When Did Wegovy Launch — and What Happened After?

From STEP 1 to UK licensing: the evidence that got semaglutide here

The clinical case for Wegovy was built on the STEP trial programme. The flagship STEP 1 study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, followed adults with obesity over 68 weeks: those taking semaglutide 2.4 mg alongside lifestyle support lost an average of around 15% of their body weight, compared with around 2.4% on placebo. That was, at the time, the largest average loss ever recorded for a licensed weight-loss medicine in a phase 3 trial.

The MHRA reviewed that body of evidence and granted UK marketing authorisation for Wegovy in September 2023, for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above alongside at least one weight-related condition such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia or type 2 diabetes. If you are curious about when semaglutide first came out and how the regulatory journey unfolded, the picture is more gradual than most people expect. NICE had actually published its appraisal slightly earlier, in March 2023, recommending the medicine for NHS use, though with tight conditions: a specialist weight management service, multidisciplinary support, and a maximum treatment duration of two years. The recommendation was ahead of the licence, which is unusual but not unprecedented for high-priority medicines.

Supply was another matter entirely. Novo Nordisk faced global demand that outpaced production, and UK availability through 2023 and much of 2024 was patchy, and if you want a clearer timeline of exactly when semaglutide became available to patients at each stage, that detail is worth reading before you make any assumptions about current stock. Private providers, including regulated online pharmacies, saw stock come and go unpredictably. That situation improved significantly through 2025 as manufacturing capacity expanded.

The 7.2 mg pen: why the MHRA approved a stronger dose in early 2026

The original Wegovy maintenance dose of 2.4 mg closed a meaningful gap with older weight-loss medicines but left some distance between it and tirzepatide's 15 mg results. Novo Nordisk ran further trials at a higher dose, and on 12 January 2026 the MHRA approved 7.2 mg as a new maintenance option, initially supplied as three 2.4 mg pens used weekly, which was practical but required some adjustment to injection routine.

The dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg pen followed on 14 April 2026. The MHRA's announcement confirmed approval for adults with a BMI of 30 or above; the pen uses an auto-dosing mechanism with a built-in covered needle and locks after use. Trials reported average weight loss of around 20.7% over 72 weeks at 7.2 mg, a meaningful step up from the 2.4 mg figure and approaching tirzepatide territory in head-to-head comparisons. The titration schedule still starts at 0.25 mg and steps up over months; the prescriber decides when and whether to progress to 7.2 mg based on individual response and tolerability.

A question our prescribers hear most weeks at this point is whether the 7.2 mg pen is available yet and whether it changes how the two injectables compare, and many patients also want to know when Wegovy typically starts working so they can set realistic expectations before committing to a dose escalation plan. The short answer is that 7.2 mg narrows the gap with tirzepatide considerably, though which is more appropriate remains a clinical decision. If you want to explore how the two medicines sit alongside your own circumstances, our free consultation is the right starting point.

The oral tablet: what the June 2026 approval means for people who prefer not to inject

On 11 June 2026 the MHRA approved Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide co-formulated with an absorption enhancer) making the UK the first country in Europe to licence an oral GLP-1 medicine specifically for weight management. The dosing schedule runs from 1.5 mg daily up to a 25 mg maintenance dose, with at least a month at each step. It is taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a small amount of plain water, and no food, other drinks or medicines for at least 30 minutes after.

Phase 3 trial data (OASIS 4, 64 weeks) showed an average weight loss of around 13.6% versus around 2.4% on placebo across all participants. Among those who stayed fully adherent to the tablet schedule, the average reached approximately 16.6%. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal (nausea, diarrhoea, constipation) broadly in line with the injection, though frequency was higher in the oral arm. Storage is straightforward: room temperature, no refrigeration needed, which makes it considerably easier to travel with than the injection.

The NHS does not yet have a NICE appraisal for the tablet, so it is currently available on a private prescription only. For more on how semaglutide works as a medicine and how the different formulations compare, the overview on semaglutide covers the mechanism and options in detail.

Where Wegovy sits in the current UK landscape

The Wegovy story is still unfolding. Beyond weight management, semaglutide holds a UK authorisation for reducing major cardiovascular event risk in eligible adults, and the MHRA granted conditional approval on 3 July 2026 for a liver disease indication (MASH, a form of fatty liver disease with moderate-to-advanced fibrosis). Neither of those indications is what most people searching this topic are thinking about, but they speak to the breadth of the evidence base that has accumulated since the STEP trials.

For weight management specifically, the medicine is a prescription-only treatment, access through a regulated UK pharmacy requires a clinical assessment each time, not just at the start. You can read more about how the broader category of treatments has developed, including details of the Wegovy launch and what it meant for patients in the UK, on the Wegovy overview page, or explore the range of options available through nume on the weight loss page. The clinical team behind our service (including our lead prescriber, Mostafa Damghani) reviews every consultation personally. If Wegovy is something you want to discuss with a prescriber who can look at your full picture, that process starts with no waiting list and no referral needed.