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Foundayo vs Wegovy Pill: How the Two Oral GLP-1 Weight Loss Tablets Compare
Foundayo vs Wegovy Pill: How the Two Oral GLP-1 Weight Loss Tablets Compare
Dr. Zoë Lees (PhD)
Dr. Sophie Dix (BSc, PhD)
7 August 2026
No more needles? Injections are no longer the only way to take GLP-1 weight loss medicine. Two new tablets are emerging: Wegovy Pill, and Foundayo. They work in a similar way to each other, with a few significant differences. Let’s explore how they compare.
Article Summary:
- Both are once-daily GLP-1 tablets, but only the Wegovy pill (semaglutide) is currently licensed for prescribing in the UK. Foundayo (orforglipron) is approved in the US and is still under review by the UK regulator.
- The biggest practical difference is timing. The Wegovy pill needs an empty stomach and a 30-minute wait after taking it. Foundayo doesn't have those restrictions.
- In separate trials, Wegovy pill users lost an average of 16.6% of their body weight over 64 weeks (1 year, 3 months), and Foundayo users lost an average of 12.4% over 72 weeks (1 year, 5 months) at the highest doses. These are different trials in different people, so they can't be compared directly.
What are Foundayo and Wegovy Pill?
Both medicines belong to the same family, called GLP-1 receptor agonists. GLP-1 is a hormone your body makes after you eat. It helps you feel full and slows down how fast your stomach empties. [1] Both tablets copy this hormone and may make it easier to eat less, leading to weight loss.
The Wegovy pill contains the active ingredient semaglutide. It's made by Novo Nordisk, the same company behind the Wegovy injection.
Foundayo contains a different medicine called orforglipron. It's made by Eli Lilly, the company behind the Mounjaro injection. Orforglipron is built differently to semaglutide. It's what's called a small molecule, rather than a peptide. [2] In plain terms, this means it doesn't need special handling to be absorbed, which is why Foundayo can be taken without the food and water rules that apply to the Wegovy pill.
Are they available in the UK?
Wegovy Pill, yes, with some limits. Foundayo, not yet.
On 11 June 2026, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the Wegovy pill for weight loss in the UK. [3] It isn't available on the NHS yet. NICE, the body that decides which treatments the NHS funds in England, is still reviewing it. In the meantime, you can only get the Wegovy pill privately, through a pharmacy or a regulated online clinic.
Foundayo was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 1 April 2026. [4] It hasn't yet been approved by the MHRA, so it isn't legally available to prescribe or buy in the UK. Any UK website offering to sell it now isn't operating within the rules. Eli Lilly has said it has applied for approval in the UK as part of a wider global rollout, but no UK approval date has been confirmed.
How do you take each one?
This is where the two tablets differ the most.
Wegovy Pill
Take it first thing in the morning, after at least 8 hours without food. Swallow it whole with a small sip (less than 120ml) of plain water. You must then wait at least 30 minutes before you eat, drink anything else, or take other medicines. [3]
Foundayo
Take it once a day, at any time. You can take it with or without food or water. [4]
Food and drink change conditions in your stomach. For the Wegovy pill, this can lower how much medicine your body absorbs, so the fasting rule matters. Foundayo takes away the stress of timings, which makes it helpful for people who find a strict morning routine hard to stick to.
How well do they work?
Wegovy Pill's approval is based on a trial called OASIS 4. Adults with obesity took either the tablet or a dummy tablet (a placebo) for 64 weeks (1 year, 3 months). People who took the Wegovy pill as directed lost an average of 16.6% of their body weight, compared with 2.7% on placebo. [5] For someone who weighs 100kg, that works out at around 16.6kg on average in 1 year and 3 months, though results vary from person to person, and this doesn't imply guaranteed results.
Foundayo's pending approval is based on a trial called ATTAIN-1. Adults with obesity took one of three doses of orforglipron, or a placebo, for 72 weeks (1 year, 5 months). At the highest dose, people lost an average of 12.4% of their body weight, compared with 2.1% on placebo. [6] For someone who weighs 100kg, that works out at around 12.4kg on average in 1 year and 5 months. The tablet sold in the US uses slightly different milligram strengths to the capsules tested in the trial, worked out by Lilly to have the same effect.
It's worth remembering that the above results are from two separate trials, in different groups of people in different time periods. So, the results shouldn't be compared directly. The best treatment for you is the one you can take consistently and safely.
What are the side effects?
The side effects of both medicines are similar, because they work on the same hormone pathway. [1]
Some common ones for both include:
- Feeling or being sick (nausea)
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Indigestion or stomach pain
- Headache
- Tiredness (fatigue)
- Bloating
- Burping or wind
These are usually more noticeable when you start treatment or when your dose goes up.
