Foundayo vs Wegovy Injection

What are the main differences between Foundayo and Wegovy injection?

Foundayo is a tablet you swallow once a day. The Wegovy injection is a pen device you inject under your skin once a week.

Foundayo (orforglipron) contains a non-peptide molecule. It comes as a tablet at any time of day, with or without food.

Wegovy injection contains semaglutide, a peptide copy of a hormone your gut releases after you eat. Peptide medicines are poorly absorbed when swallowed, which is why the tablet version of Wegovy needs strict timing rules. Injection avoids the problem by delivering the medicine straight into the tissue under your skin.

The two medicines also hold different UK licences beyond weight management. Foundayo is licensed to improve blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes. Wegovy injection is licensed to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease in adults who already have heart disease.

A separate Wegovy licence covers metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, a liver condition. It applies to adults with moderate to advanced scarring, but not cirrhosis. 

Dose schedules differ in the number of steps and frequency. Reaching the top Foundayo strength takes roughly five months, compared with about four months to 2.4mg on the injection. The Wegovy injection also offers a higher dose above its usual maintenance strength. A 7.2mg injection dose is available for adults with a BMI of 30 or above.

	Foundayo (orforglipron)	Wegovy injection (semaglutide)
Form	Tablet GLP-1, swallowed whole	Injectable GLP-1, given under the skin
How often	Once a day	Once a week
Type of molecule	Non-peptide small molecule	Peptide
Starting dose	0.8mg	0.25mg
Highest licensed dose	17.2mg	2.4mg, or a higher dose of 7.2mg where eligible.
Steps to the top dose	Six strengths, 30 days minimum at each	Four steps over 16 weeks. A further step to 7.2mg in obesity only.
Food and timing rules	None	None
Also licensed for	Type 2 diabetes	Heart risk reduction, MASH with liver scarring

How do the results compare?

Wegovy injection produced a greater average weight loss than Foundayo in each of their trials. Nobody has tested the two against each other in one trial. ATTAIN-1 and STEP 1 were separate clinical trials, run years apart in different groups of people.

Both trials paired the medicine with dietary changes and increased physical activity. STEP 1 also gave its participants counselling every four weeks. The table figures show what the medicines added on top of that support.

At the highest licensed dose	Foundayo 17.2mg (ATTAIN-1, 72 weeks)	Wegovy injection 2.4mg (STEP 1, 68 weeks)
Average change in body weight	-11.2%	-14.9%
Placebo group	-2.1%	-2.4%
Lost 10% or more	54.6%	69.1%
Lost 15% or more	36.0%	50.5%
Lost 20% or more	18.4%	32.0%
Average starting weight	103.1kg	105.4kg

The average weight change includes everyone who started. The threshold figures count only people measured at the end. 

Both figures come from the highest licensed dose in each trial, measured against placebo, an inactive treatment. People in the placebo group lost much less weight in each trial, at around 2%.

More than half the people on the top Foundayo dose lost at least a tenth of their body weight, and nearly one in five lost a fifth or more. Choosing the tablet does not mean giving up on meaningful weight loss. 

Long-term results depend on staying on treatment. STEP 1 followed a group for a year after they stopped semaglutide, and weight climbed back. Participants finished about 5.6% below their original weight. Foundayo has no equivalent withdrawal study yet.

Some people never reach the top dose at all. Side effects ended treatment for one in ten people on the highest Foundayo dose in ATTAIN-1. Anyone who settles at a lower dose should expect less weight loss than the trial average. 

Which has fewer side effects?

Stomach side effects are common with both medicines, but the pattern is not identical. Only Wegovy injection carries a chance of a reaction at the injection site.

Most of these effects were mild or moderate in both trials, and they cluster as the dose is going up. For most people, they settle as the body adjusts. 

	Foundayo 17.2mg	Placebo	Wegovy injection 2.4mg	Placebo
Nausea	33.7%	10.4%	44.2%	17.4%
Vomiting	24.0%	3.5%	24.8%	6.6%
Diarrhoea	23.1%	9.6%	31.5%	15.9%
Constipation	25.4%	9.3%	23.4%	9.5%
Indigestion	14.1%	5.0%	10.3%	3.5%
Stopped treatment because of stomach effects	7.0%	0.4%	4.5%	0.8%
Injection site reactions	Does not apply	Does not apply	5.0%	6.7%

Foundayo figures come from ATTAIN-1 at the 36mg capsule dose , which has the same effect as the 17.2mg tablet. Wegovy injection figures come from STEP 1. Each placebo column belongs to its own trial.

Side effects often ease with a slower move up through the doses, and with changes to when and what you eat. Talk to us before you stop or reduce a dose.

Do Foundayo and Wegovy injection interact with other medicines?

Foundayo comes with more drug interactions to check than Wegovy injection. Your liver breaks Foundayo down using an enzyme that many other medicines also use. 

Some medicines, such as clarithromycin and itraconazole, can increase Foundayo levels. Your maximum Foundayo dose drops to 9mg while you take them. Rifampicin, phenytoin and St John’s wort do the opposite and can stop Foundayo from working. Anyone taking simvastatin needs a lower statin dose while on Foundayo, so speak to your GP first. 

Foundayo may also reduce how well oral hormonal contraceptives work. Add a barrier method, or switch to a non-oral contraceptive, for 30 days after starting. Do the same for 30 days after every dose increase.

Wegovy injection has far less to check. It slows your stomach, and your body may take up other tablets more slowly. No dose caps apply, and it doesn’t include contraceptive advice.

