What the MHRA has approved
Foundayo is a tablet taken once a day, containing orforglipron, a GLP-1 medication made by Eli Lilly, the company behind Mounjaro.1
The MHRA has licensed it for weight loss and weight maintenance in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, or between 27 and 30 alongside at least one weight-related condition, such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.1
Unlike the Wegovy pill, Foundayo is also licensed for adults living with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar isn’t well controlled on their current treatment.1
Similar to other GLP-1 medications, the dose builds up gradually. It starts at 0.8 mg per day and increases through 2.5 mg, 5.5 mg, 9 mg, and 14.5 mg to a maximum dose of 17.2 mg, with at least a month at each level.1
Not everyone needs to reach the highest dose, and you can stay at the lower doses if they’re supporting sustainable weight loss, if approved by your prescriber.
The most common side effects are gut-related, including nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion, and stomach pain, as with the other GLP-1 medications.1
How well Foundayo works
In ATTAIN-1, the main trial behind the approval, adults taking the highest dose of Foundayo lost an average of 11.2% of their body weight over 72 weeks, compared with 2.1% on placebo.2
The trial enrolled 3,127 adults living with obesity, or with overweight and a weight-related condition, and tested three doses. The two lower doses produced an average weight loss of 7.5% and 8.4%.2
At the highest dose, 54.6% of participants lost at least 10% of their body weight, and 36.0% lost at least 15%.2
ATTAIN-1 tested orforglipron at doses up to 36 mg, in a different formulation from the tablet that’s now licensed.2,3
The prescribing information for the licensed tablet reports an average weight loss of 11.1% at the maximum 17.2 mg dose over the same 72 weeks, so the two figures come out at much the same place.3
Much of the coverage has reported an average weight loss of 12.4% instead. That’s the result among the participants who stayed on treatment to the end, rather than everyone who enrolled.2
We use the 11.2% figure across our guides because it reflects what tends to happen across a real-world group, rather than only the people who complete a full course.
Foundayo produces less weight loss than the other licensed options. The Wegovy pill produced an average weight loss of 13.6% in its main trial, and Mounjaro produced 20.2% in the trial that compared it directly with the Wegovy injection.4,5
No trial has compared Foundayo directly with either injection, so those figures come from separate trials in different groups of people.
Our guide to the Wegovy pill vs Foundayo compares the two tablets in more detail.
What an 11% weight loss does for your health
Most reporting on Foundayo’s approval has focused on it producing less weight loss than Mounjaro or the Wegovy injection.
But the research on weight loss and long-term health suggests we don’t necessarily need to lose as much as 20% to see significant health benefits.
The clearest evidence is on type 2 diabetes. In the Diabetes Prevention Programme, adults at high risk of the condition who followed a lifestyle programme aiming for a 7% weight loss went on to develop diabetes 58% less often than those who didn’t attend the programme.6
A later analysis of the same trial found that weight loss was the strongest predictor of who avoided diabetes, with each kilogram lost associated with a 16% lower risk.7
The evidence on heart disease is more mixed. The Look AHEAD trial put 4,834 adults living with type 2 diabetes through an intensive lifestyle programme and found no reduction in heart attacks and strokes overall. The trial was stopped early once it became clear the programme wasn’t going to show that benefit.8
When the researchers looked instead at how much weight people actually lost, those who lost at least 10% in the first year had a 21% lower risk of those events.9
That second finding compares people by how much weight they lost rather than by the group they were assigned to, so it’s weaker evidence than the diabetes results.
And in a long-running study of sleep and weight, a 10% weight loss predicted a 26% reduction in the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep.10
These studies followed different groups of people, and none of them tested a GLP-1 medication, so the exact figures won’t transfer to everyone taking Foundayo.
But these trials show that we can see significant health improvements when we lose more modest amounts of body weight that Foundayo can support.
On Foundayo’s highest dose, more than half of participants (54.6%) lost at least 10% of their body weight.2
How you take Foundayo
You take one tablet a day, at whatever time suits you, with or without food. There are no rules about fasting or how much water you can drink with it.1
That’s the practical difference from the Wegovy pill, which must be taken when you wake up, on an empty stomach, with no more than a sip of plain water, followed by a 30-minute wait before eating or drinking anything else.
