What is Foundayo pill?
Foundayo is a once-daily oral tablet that contains Orforglipron. It is designed to help you feel fuller sooner, eat less without feeling deprived, and support long-term weight loss alongside sustainable lifestyle changes.
On 10 August 2026, the MHRA made the UK the first country in Europe to authorise Orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes. Foundayo is coming soon to iQ Doctor, and our healthcare professionals will review your health assessment before it can be prescribed.
Register your interest to be among the first to know when consultations open. Full product pricing information will be added once confirmed.
What is Orforglipron?
Orforglipron is the active ingredient of Foundayo, its essentially a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It works by mimicking the action of a naturally occurring hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which your body releases after eating. It acts on the areas of the brain that regulate appetite, helping you feel fuller for longer after meals, have fewer food cravings, and eat less through the day. In people with type 2 diabetes, Orforglipron also helps lower blood sugar levels when they are high.
Orforglipron is not a stimulant. It supports your body's own appetite control, and works best alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
What makes Foundayo different?
Foundayo offers something new: a once-daily GLP-1pill designed to fit easily into your routine.
Here’s what sets it apart:
What’s similar
- Supports weight loss: Designed to help you feel fuller sooner, eat less without feeling deprived, and support long-term weight loss alongside lifestyle changes
- GLP-1 medication: Works by activating GLP-1 receptors, helping to regulate appetite and food intake
- Dose titration: Your healthcare professional may gradually increase your dose over time to help your body adjust
What’s different
- No injections: Foundayo is taken as a once-daily oral tablet
- Convenient dosing: Designed to be taken once daily without the need for injections
- Small-molecule, non-peptide tablet: Orforglipron is a small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, rather than a peptide-based medicine
Is Foundayo the new Mounjaro pill?
No, Foundayo and Mounjaro are different medicines, but they are both manufactured by Eli Lilly. Foundayo has the active ingredient Orforglipron which works at GLP-1 receptors whilst Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) is a dual agonist affecting both the GLP-1 and GIP receptors. Mounjaro was the first blockbuster weight loss drug released by Eli Lilly however it was only available as an injection. Foundayo now takes some of the benefits of injectable Mounjaro but comes in the form of an oral tablet.
Why do some people choose Foundayo?
Foundayo gives you the same GLP-1 mechanism as injectable treatments, in tablet form, with some added benefits. There are no needles, pens, or sharps bins to deal with, so if you'd rather not inject, or simply prefer a tablet, Foundayo offers the same class of treatment without the needle. Unlike some other oral GLP-1 tablets, it can also be taken at any time of day, with or without food, so there's no need to wait before eating or drinking afterwards, making it easier to fit around your routine.
The tablets don't need to be kept cold, which makes storage, delivery, and travel simpler, and being small, light, and discreet, there are no cool boxes or sharps to carry through airport security. Altogether, that means one tablet, once a day, fitted around your own schedule rather than the medicine's.
What does the research show?
In the ATTAIN-1 phase 3 trial, which included more than 3,000 adults living with obesity or overweight, people taking the highest dose of orforglipron lost an average of 12.4% of their body weight over 72 weeks, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. This compares with less than 1% weight loss in the placebo group. Almost 6 in 10 people lost at least 10% of their body weight, and around 4 in 10 lost 15% or more on the highest dose. The trial also showed improvements in markers linked to heart health, including cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and inflammation.
Results are different for everyone. How much weight you lose can depend on your starting weight, your lifestyle, and how closely you follow your treatment plan.
Who may benefit from Foundayo?
Foundayo may be suitable for adults who meet the criteria for medical weight management. This may include people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 or above alongside a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes. A healthcare professional will check whether this treatment is right for you before prescribing it.
How to take Foundayo
Treatment starts on the lowest dose, and increases gradually with a minimum of one month at each level, following this schedule: 0.8mg, 2.5mg, 5.5mg, 9mg, 14.5mg, and 17.2mg. This gradual increase helps your body get used to the medicine and lowers the chance of side effects. Your prescriber will help you decide when to move up to the next dose, do not change your dose without consulting your clinician.
- Take FOUNDAYO orally once daily, with or without food.
- Swallow tablets whole. Do not break, crush, or chew.
- Do not take more than one tablet per day.
Who should not take Foundayo?
This medicine is not suitable for everyone. Do not take Foundayo if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to become pregnant; if you are under 18 years old; if you have ever had an allergic reaction to Orforglipron or any of its other ingredients; or if you have a personal or family history of a rare thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid cancer, or a condition called MEN 2.
You should also tell your prescriber if you have ever had pancreatitis (swelling of the pancreas), gallbladder problems, type 2 diabetes (especially if you take insulin or other diabetes medicines), diabetic eye disease (retinopathy), kidney problems, or any problems with your stomach or digestion. Your prescriber will use this information to decide if the treatment is safe for you.
The most commonly reported side effects are nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, dyspepsia (indigestion), and abdominal pain but these often abate after adjusting to the medication.
Availability
Foundayo is a prescription-only medicine. It is not currently available on the NHS but will be available shortly at IQDoctor. At this stage it is available only through private prescription, following an online consultation and clinical review, in the same way as our other weight management treatments.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Foundayo
Foundayo is a new prescription medicine for weight management made by Eli Lilly the same company which founded the blockbuster drug Mounjaro. Foundayo contains the active ingredient orforglipron is a small-molecule, non-peptide drug, which allows it to be taken as a tablet rather than an injection.
