Is Foundayo Available in the UK?

Is Foundayo available in the UK now?

Yes, Foundayo (orforglipron) is now available to order. Foundayo costs and availability have been confirmed. The Foundayo UK release came on 24 August 2026, two weeks after Eli Lilly gained its licence.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised orforglipron on 10 August 2026. That decision made the UK the first country in Europe to license this GLP-1 tablet.

The Foundayo 2026 timeline, so far, has been as follows:

Date	What happened
1 April 2026	United States regulators approved orforglipron under the brand name Foundayo
14 July 2026	The NICE committee met to start assessing NHS funding
10 August 2026	The MHRA licensed Foundayo for weight management and type 2 diabetes
24 August 2026	Eli Lilly launched Foundayo in the UK on private prescription
18 November 2026	NICE decision expected

Why did Foundayo reach the UK later than the United States?

Foundayo arrived here later because every country licenses medicines through its own regulator. Eli Lilly submitted orforglipron for weight management and/or type 2 diabetes in more than 40 countries. Each of those submissions, and regulatory approvals, runs on its own timetable.

The MHRA assesses a medicine’s safety, quality and effectiveness before it reaches UK pharmacies. Foundayo cleared that step in August, so private prescribing is open now. Whether the NHS pays for it is a separate question, and that remains under review.

Can I get Foundayo on the NHS?

The NHS does not yet fund Foundayo. Any NHS prescribing would follow a separate review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE decides whether a treatment offers good value for NHS money.

The NICE appraisal committee met on 14 July 2026 and expects to publish its decision on 18 November 2026. NICE can move these dates, and it may not recommend Foundayo at all. The committee may also recommend Foundayo for a narrower group than the licence covers, as it did for tirzepatide.

How much does Foundayo cost in the UK?

Eli Lilly expects a UK price of between £100 and £120 a month. Each pharmacy will set the final figure, so what Foundayo will cost UK patients will vary between providers.

Two things are worth checking before you commit. Prices usually rise with the dose, so the figure quoted for a starting strength may not be the one you pay six months in. Treatment normally runs for a year or more. The repeat price therefore matters more than any introductory offer.

At Simple Online Pharmacy, our pricing is currently set as follows;

Foundayo Dose	Price (One-time purchase)	Subscribe & Save
0.8mg	£109	£59 (first order only)
2.5mg	£119	£107.10
5.5mg	£139	£125.10
9mg	£169	£152.10
14.5mg	£189	£170.10
17.2mg	£199	£179.10

Who can be prescribed Foundayo in the UK?

The UK licence covers two groups of adults. Adults living with obesity qualify at a BMI of 30 or above. Adults who are overweight with one or more weight-related conditions qualify at a BMI between 27 and 30. Qualifying conditions include high blood pressure, prediabetes, raised cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart disease.

Foundayo also holds a licence for type 2 diabetes, which we do not prescribe for. Nobody under 18 can be prescribed Foundayo. This treatment is designed to be taken alongside healthy lifestyle changes, including a balanced diet and increased regular movement. 

Meeting the criteria for obesity or being overweight does not mean the medication will be suitable for you. Our prescribers review your medical and weight history before approving any weight loss treatment. If you take clarithromycin, ketoconazole or any other medicine that raises orforglipron levels, your maximum dose is 9mg a day.

Please ensure you declare all of your medications in your assessment so that your prescriber can accurately assess your suitability and prescribe the most appropriate dose for you.

Foundayo may also reduce how well the contraceptive pill works. The prescribing information advises switching to a non-oral method. Alternatively, you can add a barrier method for 30 days after starting or increasing your Foundayo dose.

How much weight do people lose on Foundayo?

In the main obesity trial, people on the highest dose lost an average of 11.2% of their body weight over 72 weeks. Those taking placebo, an inactive pill for comparison, lost 2.1% over the same period. The ATTAIN-1 trial followed 3,127 adults with obesity and no diabetes, and their average starting weight was around 103kg.

Results at 72 weeks	Foundayo 17.2mg	Placebo
Average weight loss	11.2%	2.1%
Lost 10% or more of body weight	54.6%	12.9%
Lost 15% or more of body weight	36.0%	5.9%
Lost 20% or more of body weight	18.4%	2.8%
Average waist reduction	10.1cm	3.1cm
Systolic blood pressure (the top number of your reading)	Fell 6.3 mmHg	Fell 1.4 mmHg

All figures count everyone who started the trial, including those who stopped early.

Foundayo doses quoted in the news are not UK prescription strengths. The trial used capsules; UK pharmacies dispense tablets of 0.8mg to 17.2mg. Foundayo’s prescribing information treats the trial’s 36mg capsule as having the same effect as the 17.2mg tablet. Foundayo tablets and capsules are not bioequivalent, meaning they don’t deliver the same amount of medicine into the body in the same way, so the available strengths differ between the two formulations.

What else is available if Foundayo is not right for me?

