A higher-dose obesity injection delivering over 20% average body weight loss has cleared European regulatory approval, expanding treatment options for millions of adults across all 27 EU member states
The European Commission has approved a new, more powerful 7.2 mg once-weekly maintenance dose of Wegovy (semaglutide) for adults living with obesity, giving physicians across all 27 European Union member states an additional tool to help patients who need greater weight loss beyond the standard 2.4 mg dose.The approval follows a positive opinion issued by the European Medicines Agency’s scientific committee (CHMP) on 12 December 2025, and is backed by results from two major clinical studies demonstrating significantly greater weight reduction compared to placebo.
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In the STEP UP trial, involving 1,407 participants without type 2 diabetes, those taking Wegovy 7.2 mg alongside lifestyle changes lost an average of 21% of their body weight, compared to approximately 2% among those on placebo. Notably, around one in three participants lost 25% or more of their body weight. A companion study, STEP UP T2D, involving 512 participants with type 2 diabetes, also demonstrated considerable weight loss on the higher dose.
Critically, the study found that 84% of weight lost came from fat mass, with muscle function preserved, an important distinction in obesity treatment where lean mass retention is a key clinical concern.The most commonly reported side effects included nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and dysaesthesia, which were generally mild to moderate and transient in nature.
Under the current approval, physicians may prescribe the 7.2 mg dose as three separate 2.4 mg injections administered in a single sitting, once weekly. Novo Nordisk has submitted an application for a single-dose 7.2 mg pen in the EU, which, if approved, could become available later this year.
Adults with obesity in the EU may now progress directly from the 2.4 mg dose after a minimum of four weeks to the 7.2 mg dose where clinically indicated. Wegovy 7.2 mg is already approved and available in the United Kingdom, with regulatory applications currently pending before the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and several other markets.
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“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.”