That’s because the two drugs are absorbed differently. Semaglutide, the drug in the Wegovy pill, is a peptide (a small protein), which our stomach would normally break down before it could reach the bloodstream, so the tablet only works reliably when taken fasted.
Orforglipron is a small molecule rather than a peptide, so the body absorbs it like an ordinary tablet, whatever you’ve eaten and whenever you take it.
For people whose mornings are unpredictable, who work shifts, or who take other medications first thing, Foundayo removes that routine altogether.
Not everyone needs the strongest medication
If you’re already taking Mounjaro or Wegovy and it’s working for you, there’s no reason to switch. Foundayo doesn’t produce more weight loss than either, and the most effective option is usually the one you’re already on.
For people starting out on a weight-loss journey and looking at medication options, what you choose depends a lot on your weight-loss goals.
Someone aiming to lose 25% or more of their body weight is more likely to achieve that on Mounjaro, which produced an average weight loss of 20.2% when it was compared directly with the Wegovy injection.5
In comparison, if your goal is to lose around 10% of your body weight to improve overall health, lower blood sugar, and blood pressure, then Foundayo is a good option for you.
For some people, a fear of needles is what has put them off weight-loss medication altogether. A daily tablet removes that barrier and makes treatment an option for more people.
Foundayo may be a good fit if:
- Your goal is a weight loss of around 10%, rather than 20% or more
- A fear of needles has meant you’ve avoided Wegovy or Mounjaro previously
- Your routine makes the Wegovy pill’s fasted morning dose hard to stick to
- You travel often and want a medication with no pens to refrigerate
Whatever you decide, plan any change with your prescriber rather than switching or stopping on your own.
Foundayo as a maintenance option after injections
Foundayo may also suit people who’ve already lost weight on an injection and want an option to support ongoing maintenance without taking an injection.
The ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial took 376 adults who’d lost weight on Mounjaro or Wegovy injections and randomly assigned them to switch to daily Foundayo or to a placebo tablet for a year.11
Those who switched to Foundayo maintained most of their initial weight loss on the injections.
The Mounjaro group maintained 74.7% of the weight they’d lost, and the Wegovy group maintained 79.3%, compared with 49.2% and 37.6% on placebo.11
Weight regain after stopping an injection isn’t inevitable. How much you regain depends largely on whether you’ve built sustainable eating habits while on the medication and come off it gradually, rather than stopping suddenly without a plan.
These results suggest a tablet can help to maintain most of the weight loss during that transition, while you keep building the eating habits that maintain it long-term.
Our guide to oral medications for weight maintenance covers this in more detail.
How to get Foundayo, and why it isn’t on the NHS
The MHRA approval means Foundayo can now be prescribed in the UK, through private providers first, as happened with Mounjaro, Wegovy, and the Wegovy pill.
It isn’t on sale yet, because a newly approved medication takes a few weeks to reach pharmacies and providers. The Wegovy pill followed the same pattern, with approval on 11th June 2026 and sales starting around three and a half weeks later.
Eli Lilly hasn’t confirmed when Foundayo will go on sale in the UK, or at what price.
You can pre-order Foundayo through Second Nature if you meet the eligibility criteria. You complete the medical assessment first, and your medication is dispatched as soon as Foundayo goes on sale.
Foundayo isn’t funded by the NHS. The MHRA has confirmed that any NHS use would follow its usual process, including an evaluation by NICE, the body that decides which treatments the NHS pays for.1
NICE has already started that assessment, and its guidance on Foundayo is expected in November 2026.12
The Wegovy and Mounjaro injections are available on the NHS through specialist weight management services, but those recommendations don’t cover Foundayo.13,14
Our Foundayo guide covers the medication in more detail, and we’ll update it as UK availability is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
Is Foundayo available in the UK now?
The MHRA approved Foundayo on 10th August 2026, but it isn’t on sale yet, and Eli Lilly hasn’t announced a UK launch date or a price.1
The Wegovy pill went on sale around three and a half weeks after its approval. If Foundayo follows a similar path, it would reach private providers within weeks.
Will Foundayo be available on the NHS?