Whichever GLP-1 treatment you choose, tell us about all the medicines you take before you start. Include prescription and over-the-counter medicines plus any vitamins, supplements and herbal treatments. 

Which is more convenient?

Foundayo means a daily pill with no rules attached, while Wegovy injection is given once a week. Take Foundayo at any time, with or without food or water, and swallow it whole. 

The Wegovy injection is given into your abdomen, thigh or upper arm, at any time of day and with or without meals. You can move your injection day, as long as at least three days sit between doses.

With Foundayo, take a missed tablet as soon as you remember, and do not take two in one day. With the Wegovy injection, you have five days to catch up, then skip the dose and carry on.

You need to keep the Wegovy injection in the fridge between 2°C and 8°C before first use. Once you start a pen, you have six weeks to finish it and can store it in the fridge or below 30°C. Used pens go into a sharps bin rather than your household waste. Foundayo leaves you nothing to dispose of, and the tablets need no fridge. 

Is a daily pill always easier than weekly injections?

Not every GLP-1 in pill form is as simple as Foundayo. The UK licence for oral Wegovy asks for an empty stomach, after an eight-hour fast and 120ml of water at most. You then wait 30 minutes before eating. Absorption varies more day-to-day than with the injectable version.

Oral semaglutide vs injection is therefore not the same choice as Foundayo vs injection. Weekly injections mean one dose to remember rather than seven. A daily dose suits anyone who would rather avoid needles entirely.

Which one fits your situation?

The right choice turns on which difference matters most to you, and the trial figures are only one of them.

• For anyone avoiding needles, Foundayo takes injections out of the decision
• For fewer treatment moments, Wegovy injection means one dose a week rather than seven
• For existing heart disease, only Wegovy injection holds a licence to lower that risk
• For type 2 diabetes, Foundayo carries a UK licence that Wegovy injection does not
• For the highest average weight loss on trial evidence, Wegovy injection leads, though not from a head-to-head test

When should I see a doctor?

Contact our clinical team about mild digestive side effects and dose questions. Use the routes below for anything more serious.

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

• Yellowing of your skin or eyes, or severe pain in your upper right stomach
• Vomiting or diarrhoea stopping you from keeping fluids down for several hours
• Sweating, shaking or dizziness if you also take insulin or a sulfonylurea

Stop your medicine and call 999 or go to A&E if you notice:

• Severe stomach pain spreading through to your back, a possible sign of pancreatitis
• Sudden loss of vision, including loss in one eye only
• Swelling of your face, lips or throat, or trouble breathing
• Signs of severe dehydration, such as very dark urine and confusion
• Any thoughts of harming yourself: go to A&E and ask for the CRISIS team

The NHS lists sudden vision loss among the serious side effects of semaglutide. The condition is non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Reports have appeared with orforglipron and other GLP-1 receptor agonists too.

Frequently asked questions

How do Foundayo and Wegovy injections work?

Foundayo and Wegovy injections have the same mechanism of action. Your gut releases a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) after you eat. Both medicines are GLP-1 receptor agonists, meaning they copy that hormone. The signal reaches your brain, and it reduces appetite between meals. They also slow gastric emptying so food sits in your stomach for longer and you feel full sooner.

Is Foundayo better than Wegovy injection?

Wegovy injection produced a higher average weight loss in its trial than Foundayo did in its own. Foundayo offers a daily tablet with no needles and no timing rules. 

Can I switch from Wegovy injection to Foundayo?

Switching between the two is usually possible without going back to the lowest dose. Our clinical team can recommend a comparable Foundayo strength. You can then move up as normal once you have been comfortable at that strength for 30 days. 

Is Foundayo FDA-approved?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Foundayo in the United States on 1 April 2026, and the MHRA licensed it for UK use on 10 August 2026. The NHS does not fund it at present. The body deciding whether treatments are good value for NHS funding, NICE, expects to publish its verdict on 18 November 2026.

How long will I need to take Foundayo or Wegovy injection?

Weight management with either medicine is a long-term commitment rather than a short course. Weight tends to return after either medicine stops. The Wegovy injection also has a six-month checkpoint. If you have not lost 5% of your weight, the licence asks for a decision on continuing.

Key takeaways

• Foundayo is a once-daily tablet, and no food, water or timing rules apply.
• Wegovy injection goes under the skin once a week: into your abdomen, thigh or upper arm.
• Average weight loss reached 11.2% on Foundayo 17.2mg and 14.9% on Wegovy injection 2.4mg, in separate trials rather than a head-to-head test.
• Stomach side effects are common with both. Nausea affected about a third of people on Foundayo and closer to half on Wegovy injection, in separate trials.
• Foundayo may reduce how well contraceptive pills work. The injection carries no such advice.

References

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

Foundayo 17.2mg film-coated tablets: Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic medicines compendium, 2026 [Accessed 2 September 2026].

Wegovy 2.4mg FlexTouch solution for injection in pre-filled pen: Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic medicines compendium, 2026 [Accessed 2 September 2026].

Wegovy 7.2mg solution for injection in pre-filled pen: Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic medicines compendium, 2026 [Accessed 2 September 2026]. 

Wegovy 25mg tablets: Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic medicines compendium, 2026 [Accessed 2 September 2026].

Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment, New England Journal of Medicine, 2025 [Accessed 2 September 2026].

Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity, New England Journal of Medicine, 2021 [Accessed 2 September 2026]. 

Semaglutide: a medicine to manage type 2 diabetes or treat obesity, NHS, 2026 [Accessed 2 September 2026].

Orforglipron for managing overweight and obesity [ID6516], National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2026 [Accessed 2 September 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 [Accessed 2 September 2026].

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