The European Commission approves more effective dose of injectable Wegovy for adults with obesity; clinical study showed people lost about 21% of their body weight on average

• The European Commission has granted final approval of a higher 7.2 mg maintenance dose of Wegovy (semaglutide) for adults who may need extra help losing weight. It is now approved in all 27 countries in the European Union
• In a study with 1,407 people, lasting about 1½ years, those on the higher dose lost, on average, about one‑fifth of their body weight.
• Wegovy is now approved in the EU as a once‑weekly injection in six doses to help with weight management, used together with healthy eating and increased physical activity.

Bagsværd, Denmark, 17 February 2026 – The European Commission has approved a new 7.2 mg once‑weekly maintenance dose of Wegovy (semaglutide injection) for adults living with obesity. This gives doctors another option to help adults who need more weight loss after being on the 2.4 mg dose. The approval is based on a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s scientific committee (CHMP) on 12 December 2025.

The approval means that doctors in the EU may now prescribe the 7.2 mg dosage as three 2.4 mg injections, to be taken in one sitting, still once a week. Novo Nordisk has applied for approval of a 7.2 mg single-dose pen in the EU, and if approved, it could be available this year. This means that in the European Union (EU), adults with obesity may now step directly from Wegovy 2.4 mg (for at least four weeks) up to 7.2 mg if they need greater weight loss while preserving muscle function.

Wegovy 7.2 mg is already approved and available in the UK, and regulatory applications are pending with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and several other countries.

What did the study show?
In the two clinical studies, STEP UP (1,407 participants) and STEP UP T2D (512 participants), adults with obesity, without and with type 2 diabetes, respectively, who took the 7.2 mg dose once a week, plus lifestyle changes, lost considerably more weight than people on placebo.

On average, participants with obesity, without diabetes, taking Wegovy 7.2 mg had these results:

• 21% body weight loss for those on Wegovy 7.2 mg when everyone took the medicine as planned, compared to about 2% weight loss for those taking placebo.
• About 1 in 3 people lost 25% or more of their body weight.
• Body composition improved with the majority (84%) of weight loss with Wegovy 7.2 mg coming from fat mass, with tests showing preserved muscle functioning.
• The most common side effects were nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting (24.8%) and dysaesthesia (22-9%). These events were usually mild to moderate and transient.

“This approval is another important step in helping people living with obesity reach very significant weight loss,” said Emil Kongshøj Larsen, executive vice president, International Operations, Novo Nordisk. “The new dose gives healthcare professionals even more flexibility to tailor treatment and help people with obesity achieve their weight loss and health goals.”