Not at launch. NICE is assessing whether the NHS should fund it, and its guidance is expected in November 2026.12
The Wegovy and Mounjaro injections are available through NHS specialist weight management services, but those recommendations don’t cover Foundayo.13,14
How much weight do you lose on Foundayo?
In the ATTAIN-1 trial, the highest dose produced an average weight loss of 11.2% over 72 weeks, compared with 2.1% on placebo.2
The two lower doses produced an average weight loss of 7.5% and 8.4%.2
How do you take Foundayo?
You take one tablet once a day, at any time, with or without food, and with no restrictions on water.1
The dose starts at 0.8 mg and builds up to a maximum of 17.2 mg, with at least a month at each step.1
Is Foundayo the same as the Wegovy pill?
No. Both are daily GLP-1 tablets, but they contain different drugs.
The Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) produced more weight loss in its main trial, an average of 13.6% compared with Foundayo’s 11.2%, while Foundayo has no rules around fasting, timing, or water.2,4
Our guide to the Wegovy pill vs Foundayo compares them in detail.
Can I switch from Mounjaro or Wegovy injections to Foundayo?
In the ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial, people who switched from an injection to Foundayo maintained around 75 to 79% of the weight they’d lost over the following year.11
When the MHRA approved the Wegovy pill, it said people on the 2.4 mg weekly injection could move straight onto the 25 mg tablet. It hasn’t said anything equivalent for Foundayo, so a switch would most likely mean starting at 0.8 mg and building up again.
Foundayo also produces less weight loss than either injection, so switching before you’ve reached your goal would likely slow your progress. Any switch is best planned with your prescriber.
What are the side effects of Foundayo?
The most common side effects are gut-related, including nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion, and stomach pain.1
In ATTAIN-1, between 5.3% and 10.3% of people taking Foundayo stopped treatment because of side effects, compared with 2.7% on placebo.2
Is Foundayo a Mounjaro pill?
No. Eli Lilly makes both, but Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a weekly injection that works on two hormone receptors, while Foundayo (orforglipron) is a daily tablet that works on one, the GLP-1 receptor.
Our guide to whether there’s a Mounjaro pill covers this in more detail.
Take home message
Foundayo is the second GLP-1 weight-loss tablet licensed in the UK, and the first that can be taken at any time of day, with or without food.
The highest dose produced an average weight loss of 11.2% in its main trial. That’s less than the injections produce, but research consistently shows that losing weight of 7-10% can significantly reduce the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes in the future.
It’s licensed for both weight management and type 2 diabetes. Access will be private at first, with no NHS route until NICE reports, and no confirmed UK launch date yet.
Whichever medication you use, the eating habits you build while taking it are what helps to support maintenace of weight loss in the long term, and structured support alongside the medication makes you more likely to avoid weight regain when you eventually reduce or come off it.
Second Nature’s medication programme combines Mounjaro with structured nutrition guidance from registered dietitians, built around the balanced plate model (half vegetables, quarter protein, quarter complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread, brown rice, or oats, plus a serving of fat).
Our peer-reviewed JMIR study of the GLP-1-supported programme reported an average weight loss of 19.1% at 12 months among active subscribers, with 77.7% achieving at least 10% weight loss.15
Second Nature's Mounjaro and Wegovy programmes
Second Nature provides Mounjaro or Wegovy as part of our Mounjaro and Wegovy weight-loss programmes.
Why choose Second Nature over other medication providers, assuming you're eligible?
Because peace of mind matters.
We've had the privilege of working with the NHS for over eight years, helping people across the UK take meaningful steps toward a healthier, happier life.
Our programmes are designed to meet people where they are, whether that means support with weight loss through compassionate one-to-one health coaching, or access to the latest weight-loss medications (like Mounjaro and Wegovy) delivered alongside expert care from a multidisciplinary team of doctors, psychologists, dietitians, and personal trainers.
At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: real, lasting change comes from building better habits, not relying on quick fixes. We're here to support that change every step of the way.
With over a decade of experience, thousands of lives changed, and a long-standing record of delivering programmes used by the NHS, we believe we're the UK's most trusted weight-loss programme.
We hope to offer you something invaluable: peace of mind, and the support you need to take that first step.
