What doses does Wegovy come in, and what changed in 2026?

What the original Wegovy injection schedule looks like, according to official guidance

The licensed UK pathway for the Wegovy weekly injection has always been a stepped titration. According to the NHS medicines page for semaglutide, treatment opens at 0.25mg, a dose chosen specifically to let the body adjust before any meaningful appetite effect kicks in. After roughly four weeks, the prescriber typically moves the patient to 0.5mg, then 1mg, then 1.7mg, and finally to the 2.4mg weekly dose that served as the standard maintenance level in the STEP 1 clinical trial. In that trial, participants using the 2.4mg dose lost an average of around 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks alongside lifestyle changes. That figure comes from the STEP 1 results published in the New England Journal of Medicine and is the basis for NICE's recommendation of semaglutide for weight management in the UK.

The titration schedule exists for good reason. Wegovy's most common side effects are gastrointestinal: nausea, loose stools, indigestion, and sometimes vomiting. Starting at a low dose and climbing slowly tends to keep those effects mild and short-lived rather than letting them derail treatment in the first few weeks, and if you're wondering when Wegovy starts working and what to expect at each stage, that question is worth exploring before you begin. Rushing through the steps isn't something a prescriber would support, and it isn't something any reputable pharmacy would facilitate either.

Each step is a clinical decision. Two people could start on the same day and reach maintenance at different points depending on how each tolerates the previous dose. That's not a flaw in the medicine; it's the system working as intended.

The 7.2mg dose: what the MHRA approved and when

In January 2026 the MHRA approved a higher 7.2mg maintenance dose of semaglutide for adults with obesity, initially dispensed as three 2.4mg pens per week. Then, on 14 April 2026, the MHRA approved a dedicated single-dose 7.2mg pen, a single weekly injection with an auto-dosing mechanism and a covered, self-locking needle. This was significant news. Trials of the 7.2mg dose reported average weight loss of around 20.7% over 72 weeks, a result that begins to close the gap with tirzepatide's highest-dose figures from SURMOUNT trials.

The 7.2mg pen is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above. It is not approved for use below that threshold or for the separate cardiovascular indication that Wegovy also holds. The starting dose remains 0.25mg regardless, so a patient moving toward 7.2mg still climbs the full ladder, extended now by one additional rung. Prescribers assess suitability at every step, and not every patient will reach 7.2mg. You can read more about how high the Wegovy dose can go and what that means in practice.

If you're looking into Wegovy's availability in the UK more broadly, the timeline of Wegovy's UK rollout sets the regulatory milestones in context.

Wegovy tablets: a completely separate dose ladder

Since 11 June 2026 there has been a third form to consider. The MHRA approved oral semaglutide tablets marketed as Wegovy, making the UK the first country in Europe to license this formulation for weight management. The tablet is taken once daily, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, with a small amount of plain water, and nothing else, including coffee, for at least 30 minutes afterwards.

The tablet dose schedule is entirely separate from the injection schedule: 1.5mg, then 4mg, then 9mg, with a maintenance dose of 25mg. These are not interchangeable with the injection doses or with Rybelsus, which is also oral semaglutide but licensed for type 2 diabetes at different strengths (3mg, 7mg and 14mg). The Wegovy tablet exists for weight management, and the numbers are specific to that formulation. Phase 3 trial data showed average weight loss of around 13.6% over 64 weeks, or roughly 17% among participants who adhered fully to treatment throughout, alongside lifestyle changes. No refrigeration is needed, which some people find makes the tablet easier to incorporate into daily life.

People already established on the 2.4mg weekly injection may be able to transition directly to the 25mg tablet, though that switch is always a prescriber decision rather than a patient-led one. What Wegovy actually contains covers the absorption-enhancer technology that makes the oral formulation possible.

Choosing between the options, and what that involves

If you've arrived here feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of versions, doses and formulations in play, that's a reasonable reaction. The landscape shifted considerably in the first half of 2026, and keeping track of what's actually available, what each dose means, and how to get started legitimately is genuinely more complicated than it was even a year ago.

Wegovy, in any form, is a prescription-only medicine. The dose you'd start at, which version might suit you, and how quickly to increase are all questions your prescriber answers after reviewing your health history, current medicines and circumstances. A brief look at the full semaglutide guide covers how the medicine works and who it tends to be suitable for, or you can compare approaches on the weight-loss treatment overview. For a sense of what private treatment typically costs, the Wegovy price guide sets out honest context. At nume, every consultation is reviewed the same day by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber, and if approved, treatment is dispatched the same day for free next-working-day delivery. When you're ready to talk through which option fits your situation, check your eligibility with our prescribers.