Novo Nordisk's Wegovy: the semaglutide injection explained

You've heard about Wegovy but you're not sure what Novo Nordisk actually makes

Picture this: a colleague mentions she's been on a 'weight-loss injection' for three months and feels like a different person. You look it up. You find Wegovy, Ozempic, semaglutide, Novo Nordisk, and suddenly the same company seems to make everything. It is a fair source of confusion, so here is a clear account of what is what.

Novo Nordisk is the Danish pharmaceutical company that developed semaglutide, a molecule that mimics the gut hormone GLP-1. They hold the UK marketing authorisation for two semaglutide injection brands: Ozempic, licensed for type 2 diabetes management, and Wegovy, licensed for weight management. These are distinct products with different licensed uses, different dose strengths and different prescribing criteria. If you have been reading about semaglutide and weight loss, the science behind semaglutide has a fuller account of how the molecule behaves in the body.

Wegovy works by activating GLP-1 receptors in the brain and digestive system. Appetite signals quieten. Food feels satisfying sooner. Gastric emptying slows, which keeps you feeling full for longer. None of that happens overnight, the medicine is titrated across several months precisely because the body needs time to adjust, and the slow climb reduces the nausea that comes with faster escalation. Your prescriber sets the pace. You do not.

Novo Nordisk also makes the Wegovy tablet, approved by the MHRA in June 2026, but that is a separate product, the Wegovy overview page covers both forms side by side if you want to compare them.

What the licensed doses and the 7.2mg approval actually mean for you

The standard Wegovy injection pathway starts at 0.25mg and works upward through 0.5mg, 1.0mg, 1.7mg and then 2.4mg, each step roughly four weeks apart, set by the prescriber based on how well the previous dose is tolerated. For most people, 2.4mg has been the maintenance dose since Wegovy launched in the UK.

In January 2026 the MHRA approved a higher 7.2mg maintenance dose, initially supplied as three 2.4mg pens per week. Then, on 14 April 2026, the MHRA approved a dedicated single-dose 7.2mg pen: one weekly injection, auto-dosing, with a built-in covered needle that locks after use. The MHRA's announcement on 14 April 2026 confirmed this pen is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, not for the lower BMI threshold and not for the cardiovascular indication. Trials at 7.2mg reported an average weight reduction of around 20.7% over 72 weeks, narrowing the gap with tirzepatide results.

One practical note worth raising here: the titration schedule remains the same whether you reach 2.4mg or 7.2mg. Starting doses are not therapeutic doses. The 0.25mg pen your prescription begins with is a settling-in step, not a treatment plateau. Most people find the GI side effects (nausea, loose stools, occasional burping) are most noticeable in the first week or two after a dose increase and then settle. The needle and device guidance for Wegovy users page covers the injection technique detail separately.

Whether a specific dose or pen format is available to you is confirmed at the prescribing stage, not before. Availability can vary, and a prescriber needs your full picture before any discussion of dose targets is meaningful.

Who Wegovy is licensed for, and where the NHS stands

The UK licence covers adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 to 29.9 with at least one weight-related condition such as hypertension, prediabetes, high cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea. Ethnic-background adjustments to BMI thresholds apply under UK guidance, typically 2.5 kg/m² lower for some groups. That said, meeting the licence criteria does not automatically mean approval, a prescriber assesses your full medical history, current medicines, and any contraindications before any prescription is written.

On the NHS, NICE recommends semaglutide (TA875) for weight management only within a specialist weight management service with multidisciplinary support, and only for a maximum of two years. The NICE guidance on semaglutide (TA875) sets out those conditions in full. Waiting lists for those specialist services are often long, and NHS access criteria are strict. Private treatment through a regulated online pharmacy offers an alternative route for people who do not meet NHS criteria or prefer not to wait, subject, always, to clinical suitability on assessment.

Wegovy is not recommended during pregnancy, breastfeeding or when trying to conceive, and it is not licensed for under-18s. Anyone with a history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or certain pancreatic conditions should discuss that history with a prescriber before starting. If you have questions about whether your circumstances fit, the Wegovy access page explains what a private consultation involves.

Side effects to know about before you start

The most common effects are gastrointestinal: nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and fatigue tend to cluster in the days after a dose increase and ease as the body adjusts. Most people find that eating smaller portions, avoiding fatty or very rich food and staying well hydrated makes the early weeks more manageable. Some find it helpful to inject in the evening so the peak nausea lands overnight.

A small number of people experience more significant effects. Pancreatitis is rare but serious, the MHRA highlighted it in a Drug Safety Update in January 2026, and the symptom to act on is severe, persistent abdominal pain that reaches through to the back, with or without vomiting. That warrants same-day medical attention, not a wait-and-see. Gallbladder problems and, in people with a history of diabetic retinopathy, sudden vision changes are also listed in the safety profile. If you want to understand how Novo Nordisk's Wegovy sales figures reflect the scale of uptake across different markets, that context sits on its own page.

Women on oral contraceptives starting Wegovy should be aware that semaglutide can affect pill absorption, particularly in the early weeks. NHS guidance recommends discussing this with your prescriber before starting. If you are also weighing up whether a Nova semaglutide product might be relevant to your situation, that page explains what Nova offers and how it differs from the branded options. The NHS medicines page for semaglutide has a full side-effect and interaction list in plain language and is a reliable reference to bookmark. You can also report any suspected side effect to the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk.

If anything about your response to treatment concerns you between clinical reviews, the aftercare team is reachable seven days a week. That matters more than it might sound, questions about a new medicine rarely arrive at convenient times, and having direct access to a clinician rather than a general helpline is the kind of reassurance most people only realise they needed once they are on treatment. Our about page has more on how our pharmacy is structured and regulated.