New Wegovy 7.2 mg OK'd

Britain’s medicines regulator has cleared a new Wegovy pen that delivers 7.2 milligrams of semaglutide in one weekly shot. (gov.uk) The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the approval took effect on April 14, 2026, for adults with obesity defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher. The agency said the pen provides the maximum weekly dose for weight loss and weight management in a single injection. (gov.uk) Semaglutide is a drug that mimics a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which helps people feel fuller and eat less. Wegovy is the obesity brand of semaglutide, while Ozempic uses the same ingredient for type 2 diabetes. (gov.uk) The change is about the device as much as the dose. Novo Nordisk said patients previously had to take three 2.4 milligram injections together once a week to reach 7.2 milligrams, and the new pen delivers that maintenance dose in one pre-set shot. (pharmiweb.com) The United Kingdom had already approved Wegovy at up to 7.2 milligrams per week on January 6, 2026. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency published that dose expansion on January 16 with a schedule that steps patients up from 0.25 milligrams to 2.4 milligrams and, if needed from week 21, to 7.2 milligrams for adults with obesity. (gov.uk) The evidence behind the higher dose came from Novo Nordisk’s STEP UP trial. In that phase 3 study, adults with obesity taking semaglutide 7.2 milligrams lost an average of 20.7% of body weight, compared with 17.5% on 2.4 milligrams, according to the company’s filing announcement and The Lancet publication. (prnewswire.com) (thelancet.com) Approval does not mean open access through the National Health Service. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends semaglutide for a maximum of two years, alongside diet and physical activity, for adults in specialist weight-management services who also have at least one weight-related condition and meet body mass index thresholds. (nice.org.uk) National Health Service England says semaglutide and tirzepatide are both available only for certain patients through weight-management pathways. That means the new 7.2 milligram pen can be licensed by the regulator before it is routinely available to most patients through National Health Service services. (england.nhs.uk) For patients already stepping up to the highest Wegovy dose, the practical shift is simple: one weekly injection instead of three. For Novo Nordisk, it gives the company a simpler way to deliver the strongest Wegovy dose now cleared in the United Kingdom. (gov.uk) (pharmiweb.com)