FDA approves new higher-dose version of Wegovy shots
[March 20, 2026]
By JONEL ALECCIA
Federal regulators on Thursday approved a new higher-dose version of the
blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy that may help users lose more weight and
keep it off.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a 7.2-milligram dose of
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's semaglutide. Previously, the highest
approved dose of the drug, taken as a weekly shot, was 2.4 milligrams.
The new dose received accelerated review through the FDA's ultra-fast
drug review program. The approval was granted 54 days after the request
for review was approved, the agency said in a statement.
The new dosage will be available in April at pharmacies in the U.S.,
with a price to be announced then, according to the company.
European drug regulators approved the higher-dose version of Wegovy in
February.
Called Wegovy HD, the higher-dose drug helped participants in a study
lose about 19% of their body weight, or almost 47 pounds, versus about
16% of body weight, or 39 pounds with the lower dose over almost 17
months.
The higher dose was developed because while the 2.4-milligram shot is
effective, “some individuals do not reach their therapeutic goals” at
that dose, according to results published last year in the medical
journal Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
The FDA in December approved an oral Wegovy pill. It contains 25
milligrams of semaglutide, the amount needed to ensure the drug is
absorbed via the digestive system.
Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrinologist and obesity expert at Harvard
Medical School, welcomed the approval of the higher-dose shot.
It “may be especially helpful for people” who are tolerating the
lower-dose version, but "have had suboptimal weight loss,” she said in
an email. It also could be helpful for people who don't have a robust
response to the highest dose of Eli Lilly's obesity drug Zepbound, she
added.
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The Food and Drug Administration seal is seen at the Hubert Humphrey
Building Auditorium in Washington, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose
Luis Magana, File)
 Still, side effects such as nausea,
vomiting and constipation were reported in more than 70% of those
who took the higher dose of Wegovy, compared to more than 60% taking
the lower dose and about 43% taking a dummy medication, the study
showed.
And a condition in which people experience unpleasant skin
sensations such as burning, stabbing or a feeling like an electrical
shock occurred in about 23% of those taking the higher dose of
Wegovy versus 6% of those taking the lower dose and less than 1% in
people who received a placebo.
Serious adverse events were reported in nearly 7% of those taking
the 7.2-milligram dose of the drug in the study, versus about 11% of
those taking the 2.4-milligram dose and about 5% of those who
received a placebo.
Increasing the highest dose of Wegovy from 2.4 milligrams to 7.4
milligrams is “quite a big jump,” especially without an intermediate
dose, Dushay noted.
“It will be important to see if in the real world, versus in a
clinical study, side effects are any worse,” she said.
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