What Foundayo is

Foundayo (generic name orforglipron) is a once-daily oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly and Company.[1][2] In plain terms, it belongs to the same broad family of weight-management drugs as the GLP-1 injections the UK already knows — Mounjaro and Wegovy — but it works as a tablet, and it is chemically a different sort of molecule.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Foundayo on 1 April 2026 for adults with obesity, or some adults who are overweight and also have weight-related medical problems, to reduce excess body weight and keep it off long term, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.[1] It was cleared under application number NDA 220934.[3] Lilly describes it as a GLP-1 pill for weight loss that can be taken at any time of day, with or without food or water — the point that separates it from the peptide Wegovy pill.[1]

In the UK, the MHRA authorised Foundayo on 10 August 2026 — the first regulator in Europe to do so — for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, and separately for type 2 diabetes.[10] On 24 August 2026 Lilly UK announced that it is available in the UK on private prescription.[11] The UK product information (the Summary of Product Characteristics) for each strength is published on the electronic medicines compendium.[12]

Key takeaway

Foundayo is a daily pill, not an injection, and it is a small-molecule (non-peptide) GLP-1 receptor agonist — the feature that lets it be taken any time, with or without food or water. It was approved in the US in April 2026 and authorised by the MHRA on 10 August 2026 for weight management and type 2 diabetes; in the UK it is available on private prescription, not yet on the NHS.

Why a GLP-1 pill is a genuinely big deal

There are two things that make orforglipron notable, and both come back to the same underlying fact: it is a small molecule, not a peptide.

No food or water rules

Peptide medicines are fragile in the stomach, which is why the other licensed oral GLP-1 option, the Wegovy pill, comes wrapped in strict timing rules — take it on an empty stomach, with only a little water, then wait before eating or drinking. Foundayo has none of that. Because it is a conventional small-molecule compound, it does not need those absorption-protecting restrictions, so it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food, and with or without water.[2][4] For a medicine meant to be taken every day for a long time, a simpler routine is not a trivial detail — it is the difference between a rule that is easy to keep and one that is easy to break. Our Wegovy pill page covers the more restrictive oral-semaglutide approach for comparison.

Manufacturing at scale

The second consequence is about supply. A small molecule can be synthesised chemically and scaled up at far greater volume than an injectable peptide, which is the basis of Lilly's strategy to supply an oral GLP-1 at mass-market scale.[2] That does not change the UK access picture by itself — supply here is still by prescription only, and privately for now — but it is why a pill version of this drug class has attracted so much attention: if it can be made in the quantities its makers hope, it could eventually be available far more widely than the injections, which have been dogged by shortages.

What the ATTAIN-1 trial found

The headline efficacy data come from ATTAIN-1, a phase 3, 72-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 3,127 adults who had obesity (or were overweight with weight-related conditions) but who did not have type 2 diabetes, run across 10 countries. The trial tested three research doses — 6mg, 12mg and 36mg — against placebo, on top of diet and physical activity.[2]

ATTAIN-1: mean body-weight change at 72 weeks (efficacy estimand — the effect while staying on treatment). Source: NEJM.[2]
GroupAverage weight changeReached ≥10% lossReached ≥15% loss
6mg−7.8%35.9%16.5%
12mg−9.3%45.1%24.0%
36mg−12.4%59.6%39.6%
Placebo−0.9%8.6%3.6%

The pattern is dose-dependent: more of the medicine, more weight lost, but also more side effects (see below). On the highest 36mg dose, average weight change was about −12.4%, against about −0.9% on placebo.[2] These are trial averages achieved alongside diet and exercise; an individual's result can be higher or lower. A companion trial, ATTAIN-2, tested orforglipron in people who also had type 2 diabetes and was reported by Lilly as a successful third phase 3 study, showing weight loss and blood-sugar (A1C) improvements in that group.[6]

Side effects seen in the trial

As with the whole GLP-1 class, the most common side effects were gastrointestinal, mostly mild to moderate, and more frequent at higher doses.[2] In ATTAIN-1:

  • Nausea affected roughly 28.9% to 35.9% of people on orforglipron across the dose groups, against 10.4% on placebo.[2]
  • Constipation ranged from about 21.7% to 29.8%, versus 9.3% on placebo.[2]
  • Diarrhoea ranged from about 21.0% to 23.1%, versus 9.6% on placebo.[2]
  • Vomiting ranged from about 13.0% to 24.0%, versus 3.5% on placebo.[2]
  • Stopping the medicine because of side effects rose with dose, from 5.3% to 10.3%, against 2.7% on placebo.[2]

The US label also carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumours, including medullary thyroid carcinoma, and lists a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, and Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2), as contraindications.[3][9] This page summarises rather than reproduces the label; the full, authoritative warnings live in the official prescribing information.

Report side effects

If you ever take a weight-loss medicine and have a side effect, you can report it to the UK regulator through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme[8] and speak to your GP or pharmacist. Reporting helps the MHRA monitor the safety of medicines.