Mounjaro and Wegovy are both licensed for weight management in the UK, with longer prescribing histories than Foundayo. Both are established weight loss medications that UK prescribers have used for years. 

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a once-weekly injection. 

Wegovy comes from Novo Nordisk. It contains semaglutide and comes as a weekly injectable GLP-1 or as a daily tablet. GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone your gut releases after eating that tells your brain you have had enough. 

Foundayo and Mounjaro were both developed by Eli Lilly, but Foundayo is not a tablet version of Mounjaro. Foundayo and Mounjaro also contain different active ingredients and as a result work in different ways. Mounjaro acts on two gut hormone receptors, while orforglipron acts on one.

Daily liraglutide is a third option, prescribed as Nevolat since Saxenda was discontinued in the UK. Liraglutide needs a daily injection rather than a weekly one, and trial weight loss averages around 8% over 56 weeks. 

For some people, a weekly injection makes for an easier routine. For others, a daily tablet that needs no needle, no sharps bin and no fridge or cool bag for travel works better. That practical difference can make a daily tablet easier to keep taking.

When should I see a doctor?

Speak to our clinical team about mild stomach side effects, reflux or heartburn. Ask us any questions about whether to step up, stay put or pause a dose. 

Contact your GP or NHS 111 the same day if you notice:

• Yellowing of your skin or eyes, or severe pain in the upper right of your abdomen
• Vomiting or diarrhoea that stops you keeping fluids down for more than six hours
• Shakiness, sweating or confusion, especially if you take other medications which lower your blood sugar

Stop Foundayo and call 999 or go to A&E if you notice any of the following:

• Severe abdominal pain that spreads through to your back
• Sudden loss of vision, including in one eye
• Swelling of your face, lips or throat, or difficulty breathing
• Signs of severe dehydration, such as dizziness on standing and passing little urine
• Thoughts of harming yourself, in which case go to A&E and ask for the CRISIS team

Pancreatitis, severe allergic reactions, dehydration and sudden vision loss are all reasons to stop treatment or seek urgent care. This is outlined in Foundayo’s prescribing information. Report any suspected side effect through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. Reporting helps the MHRA spot side effects that trials did not catch. 

Frequently asked questions

Does the Foundayo launch date UK-wide mean every pharmacy has stock?

The Foundayo UK launch date is 24 August 2026, and is the day pharmacies can legally start supplying a medicine. But it is not the day every pharmacy has Foundayo in stock. Stock reaches individual providers in stages after launch. Check availability when you order.

When is Foundayo available UK-wide to order online?

Registered online pharmacies can supply Foundayo once they hold stock, but they must assess you first. You can only get Foundayo from a registered pharmacy, with a prescription. The MHRA has warned that buying GLP-1 medicines from unregulated sellers carries serious health risks.

How do you take Foundayo?

Foundayo is one tablet a day, taken at any time of day, with no food or water restrictions. You swallow it whole, without breaking, crushing or chewing it. Among GLP-1 treatments licensed in the UK, only the Wegovy pill also comes as oral tablets, and it must be taken on an empty stomach. 

Everyone who is new to GLP-1 medications starts at 0.8mg and works up through six strengths. Reaching the highest 17.2mg dose takes at least five months.

What are the common side effects of Foundayo?

The common side effects of Foundayo are stomach-related, and most are mild to moderate. Nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion and abdominal pain each affect more than one in ten people. All are most frequent while your dose is going up, then usually settle as your body adjusts.

Key takeaways

• Latest Foundayo news UK: available on private prescription since August 2026, following MHRA approval on 10 August.
• NHS funding is not settled. NICE decides on 18 November 2026.
• One tablet daily, any time of day. No fasting window, no water limit, no fridge.
• Average weight loss reached 11.2% at the highest dose in ATTAIN-1, over 72 weeks, against 2.1% on placebo.
• Five months to the 17.2mg maximum, because each of the six steps needs 30 days.

References

UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, 2026 [Accessed 24 August 2026].

Foundayo 17.2 mg film-coated tablets: Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic medicines compendium, 2026 [Accessed 24 August 2026].

Wegovy 25 mg tablets: Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic medicines compendium, 2026 [Accessed 24 August 2026]. 

Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment (ATTAIN-1), New England Journal of Medicine, 2025 [Accessed 24 August 2026].

Orforglipron for managing overweight and obesity [ID6516], National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2026 [Accessed 24 August 2026].

Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity [TA1026], National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2024 [Accessed 24 August 2026].

Nevolat 6 mg/ml solution for injection in pre-filled pen: Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic medicines compendium, 2026 [Accessed 24 August 2026]. 

FDA approves Lilly’s Foundayo (orforglipron), Eli Lilly and Company, 2026 [Accessed 24 August 2026].

MHRA authorises diabetes drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for weight management and weight loss, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, 2023 [Accessed 24 August 2026].

Eli Lilly launches oral weight-loss drug Foundayo in UK, RTÉ, 2026 [Accessed 24 August 2026].

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