The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
approved a maximum dose of up to 7.2mg per week of semaglutide
(Wegovy) on 6 January 2026.
It is administered as 3 injections of 2.4 mg for weight
management in adult patients with obesity only, in addition
to a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, who have a Body Mass
Index (BMI) of 30kg/m² or higher.
This does not apply to overweight patients with a
BMI of less than 30kg/m² using Wegovy for weight management or
for patients using Wegovy to lower their risk of serious heart
problems.
Patients should always use this medicine exactly as
their prescriber tells them and to check with their
doctor, pharmacist or nurse if they're not
sure.
When a patient with obesity first starts using Wegovy, the
starting dose is 0.25mg per week. A prescribing healthcare
professional will then instruct a patient to gradually
increase their dose every 4 weeks
until they reach the dose of 2.4 mg per
week.
If needed, a dose increase to 7.2 mg per week (3
injections of 2.4 mg) can be made after a minimum of 4 weeks on
2.4 mg. The maximum dose is 7.2 mg per week.
For the Wegovy 7.2 mg weight management dose,
patients will need to inject three doses of 2.4 mg, one
after each other on the same day. The injections can be
given in the same body area but should be at least 5cm
apart. Patients must change the needle between each
dose and may need to use multiple pens.
Each pen contains four 2.4
mg doses. Patients should not discard the pen
until their fourth dose has been taken. Partially used
pens should be stored in the fridge with the needle
removed. Patients should make sure they have
a sufficient supply of pens to complete their dose
before they start injecting. Once all four 2.4mg
doses have been used, patients should dispose of the
pen safely, as instructed by
their prescriber.
Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from this
medicine should talk to their doctor, pharmacist or
nurse and report it directly to the MHRA Yellow Card
scheme, either through the website (https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/)
or by searching the Google Play or Apple App stores for MHRA
Yellow Card.
Notes to editors
For weight management:
|
Dose escalation
|
Weekly Dose
|
|
Week 1–4
|
0.25mg
|
|
Week 5–8
|
0.5mg
|
|
Week 9–12
|
1mg
|
|
Week 13–16
|
1.7mg
|
|
From week 17
|
2.4mg
|
|
From week 21 - for adult patients with obesity, if
needed
|
7.2mg
|
