A triple-sized weekly dose of Ozempic works better to help people with obesity shed excess pounds without significant side effects, new clinical trial results show.

Obese folks lost more weight taking 7.2 mg of semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) a week than those taking either the currently approved dose of 2.4 mg or a placebo, researchers reported Sept. 14 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

The results “suggest that a higher dose of semaglutide up to 7.2 mg per week could be used to achieve greater clinical benefits in people not reaching therapeutic goals with once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg,” concluded a team led by Dr. Sean Wharton, leader of the Wharton Medical Clinic for Weight and Diabetes Management in Ontario, Canada.

Researchers tested the triple-dose of semaglutide in two clinical trials, one involving people with obesity and the other in people with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

In both trials, participants were randomly assigned to receive either placebo injections or injections of 2.4 mg or 7.4 mg of semaglutide for 72 weeks.

In adults without diabetes, a 7.2 mg dose of semaglutide caused an average weight loss of nearly 19%, surpassing the 16% seen with the 2.4 mg dose and 4% with placebo.

Nearly half of the people on the higher dose lost 20% or more of their body weight, with one-third losing at least 25%, researchers reported.

Adults with Type 2 diabetes had similar results — 13% weight loss on the heavier dose versus 10% on the lighter dose and 4% with placebo.

Participants on the higher dose also achieved trimmer waistlines and lower blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, results showed.

Both trials also reported that the higher dose of semaglutide was safe and generally well tolerated. GI side effects like nausea and diarrhea were most common, but these were manageable and resolved over time, researchers said.

No increase in serious adverse events or severe low blood sugar was seen with the higher dose.

“The greater magnitudes of bodyweight reduction seen in this trial, as well as the improvements in cardiovascular risk factors and glucose control, can have beneficial effects on health goals in clinical practice,” researchers concluded.

However, they noted that further research is needed to fully understand the long-term benefits and risks of a tripled semaglutide dose taken regularly.

Novo Nordisk, the maker of semaglutide, sponsored both clinical trials.