Wegovy 7.2 mg: The New Triple-Strength Obesity Treatment Approved by the MHRA

January 12, 2026, marked a pivotal moment in the UK’s battle against obesity. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has officially approved a new, higher-strength 7.2 mg weekly dose of Wegovy, building on the success of the existing semaglutide treatment and giving clinicians and patients a powerful new tool in the fight against obesity.

What’s New With Wegovy 7.2 mg?

Wegovy, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, has been a cornerstone of pharmacological weight management since its initial UK approval at lower doses. Until now, the highest licensed strength was 2.4 mg once weekly. The newly approved 7.2 mg dose is three times that amount, designed for adults living with obesity who need a stronger intervention.

This new strength is expected to be available to wholesalers soon.

Clinical Evidence: Matching the Best in the Market

The approval of this new strength rested on impressive clinical data. Results from the STEP-UP clinical trial showed that patients treated with the 7.2 mg dose over 72 weeks achieved an average body-weight reduction of about 20.7%, while roughly one in three participants lost 25% or more of their starting weight.

To put these outcomes into context:

• The current standard 2.4 mg Wegovy dose produces average weight loss in the mid-teens percentage range.
• Mounjaro (tirzepatide) — one of Wegovy’s biggest rivals — has achieved similar ~20–21% weight loss at its highest approved dose in clinical comparisons.

This means Wegovy’s new 7.2 mg strength is essentially comparable to the maximal Mounjaro dose in terms of average weight loss, narrowing a competitive gap that has emerged in recent years.

How It Works

Like other GLP-1 receptor agonists, Wegovy works by mimicking a gut hormone that regulates appetite, slowing gastric emptying and helping people feel fuller longer. This mechanism reduces hunger and energy intake, supporting sustained weight loss — especially when paired with lifestyle support such as diet and exercise plans. Including staying well hydrated, adequate restful sleep and mindfulness. We offer free Wellness sessions to our customers on a Saturday morning where we offer lots of support and advice,

Although Wegovy targets a single receptor (GLP-1), whereas Mounjaro targets both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, the enhanced dose appears to bridge much of that functional difference in practice.

Safety Profile and Tolerability

Higher doses of weight-loss medications can raise questions about safety, but the 7.2 mg formulation of Wegovy demonstrated a side-effect profile consistent with what clinicians and patients already know from lower doses. Most reported adverse effects are gastrointestinal — nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and constipation — and typically lessen over time as the body adapts.

Importantly, trial data indicated that drop-out rates due to side effects were similar to those seen with the 2.4 mg dose, suggesting the higher strength is generally well tolerated when introduced appropriately.

There is no extra dose between 2.4 and 7.2mg, so once you’ve taken 2.4mg for at least 4 weeks, with no side effects, you can increase to 7.2mg if you feel as if you have plateaued on 2.4mg for a while or it no longer controls your hunger.

What This Means for Patients

The arrival of Wegovy 7.2 mg is likely to have several real-world effects:

• More treatment options: For patients who plateau at 2.4 mg or who seek greater weight-loss outcomes without switching therapies, the new strength provides an alternative.
• Competitive market: With results now in line with the best-performing competitors like Mounjaro, you have more flexibility to tailor your obesity treatments to your individual needs. For example, Wegovy has been shown to be more effective in reducing cardiovascular risk, as indicated by the STEER real-world study at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress and so is more suitable for those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc.
• NICE assessment: Before this strength can be widely prescribed on the NHS, it will undergo a cost-effectiveness review by NICE — expected later in 2026.

Looking Ahead

As wholesalers begin to stock Wegovy 7.2 mg and pens become available, healthcare providers will be watching closely to see how demand unfolds. Weight-loss medications are increasingly front-line tools in managing obesity — a condition linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and many other health issues — and this higher dose adds a powerful option to the toolkit.

For patients, the promise of a treatment capable of delivering greater than 20% weight loss may offer renewed hope—particularly for those who have plateaued or continue to experience hunger on the maximum 2.4 mg dose of Wegovy, and for whom Wegovy remains a more appropriate option than Mounjaro due to underlying cardiovascular considerations.

Author: Margaret Hudson MRPharmS