It is used for weight management in adults who initially have:
- A BMI of 30 kg/m² or greater (obesity), or
- A BMI of 27 kg/m² or greater but below 30 kg/m² (overweight) and at least one weight-related health problem.
Weight-related health problems can include:
- Prediabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Abnormal blood fat levels
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
- Cardiovascular disease
Foundayo contains Orforglipron, which influences the body's appetite-regulation pathways.
This can help you:
- Feel fuller after eating
- Reduce your appetite
- Eat less food
- Reduce overall calorie intake
- Support gradual and sustained weight loss
Foundayo should be used together with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
No. There is no Mounjaro pill or tablet. Mounjaro contains Tirzepatide and is given as a once-weekly injection. Foundayo contains Orforglipron and is a separate once daily tablet developed by Eli Lilly.
Foundayo is taken once a day.
Treatment is started at a low dose and increased gradually. This allows your body to adjust to the medicine and may help reduce gastrointestinal side effects.
The licensed dose escalation schedule is:
| Treatment stage | Dose | Minimum duration |
|---|---|---|
| Starting dose | 0.8 mg once daily | 30 days |
| Step 2 | 2.5 mg once daily | At least 30 days |
| Step 3 | 5.5 mg once daily | At least 30 days |
| Step 4 | 9 mg once daily | At least 30 days |
| Step 5 | 14.5 mg once daily | At least 30 days |
| Maximum dose | 17.2 mg once daily | As prescribed |
Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you when to increase your dose.
- Do not increase your dose yourself.
- The maximum daily dose is 17.2 mg.
- You can take Foundayo at any time of day, with or without food.
- Swallow the tablet whole. Do not break, crush or chew it.
- Do not take more than one tablet per day.
If you forget to take Foundayo, take the dose when you remember.
However, do not take more than one dose in a day and do not take a double dose to make up for a missed tablet.
If you are unsure what to do, speak to your pharmacist or healthcare professional.
Like all medicines, Foundayo can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them.
The most common side effects are related to the digestive system.
Very common side effects include:
- Nausea (feeling sick)
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Indigestion
- Abdominal pain
Nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting are particularly common when treatment is first started and generally decrease over time in most people.
Foundayo should not be used during pregnancy.
If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are planning to become pregnant, speak to your healthcare professional.
If you wish to become pregnant, you should discuss your treatment with your doctor and stop Foundayo at least 3 weeks before trying to become pregnant.
No.
It is not known whether orforglipron passes into breast milk, and a risk to newborns and infants cannot be ruled out. Foundayo should therefore not be used while breastfeeding.
Yes, this is an important consideration.
Orforglipron may reduce the effectiveness of oral hormonal contraceptives.
If you use an oral contraceptive, the patient leaflet recommends considering an additional barrier method, such as a condom, or changing to a non-oral contraceptive method for:
- 30 days after starting Foundayo, and
- 30 days after each increase in dose
Speak to your healthcare professional if you are unsure which form of contraception is appropriate for you.
Tell your prescriber if you have severe problems with digestion or a condition where food remains in your stomach for longer than normal, including severe gastroparesis.
Foundayo can cause gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain, bloating and reflux.
Your prescriber will decide whether Foundayo is appropriate for you.
Tell your healthcare professional if you have or have had gallbladder problems.
Seek medical advice if you develop symptoms such as:
- Pain in the upper abdomen
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes
- Pale or clay-coloured stools
- Fever
Gallstones are listed as a common side effect of Foundayo.
Foundayo tablets should be:
- Kept out of the sight and reach of children
- Stored in the original packaging to protect them from light
- Kept until the expiry date shown on the packaging
Foundayo does not require refrigeration
Foundayo is available in blister packs containing 30 tablets
A 30-tablet pack represents approximately one month's treatment when taking one tablet per day.
Both medicines are prescription treatments used as part of a medical weight-management programme, but they contain different active ingredients and are taken differently.
| Foundayo | Wegovy Oral tablet | |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Orforglipron | Semaglutide |
| Type | Oral tablet | Oral tablet |
| How often | Once daily | Once daily |
| Administration | Swallowed whole with or without food | swallowed whole after 8 hour fast, no food for subsequent 30 minutes |
| Refrigeration | Not required | Not required |
| Maximum licensed dose | 17.2 mg daily | 25mg daily |
| Effects contraception | Yes - take additional precautions | No- no need to change regimen. |
| Weight loss estimations | 12.4% | 16% |
Your healthcare professional can help you decide which treatment is most appropriate based on your medical history, preferences and treatment goals.
Everyone responds differently to weight-management treatment.
Your results can depend on factors including your starting weight, diet, physical activity, dose, medical history and how your body responds to treatment. In clinical trial participants lost on average around 12.4% of their body weight over 72 weeks
If you take more Foundayo than you should, contact your doctor immediately.
Do not take more than one tablet per day.
When used correctly, Foundayo is safe and has been approved by the MHRA. Foundayo is a prescription-only medicine and should only be used following an assessment by an appropriate healthcare professional.
Always read the Patient Information Leaflet supplied with your medicine.
Important information
This page is for general information and does not replace the official Patient Information Leaflet or individual medical advice.
Foundayo is a prescription-only medicine. It is not suitable for everyone and should only be used following an assessment by a qualified healthcare professional.
Our Clinical Authors
This page has been written by a registered UK pharmacist and reviewed by our clinical team to ensure it is accurate, clear and reflects current clinical guidance.
Last medically reviewed: 07 September 2026
Last updated: 07 September 2026