Wegovy 7.2 mg: what changes?

What is new

Until 2026, 2.4 mg per week was the highest Wegovy dose, the dose from the STEP-1 trial on which the weight-loss approval is based. In 2026 the European Commission approved a higher maintenance dose of 7.2 mg, three times as high, in a single-use pen. Novo Nordisk launched it in Europe in the third quarter of 2026.

The active substance is unchanged: semaglutide. What changes is the maximum amount a doctor can prescribe to people for whom 2.4 mg does not deliver enough. It is explicitly a next step, not a new starting point.

At Go Leaner, Wegovy 7.2 mg is available now. Several online providers still list the dose as 'coming soon' or 'to be announced'.

What the STEP UP trial shows

STEP UP was a randomised, double-blind trial in 1,407 adults with obesity without diabetes, over 72 weeks. Participants received 7.2 mg, 2.4 mg or placebo, all alongside lifestyle support.

Average weight loss was 20.7% on 7.2 mg, 17.5% on 2.4 mg and 2.4% on placebo. Just over 3 percentage points extra. More interesting is the distribution: the share of participants losing 25% or more roughly doubled, from about 17% to about 33%. The higher dose mainly helps the group that responds well to 2.4 mg but does not get far enough.

A further analysis presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026 showed that participants who responded strongly in the first weeks lost up to almost 28% of their body weight on 7.2 mg. In people with obesity and type 2 diabetes (STEP UP T2D) the average was lower, at 14.1%, as with all GLP-1 medicines in that group.

Who the higher dose is for

Not everyone. The rule is simple: you qualify if you have been on 2.4 mg for at least four weeks, tolerate it well, and your weight loss has plateaued before you reached your goal. With a high starting weight, for example a BMI above 35, the doctor may choose 7.2 mg sooner because more weight loss is medically desirable.

If you are losing weight well on 2.4 mg and approaching your goal, you do not need the higher dose. More medication then only means more chance of side effects. And if you do not tolerate 2.4 mg, you should certainly not go up.

The same contraindications apply as for all semaglutide: pregnancy, breastfeeding, and a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2.

How titration works

You never start on 7.2 mg. First you go through the standard schedule: 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.7 and 2.4 mg, each for at least four weeks. Only after at least four weeks on 2.4 mg, and only if well tolerated, can the doctor increase. That goes via an intermediate step of 4.8 mg, again at least four weeks, and then to 7.2 mg.

In practice you are on Wegovy for at least six months before 7.2 mg is on the table. With side effects you stay longer on a step or go back one. The calendar is a minimum, not a target.

Side effects: more, not different

The side effects of 7.2 mg are the same as at lower doses: nausea, diarrhoea, constipation and sometimes vomiting, mainly in the first weeks after a dose increase. In STEP UP they were slightly more frequent at 7.2 mg than at 2.4 mg. They were mostly mild to moderate, and the number of people who stopped because of side effects was low and similar between the two doses.

The rare serious side effects do not change: pancreatitis, gallstones and severe dehydration. With severe, persistent abdominal pain you always contact us immediately.

That is why the increase is made in steps of at least four weeks, and why at Go Leaner you complete check-ins in the app between steps. That way we see nausea or a falling appetite well before it becomes a problem.

What it costs

Wegovy is not reimbursed from basic insurance in the Netherlands for weight loss, and that also applies to 7.2 mg. The pharmacy price for 7.2 mg is higher than the €184 per month for 2.4 mg; the exact Dutch pharmacy purchase price is still to be published on medicijnkosten.nl.

At Go Leaner you pay a fixed Basic Plan of €199 per month for intake, blood tests, doctor, coaching and the app, whatever your dose. The medication is paid separately at pharmacy price, with no mark-up. Watch the difference with other providers: there the medication is often bundled into a monthly fee that rises with every dose step, and 7.2 mg is not yet available.

Wegovy 7.2 mg or Mounjaro

With 7.2 mg, semaglutide comes close to tirzepatide (Mounjaro): 20.7% in STEP UP versus 20.9% at 15 mg in SURMOUNT-1, both over 72 weeks. The trials were not compared head to head, so small differences mean little.

The difference is the mechanism. Semaglutide acts on one hormone receptor (GLP-1), tirzepatide on two (GLP-1 and GIP). If you already respond well to Wegovy, 7.2 mg is the logical next step: the same medicine, no new adjustment period. If you have a lot of gastrointestinal complaints or little response on semaglutide, it is better to talk to the doctor about Mounjaro.

How it works at Go Leaner

Already using Wegovy 2.4 mg with us? Then your doctor discusses at the monthly review whether 7.2 mg makes sense. Using Wegovy with another provider? You can switch: bring your latest prescription or packaging to the intake. After blood tests and assessment we continue your treatment at your current dose and decide together whether and when to increase.

Not started yet? Then you simply begin at 0.25 mg. Whether you ever need 7.2 mg only becomes clear after six months, and many people do not.