How Foundayo is taken

Foundayo is a once-daily tablet made in six strengths — 0.8mg, 2.5mg, 5.5mg, 9mg, 14.5mg and 17.2mg — and the dose is built up gradually. Treatment starts at 0.8mg once daily, with each step held for at least about 30 days before any increase, up to a maximum of 17.2mg once daily; the maintenance range is 5.5mg to 17.2mg, and the prescriber chooses the dose based on how well someone responds and tolerates it.[4][5] The slow climb exists to reduce the risk of the gastrointestinal side effects above.[5] The UK product information uses the same six strengths — 0.8, 2.5, 5.5, 9, 14.5 and 17.2 mg once daily — with each step held for at least one month before any increase; the SmPC for each strength is on the emc.[12]

Where approval stands: US yes, UK yes, NHS not yet

Foundayo is approved in the United States (April 2026) and, since 10 August 2026, authorised by the MHRA in the UK — the first authorisation in Europe — for both weight management and type 2 diabetes.[10] On 24 August 2026 Lilly UK announced that it is available on private prescription.[11] A licence is only the first gate. NHS availability needs a separate NICE appraisal of clinical and cost-effectiveness, as happened with Mounjaro and Wegovy: NICE's appraisal of orforglipron for managing overweight and obesity (ID6516) is in progress, with publication provisionally expected on 18 November 2026, so there is no NHS route today, and any future NHS use would realistically be limited to defined patient groups.[13] Our GLP-1 medication comparison sets Foundayo against the other options available here.

Prescription-only, and private for now

Foundayo is a prescription-only medicine. The only lawful UK route is a consultation with a qualified prescriber who decides whether it is appropriate, and dispensing by a GPhC-registered pharmacy; it is not available on the NHS while the NICE appraisal is in progress. Any website or seller offering "Foundayo" or "orforglipron" without a prescription is acting illegally, and whatever they send may not be a regulated medicine — it could be fake, contaminated or dangerous. You can learn how to spot illegal sellers of medicines through the MHRA's #FakeMeds campaign.[7] Private prices vary between regulated providers; this site carries no prices and names no provider.

How Foundayo fits with the other GLP-1 medicines

Foundayo is one member of a growing group. The GLP-1 medicines a UK reader is most likely to have heard of are weekly injections — Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) — while the oral options are newer. Foundayo is a daily tablet and a distinct molecule from those. If you want the wider picture, our Mounjaro page and GLP-1 medication FAQ cover how these medicines differ and the questions people ask most. For a page dedicated entirely to this one drug, there is also a separate independent site, Foundayo Tablet UK, that tracks orforglipron in depth.

Frequently asked questions

What is Foundayo?

Foundayo is the brand name for orforglipron, a once-daily GLP-1 pill from Eli Lilly. It is an oral small-molecule (non-peptide) GLP-1 receptor agonist, which is what allows it to be taken at any time of day with or without food or water. The US FDA approved it on 1 April 2026 for adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems. The MHRA authorised it in the UK on 10 August 2026 for weight management and for type 2 diabetes.

Is Foundayo a tablet instead of an injection?

Yes. It is an oral tablet taken once a day — no injection, no needle and no self-injection technique to learn. Lilly describes it as a GLP-1 pill for weight loss that can be taken at any time of day without food or water restrictions — unlike the Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide), which must be taken on an empty stomach.

How much weight did people lose on Foundayo in the trials?

In the 72-week ATTAIN-1 trial of 3,127 adults with obesity but without type 2 diabetes, average weight change on the highest 36mg research dose was about −12.4%, compared with about −0.9% on placebo. Results were smaller at lower doses. These are trial averages achieved alongside diet and exercise, and individual results vary.

Can I get Foundayo in the UK?

Yes, privately. The MHRA authorised Foundayo on 10 August 2026 — the first authorisation in Europe — for weight management and type 2 diabetes, and Lilly UK announced on 24 August 2026 that it is available on private prescription. It is not on the NHS: NICE's appraisal (ID6516) is in progress, provisionally expected to publish on 18 November 2026. It is prescription-only, so a qualified prescriber decides whether it suits you, and supply is through a GPhC-registered pharmacy. Private prices vary between regulated providers; this site carries none.

Is Foundayo the same as Mounjaro or Wegovy?

No. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) are weekly injections; Foundayo (orforglipron) is a daily tablet and a different molecule. All sit within the broader GLP-1 family, but they differ in how they are taken, their dosing and their NHS status: Mounjaro and Wegovy have NICE recommendations for restricted NHS use, whereas Foundayo is currently available on private prescription only.

References

  1. Eli Lilly and Company. "FDA approves Lilly's Foundayo™ (orforglipron), the only GLP-1 pill for weight loss." Investor news release, April 2026. investor.lilly.com
  2. New England Journal of Medicine. "Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, in Adults with Obesity" (ATTAIN-1). nejm.org
  3. US Food and Drug Administration. Approval letter, NDA 220934 (Foundayo / orforglipron), 2026. accessdata.fda.gov
  4. Eli Lilly and Company. "How to take Foundayo." foundayo.lilly.com/how-to-take
  5. Eli Lilly and Company. "Foundayo dosage information for healthcare professionals." foundayo.lilly.com/hcp/dosage
  6. Eli Lilly and Company. "Lilly's oral GLP-1 orforglipron successful in third phase 3 trial" (ATTAIN-2). Investor news release. investor.lilly.com
  7. MHRA. "#FakeMeds — buying medicines safely online." fakemeds.campaign.gov.uk
  8. MHRA. "Yellow Card scheme — report a side effect." yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk
  9. Eli Lilly and Company / PR Newswire. "FDA approves Lilly's Foundayo (orforglipron), the only GLP-1 pill for weight loss that can be taken any time of day, without food or water restrictions." News release, April 2026. prnewswire.com
  10. MHRA / GOV.UK. "UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes" (10 August 2026). gov.uk
  11. Eli Lilly and Company (UK). Press release on the UK availability of Foundayo (orforglipron) on private prescription, 24 August 2026. lilly.com/uk
  12. electronic medicines compendium (emc). Foundayo (orforglipron) — Summary of Product Characteristics. medicines.org.uk
  13. NICE. "Orforglipron for managing overweight and obesity" — technology appraisal in development, ID6516 (GID-TA11650), provisionally expected publication 18 November 2026. nice.org.uk