A GLP-1 medicine you swallow rather than inject, with no rules about when you eat or drink. Here is what the evidence actually shows, and who it suits.
Written by Dr Christian Winiger, MRCGP, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Dr.Online UK
AT A GLANCE
- A once-daily tablet, taken at any time of day, with or without food or water.
- Licensed in the UK for weight management and for type 2 diabetes.
- Average weight loss of 11.2% at 72 weeks on the highest dose in its main obesity trial.
- Prescription-only, and not currently funded by the NHS.
Foundayo (orforglipron) is a new once-daily GLP-1 tablet licensed in the UK for weight management and for type 2 diabetes. The MHRA authorised it on 10 August 2026, making the UK the first country in Europe to approve it. This quickly follows the recent launch of Oral Wegovy – now available at Dr.Online UK.
For most patients, the difference that matters is a practical one. It is a tablet rather than an injection, and it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food, with or without water.
What is Foundayo?
Foundayo is the brand name for orforglipron, a small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist developed by Eli Lilly.
GLP-1 is a hormone your gut releases after you eat. It reduces appetite, helps you feel full sooner, slows how quickly your stomach empties and supports better blood sugar control. GLP-1 medicines work by mimicking that signal.
Most GLP-1 medicines, including Wegovy and Mounjaro, are peptides. Peptides break down in the digestive tract, which is why they are usually injected. The oral semaglutide tablet gets around this with an absorption enhancer, but it only works if you take it fasted, with a small sip of water, and then wait before eating, drinking or taking anything else.
Orforglipron is chemically different. It behaves like a conventional tablet, so it needs none of that.
Foundayo is supplied in six strengths, 30 film-coated tablets per pack. Illustration, not product photography.
How well does it work?
The strongest evidence comes from ATTAIN-1, a phase 3 trial in 3,127 adults with obesity and without diabetes.
After 72 weeks, people on the highest studied dose lost an average of 11.2% of their starting body weight, compared with 2.1% on placebo. More than half of that group lost at least 10% of their body weight. Waist circumference, blood pressure and cholesterol also improved.
There is good evidence in type 2 diabetes too. In ATTAIN-2, adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes lost an average of 9.6% of their body weight over 72 weeks on the highest dose. In ACHIEVE-1, orforglipron lowered HbA1c by between 1.3 and 1.6 percentage points from a baseline of 8.0% over 40 weeks, and up to 76% of participants reached the treatment target of below 7%.
One point of detail worth knowing. The trials used a capsule formulation, described in the published papers as 6mg, 12mg and 36mg. The tablets you will actually be prescribed are labelled differently, and the 36mg trial capsule is equivalent to the 17.2mg tablet. The two forms are not interchangeable milligram for milligram, so if you come across older dose figures online, they are describing the same treatment under different numbers.
Foundayo compared with Wegovy and Mounjaro
Mounjaro and injectable Wegovy have produced greater average weight loss in their own obesity trials. But none of these medicines has been compared head to head with Foundayo. The studies enrolled different people under different protocols, so the percentages are not directly interchangeable, and no trial can tell you which will work better for you as an individual.
The clearest difference is how they are taken.
| MEDICINE | HOW IT IS TAKEN |
|---|---|
|
Foundayo |
Once-daily tablet, any time of day, no food or water restrictions |
|
Wegovy |
Once-weekly injection, or a daily tablet that must be taken fasted |
|
Mounjaro |
Once-weekly injection |
The best treatment is not automatically the one with the highest headline percentage. Your medical history, your goals, how you tolerate side effects and whether you would realistically keep taking a weekly injection all matter. Adherence is where most weight management plans quietly fail.
How the dose is built up
Treatment starts low and increases in steps, with a minimum of one month at each strength before moving up. That gradual build is deliberate, and it is what keeps side effects manageable. Not everyone needs to reach the maximum dose. Each increase is a clinical decision based on how well the treatment is working and how you are tolerating it.
Six strengths, one month minimum at each step. Starting dose on the left, maximum dose on the right.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can and do not double up the next one. Never take more than one tablet in a day. If you miss around a week or more of doses, speak to your clinician before restarting, as you may need to step back down.
Who could Foundayo suit?
For weight management, Foundayo is licensed alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for adults with:
- a BMI of 30 or above, or
- a BMI between 27 and 30 with at least one weight-related health condition, such as high blood pressure, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, raised cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea.
It is also licensed to improve blood sugar control in adults whose type 2 diabetes is not adequately controlled – at Dr.Online we only prescribe for its weight loss effects – diabetic management should be done by your NHS GP/endocrine specialist.
In practice, it is likely to appeal most to people who want GLP-1 treatment but have held back because of the injections, or who cannot build a fasting window into their morning. It is a prescription-only medicine, and a clinical assessment is always required first.
What about side effects?
Foundayo behaves like the rest of the GLP-1 class. The most common side effects are gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and indigestion. In the trials these were mostly mild to moderate and clustered around the periods when the dose was being increased. Most are manageable with smaller meals, eating more slowly, staying hydrated and not rushing the titration.
Less commonly, GLP-1 medicines can be associated with gallbladder problems and with pancreatitis. Severe or persistent abdominal pain is always a reason to seek medical advice rather than wait.
Foundayo is not suitable for everyoneIt should not be used by anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, and needs caution in anyone with a history of pancreatitis or a previous allergic reaction to another GLP-1 medicine. It is not for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Taken alongside insulin or sulfonylureas it can contribute to low blood sugar, so those doses may need adjusting. It also interacts with a number of other medicines. If you take simvastatin, the dose may need to be reduced. Some medicines that affect the liver enzyme CYP3A4 change how much orforglipron your body is exposed to, and can cap the maximum dose you should take. Bring a full list of everything you take, including anything bought over the counter, to your assessment. This is exactly what a proper clinical assessment is for. |
Is Foundayo available on the NHS?
Not currently. A licence from the medicines regulator means a medicine has been assessed as safe and effective. Whether the NHS routinely funds it is a separate decision made by NICE, and that appraisal is still under way. For now, Foundayo is a private prescription medicine.
Could Foundayo be right for you?
At Dr.Online we look at your BMI, medical history, current medications, previous weight management treatments and your goals before recommending anything.
If Foundayo is appropriate, we will prescribe it and support you through each dose increase with structured follow-up. If Wegovy, Mounjaro or a different approach would suit you better, we will tell you that and talk it through.
The aim is not to prescribe the newest treatment. It is to find a safe and effective approach that you can actually stay on.
Book a GLP-1 Advice call and see if it’s suitable for you.
SOURCES
- MHRA. UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes, 10 August 2026.
gov.uk/government/news/uk-first-in-europe-to-authorise-orforglipron-for-weight-management-and-type-2-diabetes - Wharton S et al. Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment. New England Journal of Medicine (ATTAIN-1).
nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2511774 - Horn DB et al. Orforglipron for the treatment of obesity in people with type 2 diabetes (ATTAIN-2). The Lancet.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)02165-8/abstract - Rosenstock J et al. Orforglipron in Early Type 2 Diabetes. New England Journal of Medicine (ACHIEVE-1).
nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2505669 - Foundayo Summary of Product Characteristics https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/102527/smpc
This article is for general information and does not replace individual medical advice. Foundayo (orforglipron) is a prescription-only medicine and should only be used following assessment by an appropriately qualified prescriber.