg typically takes around 16 to 20 weeks. For people who reach 2.4 mg and whose prescriber judges that further benefit is possible, the 7.2 mg dose is now an option, though its availability at any given time should be confirmed at consultation. A fuller breakdown of how each stage works in practice is covered in the Wegovy dose stages guide.

The NHS medicines page for semaglutide sets out the standard titration clearly and is worth reading alongside the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with your pen. Neither should be substituted for a conversation with your prescriber, especially if you're considering a dose change or have missed an injection.

It's also worth noting that semaglutide at different dose strengths serves different purposes entirely. The 0.5 mg and 1 mg strengths appear in Ozempic, which is licensed for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy's weight-management licence covers the 0.25 mg to 7.2 mg schedule described here. They are not interchangeable, and the licensing distinction is not a technicality, it affects what a prescriber can legally prescribe and why. You can read more about how Wegovy works and its licensed indications in our main overview.

What the mg figure doesn't tell you, and what to check instead

The number on the pen label answers one question precisely: how much semaglutide is in this injection. It doesn't tell you whether that dose is right for you, when to move up, or what to do if you feel unwell after injecting. Those answers live in two places: the Patient Information Leaflet packed with every pen, and your prescriber.

If you're curious about the liquid volume rather than the strength, our page on ml per Wegovy dose covers that specifically. If you're mid-titration and unsure which pen to expect next, the full Wegovy dose overview sets out the schedule in plain terms.

For anyone weighing up the cost of private treatment across the titration journey, the Wegovy price comparison guide explains how UK private pricing typically works by dose and what a legitimate quote should include. Dose strength affects cost (lower-strength pens are generally priced differently from maintenance doses) so understanding the schedule helps you plan.

The clinical picture also matters for eligibility. Under NICE's guidance on semaglutide (TA875), Wegovy for weight management is recommended for adults with a BMI of 35 or above alongside at least one weight-related condition, used for up to two years within a specialist service. Private prescribing follows the licensed criteria in the SmPC, which are broader, but a prescriber still assesses your full picture before approving any dose. If you're thinking about starting, checking your eligibility with our clinical team is the right first step.