Key takeaways:
Foundayo (orforglipron) is an oral, non-peptide weight-loss medication FDA approved for adults who are considered obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related health condition. Unlike other oral incretin modulators, it can be taken with or without food.
In phase 3 clinical trials, participants lost an average of 8% to 11% of their starting body weight, depending on the dose, after taking Foundayo for 72 weeks.
Foundayo’s side effects are similar to injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Patients can save on Foundayo with GoodRx or direct shipping from the manufacturer.
There’s always a media buzz when a new weight-loss drug hits the market, which can trickle down into clinical practice with patients inquiring about them. New oral weight-loss medications are quickly grabbing attention as alternative options to injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists such as Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide). Oral Wegovy (semaglutide) tablets started the trend in December 2025, and Foundayo (orforglipron) tablets followed suit in April 2026.
Here, we’ll cover what you need to know about Foundayo for weight loss.
1. Foundayo indication
Foundayo is FDA approved to help adults lose excess body weight and maintain weight loss long term. It’s approved for adults who are considered obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related health condition. Foundayo is intended to be used in combination with lifestyle changes such as a reduced-calorie diet and routine physical activity.
Children and teens should not take Foundayo. It’s currently only approved for adults.
2. Foundayo dosing
Foundayo is a once-daily oral tablet that can be taken with or without food. There are no food or water restrictions, differentiating it from oral Wegovy and Rybelsus.
Foundayo comes in 6 tablet doses:
0.8 mg
2.5 mg
5.5 mg
9 mg
14.5 mg
17.2 mg
The typical starting dosage is 0.8 mg once daily, which can be titrated up monthly, as tolerated. The maximum dosage is 17.2 mg once daily.
3. Foundayo mechanism of action
Foundayo is a “glipron,” representing a new class of incretin therapy. Gliprons are nonpeptide GLP-1 receptor small molecule agonists. Like injectable (peptide) GLP-1 receptor agonists, they mimic the effects of GLP-1, but the small molecule size allows for oral formulation. Small molecule drugs are typically easier and cheaper to produce in bulk compared to peptides, which may translate to additional savings at the pharmacy.
Foundayo is the first approved medication in this group. Another possible glipron on the horizon, aleniglipron, is still in clinical development.
4. Foundayo efficacy
Several clinical trial results are available for Foundayo. Here’s what studies say about its efficacy so far.
Foundayo weight-loss benefits
Foundayo’s phase 3 ATTAIN-1 trial evaluated weight loss over 72 weeks in people with obesity. Published results indicate that mean change in body weight was -7.5%. ATTAIN-2 enrolled patients with both Type 2 diabetes and BMI over 30, with the mean percent change in bodyweight from baseline to week 72 being -5.1%.
ATTAIN-MAINTAIN evaluated switching from Wegovy or Zepbound after 72 weeks to Foundayo for weight maintenance over 52 weeks. The primary endpoint was met, as participants were able to maintain weight loss after switching.
Foundayo Type 2 diabetes benefits
Foundayo has not been approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, but studies are underway.
ACHIEVE-3 was a head-to-head Phase 3 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of orforglipron (12 mg and 36 mg) versus oral semaglutide (7 mg and 14 mg) in people with Type 2 diabetes. Published results indicate that both doses of Foundayo were non-inferior and superior in terms of mean change in HbA1c. A secondary endpoint of change in weight from baseline was also met. But the study participants taking orforglipron were more likely to discontinue study treatment due to adverse events than in the semaglutide groups.
5. Foundayo side effects
Clinical studies suggest that Foundayo has similar side effects to injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Common or mild Foundayo side effects include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Constipation
Diarrhea
Belching
Abdominal pain
Headache
Dyspepsia
Fatigue
Foundayo warnings and precautions include:
Boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors, medullary thyroid carcinoma and Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2
Pancreatitis
Severe gastrointestinal reactions
Acute kidney injury due to volume depletion
Hypoglycemia
Diabetic retinopathy complications
Hypersensitivity reactions
Acute gallbladder disease
Pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia and deep sedation
That said, the FDA is requiring Foundayo’s manufacturer to conduct further clinical trials to assess a signal of a serious risk of retained gastric contents and to identify an unexpected serious risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), drug-induced liver injury (DILI), and exposure to orforglipron during lactation.
6. Foundayo cost
There are already ways to save on Foundayo:
Your patients can get Foundayo for as low as $149 per month with GoodRx.
Foundayo is also available through LillyDirect for $149 (0.8 mg), $199 (2.5 mg), and $299 (5.5 mg, 9 mg, 14.5 mg, and 17.2 mg).
A $25 copay offer is available for eligible people with commercial insurance, too.
The bottom line
Foundayo (orforglipron) is an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist recently approved for weight-loss in certain individuals. It’s a small molecule drug, not a peptide, allowing for more flexible dosing. Patients can save on Foundayo with GoodRx or through manufacturer assistance programs.
Why trust our experts?
References
Eli Lilly and Company. (2025). Lilly's orforglipron helped people maintain weight loss after switching from injectable incretins to oral GLP-1 therapy in first-of-its-kind Phase 3 trial.
Eli Lilly and Company. (2026). 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.
Eli Lilly and Company. (2026). Foundayo (orforglipron) tablets for oral use [package insert].
Horn, D. B., et al. (2025). Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, for the treatment of obesity in people with type 2 diabetes (ATTAIN-2): a phase 3, double-blind, randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet.
Novo Nordisk. (2026). Rybelsus / Ozempic (semaglutide) tablets, for oral use [package insert].
Novo Nordisk. (2026). Wegovy (semaglutide) injection, for subcutaneous use; tablets, for oral use [package insert].
Rosenstock, J., et al. (2025). Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, in early type 2 diabetes. The New England Journal of Medicine.
Rosenstock, J., et al. (2026). Efficacy and safety of once-daily oral orforglipron compared with oral semaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes (ACHIEVE-3): A multinational, multicentre, non-inferiority, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial. The Lancet.
Sidik, S. (2023). Beyond Ozempic: Brand-new obesity drugs will be cheaper and more effective. Nature.
Structure Therapeutics. (2026). Structure Therapeutics reports positive topline data from phase 2 ACCESS II trial with once-daily oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, aleniglipron.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2026). For healthcare professionals | FDA’s examples of drugs that interact with CYP enzymes and transporter systems.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2026). NDA 220934.
Wharton, S., et al. (2023). Daily oral GLP-1 receptor agonist orforglipron for adults with obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine.
Wharton, S., et al. (2025). Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity treatment. The New England Journal of Medicine.