Both medicines carry the same warning about a possible risk of thyroid tumours, based on animal studies. [4,5] Neither is suitable if you or a family member has had certain types of thyroid cancer. Both can also, uncommonly, cause pancreatitis, low blood sugar, or allergic reactions. [1]
Because both are prescription-only medicines, they should only be started under clinical supervision. Your prescriber will check whether a treatment is safe for you.
How do they compare with injections?
Both tablets are designed to offer similar results to weekly GLP-1 injections, without needles. Wegovy and Mounjaro remain the injectable options currently available through the NHS and private prescribers in the UK. [7]
If you're currently doing well on an injection, switching to a tablet is unlikely to improve your weight loss results. If needles are the main barrier stopping you from starting or sticking with treatment, a tablet may be worth discussing.
Choosing between an oral pill and an injectable treatment comes down to what fits your lifestyle and goals. At MedExpress, we offer online consultations with regular clinical check-ins, and a range of weight loss treatments including Mounjaro Pen, Wegovy Pen, Wegovy Pill and Foundayo (coming soon, join the waitlist) and our team can help you find the right treatment for you.
References
- NHS. Semaglutide: a medicine to manage type 2 diabetes or treat obesity [Internet]. nhs.uk; 2026.
- Wharton S, Aronne LJ, Stefanski A, et al. Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity treatment (ATTAIN-1). N Engl J Med. 2025;393(18):1796-1806.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. MHRA approves semaglutide oral tablets for weight loss [news release]. London: GOV.UK; 11 June 2026.
- Eli Lilly and Company. 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]. Indianapolis: Eli Lilly; 1 April 2026.
- Novo Nordisk A/S. FDA approves Novo Nordisk's Wegovy® pill, the first and only oral GLP-1 for weight loss in adults [news release]. Bagsværd: Novo Nordisk; 22 December 2025.
- Wharton S, Aronne LJ, Stefanski A, et al. Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity treatment (ATTAIN-1). N Engl J Med. 2025;393(18):1796-1806.
- British Heart Foundation. Wegovy: what to know about the weight-loss injection [Internet]. bhf.org.uk; 2025.
Next scheduled review date: 7 August 2029
Foundayo Side Effects: What To Expect Before You Begin Treatment
Orforglipron Vs Mounjaro For Weight Loss: What’s The Difference And Which Is Right For You?
Mounjaro Patches: Are They Real, Safe, Or Effective For Weight Loss?
What Is Off-Label Prescribing? A Guide For GLP-1 Patients
Authors
Written by: Dr. Zoë Lees (PhD)
Dr. Zoë Lees is a medical writer at MedExpress specialising in obesity and health communication. She completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow, where she investigated adipose tissue (fat tissue) function in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. Her work focuses on translating complex clinical evidence into clear, engaging and evidence-based health information for patients and the public. At MedExpress, Zoë contributes to clinical content, educational resources and media communications across areas including weight management, GLP-1 therapies and metabolic disease. Zoë is particularly interested in improving public understanding of obesity as a chronic condition and ensuring patients have access to accurate, accessible health information grounded in current scientific evidence.
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Sophie Dix (BSc, PhD)
Dr. Sophie Dix is Head of Medical Affairs at MedExpress. A behavioural neuroscientist by training, Sophie has spent 30 years working at the intersection of medical research, pharmacology, technology and patient communication across the pharmaceutical industry, health technology and charity sectors. At MedExpress, Sophie's role is to ensure that everything the organisation does is grounded in the most current science. That means translating complex clinical evidence into accessible health information across the website, clinical pathways and media communications. It also means working with external press and broadcast media as a named expert commentator, making the science behind weight management and GLP-1 treatments understandable to a general audience. A core part of Sophie's work is building MedExpress's Real-World Evidence (RWE) programme: learning systematically from patient outcomes to understand what works in practice, not just in clinical trials. This patient-level insight feeds directly into improving patient experience and health outcomes. Sophie believes that patients make better decisions when they have access to accurate, evidence-based information. As an advocate for meaningful change in how obesity is understood, Sophie works to reduce stigma and raise awareness of the condition as an illness. This includes reframing the conversation around GLP-1s from aesthetics to public health, while highlighting the health benefits of weight loss and weight management.
Note from the experts
Remember: This blog shouldn’t be regarded as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We make sure everything we publish is fact checked by clinical experts and regularly reviewed, but it may not always reflect the most recent health guidelines. Always speak to your doctor about any health concerns you have.