Will we be able to use Wegovy tablets as a maintenance tablet?
If you've heard that Wegovy is soon to be available as a tablet, you might be wondering whether it could work as a long-term maintenance option, and if so, how it compares to the injection you may already be using.
It's a reasonable question… and below is all the information you need.
What is the Wegovy tablet?
Wegovy (semaglutide) has been available as a weekly injection since 2021. In December 2025, Novo Nordisk received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an oral version of Wegovy, making it the first oral GLP-1 receptor agonist specifically approved for weight management.
The tablet comes in four strengths:
1.5mg, 4mg and 9mg are used during the dose escalation phase, with 25 mg as the full maintenance dose.The difference between the tablet and the injection isn't what the drug does in your body, it's how it gets there.
How the tablet differs from the injection
Because semaglutide is poorly absorbed through the gut wall, the tablet requires a much higher dose (25 mg daily vs. 2.4 mg weekly by injection) to achieve comparable blood levels. It also comes with strict administration requirements:
- Take it first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach
- Use no more than 120 ml of plain water
- Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking anything else, or taking other medications
These instructions help maximise absorption. If you do not follow them, your body may absorb much less semaglutide.
What the clinical trial showed
The tablet's FDA approval was based on the OASIS 4 phase 3 trial, a 71-week study (64 weeks of active treatment) of 307 adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related complication. The results were meaningful:
For context, the injectable Wegovy achieved around 15% average weight loss in its largest trial (STEP 1) over 68 weeks. The tablet’s results are comparable, though the trials used different protocols and patient populations, so a direct comparison isn’t straightforward.
Is the Wegovy tablet available in the UK?
Not yet. As of early 2026, the Wegovy tablet is only available in the United States.
Expected approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for Wegovy tablets in the UK is estimated early July which is when it will become available.
Will the Wegovy tablet be able to be used as a maintenance tablet?
In principle, yes. When Wegovy tablets receives MHRA approval, it would be indicated for the same population as the injection: adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related complication. The clinical trial data suggests it can produce and sustain meaningful weight loss over 64 weeks of active treatment, and there is no clinical reason why it could not be used as an ongoing maintenance treatment in the same way the injection is.
It is worth being clear about what "maintenance" means in this context. It does not mean a lower dose or a less active treatment, it means continuing the same therapeutic approach, just in a different format. The evidence does not support using the tablet as a step-down from the injection to gradually reduce treatment. Stopping semaglutide in any form carries the same risk of weight regain.
For patients who cannot tolerate injections, or who have a specific clinical reason to prefer an oral route, the tablet may represent a suitable alternative once it becomes available. This is something to discuss with your prescribing pharmacist rather than a decision to make independently.
What happens when you stop Wegovy?
The STEP 1 extension study, published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, followed participants for a year after stopping semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly. Patients regained two-thirds of their prior weight loss within 12 months of stopping treatment. Cardiometabolic improvements, including reductions in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, largely reversed as well.
A broader meta-analysis published in the BMJ in January 2026, reviewing 37 studies and around 9,300 patients, found that people who stopped GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide returned to their starting weight within an average of 18 months. The rate of regain was four times faster than for people who had lost weight through diet and exercise alone.
Why does this happen?
Obesity is a chronic condition with a biological basis. When you lose weight, the body responds by increasing hunger hormones and reducing metabolic rate, essentially pushing back against the loss. Semaglutide helps counteract those signals. When the medication stops, those signals return.
Tablet vs injection: a quick comparison
For UK patients weighing up their options once the tablet becomes available, here's how the two formats compare:
What this means for your treatment right now
If you are currently on injectable Wegovy and have questions about the oral option, here are some practical points worth being aware of:
- Don’t stop your current treatment. If your injections are working well, there is no clinical reason to stop or switch.*The tablet is not a lighter option. It contains the same active ingredient at a therapeutically equivalent dose. It will not be appropriate for patients looking to gradually reduce or wind down their treatment.
- The tablet is one format, not an upgrade. Both the injection and the tablet work via the same mechanism and produce comparable weight loss outcomes. The choice between them, if and when the tablet becomes available in the UK, is a clinical one, not a straightforward preference. Your prescribing pharmacist is best placed to help you assess whether a switch would be appropriate for your situation.
The fundamentals of treatment remain the same regardless of format: semaglutide works best when continued consistently. If your current injectable treatment is managing your weight effectively, that is a good outcome and there is no need to change course in anticipation of the tablet.
If you would like to discuss your current Wegovy treatment or your long-term weight management options, our prescribing pharmacists at Phlo Clinic are here to help. You can start a consultation online without needing a GP referral.
References
- Novo Nordisk. (2025, December 22). FDA approves Wegovy® (semaglutide) tablets 25 mg for chronic weight management. PR Newswire.
- Wadden TA, et al. (2025). Once-daily oral semaglutide 25 mg for weight management in adults with obesity or overweight: the OASIS 4 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. New England Journal of Medicine.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. (2026, January 16). Medicines regulator approves up to 7.2 mg dose of semaglutide (Wegovy) for patients with obesity only. GOV.UK.
- Wilding JPH, et al. (2022). Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: the STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 24(8), 1553-1564.
- West S, et al. (2026, January 7). Weight regain following pharmacological treatment of obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ.
