Wegovy 15mg — and What the Actual Maximum Dose Really Is

Step 1, how Wegovy's titration actually works

Wegovy is semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Novo Nordisk. The standard weekly injection schedule begins at 0.25mg. That starter pen exists to give your digestive system time to adjust; it isn't doing the heavy lifting on appetite or weight. From there, a prescriber moves treatment upward roughly every four weeks: 0.25mg to 0.5mg, the first real step up in the schedule, then 1.0mg, then 1.7mg, arriving at the 2.4mg maintenance dose. Each step has a purpose, and the pace is set clinically, not by the patient. You can read the full breakdown of the injection schedule on our Wegovy doses guide.

In January 2026, the MHRA approved a higher 7.2mg maintenance dose, initially supplied as three 2.4mg pens used weekly. Then, on 14 April 2026, it approved a dedicated single-dose 7.2mg pen: one auto-dosing injection per week, with a built-in covered needle that locks after use. That pen is licensed only for adults with a BMI of 30 or above; it isn't available for lower BMI ranges or for Wegovy's cardiovascular indication. The titration still starts at 0.25mg, you don't begin at 7.2mg. Whether the 7.2mg pen is right for a particular patient is a clinical decision confirmed at consultation.

The STEP 1 clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported an average body-weight reduction of around 15% over 68 weeks at the 2.4mg maintenance dose. Trial data for 7.2mg showed approximately 20.7% average loss over 72 weeks, narrowing the gap with tirzepatide's highest dose.

Step 2, where 15mg actually appears in UK weight-loss treatment

Mounjaro (tirzepatide), made by Eli Lilly, uses a completely separate dose ladder: 2.5mg, 5mg is a strength you will encounter in Wegovy's own titration, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg, and 15mg. Treatment starts at 2.5mg as a tolerability step (the pen at that strength is settling the system, not producing meaningful weight loss) and works up from there. The 15mg dose is tirzepatide's ceiling, not Wegovy's. Because both medicines are often discussed together in coverage about weight-loss injections, the numbers blur. It's a common enough mix-up; it doesn't mean anyone has done anything wrong.

The two medicines work differently. Wegovy activates one gut-hormone receptor (GLP-1). Mounjaro activates two (GLP-1 and GIP) making it the only dual-agonist weight-loss medicine currently licensed in the UK. In the SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, tirzepatide produced greater average weight reduction than semaglutide 2.4mg over 72 weeks. Which medicine suits a given patient depends on their medical history, current medicines, and what the prescriber judges appropriate. Our Wegovy overview covers the medicine in full, and our broader weight-loss treatment page sets out both options side by side.

Step 3, the oral route: Wegovy tablets and their 25mg dose

Alongside the injections, there is now a third format to know about. On 11 June 2026 the MHRA approved Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide co-formulated with an absorption enhancer) as the first oral GLP-1 medicine licensed in the UK for weight management. If you want to understand how Wegovy's mg strengths compare across both injection and tablet formats, the schedule runs: 1.5mg daily, then 4mg, then 9mg, arriving at 25mg as the maintenance dose. You take the tablet first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a small amount of plain water, then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking anything else, or taking other oral medicines.

One practical difference from the injections: no refrigeration. The tablets are stored at room temperature, which some people find easier for travel or daily routine. The OASIS 4 phase-3 trial reported an average weight loss of around 13.6% versus roughly 2.4% for placebo over 64 weeks; among participants who stayed fully adherent to the tablet schedule, the average was approximately 16.6%. The MHRA's semaglutide approval news on GOV.UK summarises the latest UK licensing decisions for semaglutide across indications. Wegovy tablets are not currently available on the NHS; they require a private prescription following clinical assessment. For a sense of what private treatment costs across both formats, the Wegovy prices page sets out the current picture honestly.

Step 4, what this means before starting treatment

The practical upshot is straightforward. If you were searching for a 15mg Wegovy dose, you were probably looking at Mounjaro content. If you want to compare the two medicines properly, or work out which is suitable for you, that's exactly the conversation a prescriber is there for. The dose you end up on is not chosen in advance, it's reached through a titration process, under clinical supervision, based on how your body responds and what your prescriber judges appropriate at each step.

Both Wegovy and Mounjaro are prescription-only medicines. The legal route to either is a consultation with a qualified prescriber. At nume, every consultation is reviewed the same day by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber, a real clinician reads your answers, not an algorithm. Our clinical team is led by specialists in weight management; you can learn more on the clinical team page. If you'd like to see whether treatment is appropriate for you, check your eligibility with a free consultation.