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Foundayo is the brand name of orforglipron, a once-daily pill from Eli Lilly that the FDA approved on April 1, 2026, for long-term weight management in adults with obesity, or with overweight plus at least one weight-related health condition. Like Wegovy and Zepbound, it acts on the GLP-1 receptor. Unlike them, it is a small-molecule drug rather than a peptide, and its label allows it to be taken at any time of day, with or without food. This guide explains what the FDA approved, what the ATTAIN trials found, how Foundayo differs from peptide GLP-1 medicines and the Wegovy pill, and what its safety information says.
Peptide Labs does not sell Foundayo, orforglipron or any prescription drug. This article is general information, not medical advice. Foundayo is prescription-only, and whether it suits a given person is a decision for a licensed healthcare provider.
Key Takeaways
- Foundayo (orforglipron) is an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist that the FDA approved on April 1, 2026.
- It is a small molecule, not a peptide, and the label has no food or water restrictions.
- In ATTAIN-1, adults without diabetes lost 11.2% of body weight on average at the highest dose, versus 2.1% on placebo.
- It carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors, even though it did not cause tumors in rodents.
- No trial has compared Foundayo head to head with the Wegovy pill at weight-management strengths.
What is Foundayo?
Foundayo contains orforglipron, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It switches on the same receptor as the gut hormone GLP-1, which influences appetite, fullness, stomach emptying and blood sugar. The difference is chemical. Semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide are peptides, chains of amino acids that break down in the gut unless specially formulated. Orforglipron is a small, non-peptide molecule designed to be absorbed from an ordinary tablet, which is why it does not need the empty-stomach routine that oral semaglutide requires.
The FDA approved Foundayo under its Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program, which speeds up review for selected applications. Lilly began shipping prescriptions through its LillyDirect service on April 6, 2026, with retail pharmacies and telehealth providers following shortly after. Because it is not a peptide, orforglipron does not appear in our Peptide Guide, but our semaglutide and tirzepatide profiles cover the peptide drugs it is compared with, and our guide to peptides for weight loss shows where it fits among the approved options.
What the Foundayo label says
The prescribing information, most recently revised in July 2026, approves Foundayo with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults with obesity, or in adults with overweight and at least one weight-related comorbid condition. Other points from the label:
- It is taken once daily, with or without food, and the tablet is swallowed whole.
- It comes in six strengths: 0.8, 2.5, 5.5, 9, 14.5 and 17.2 mg. A prescriber starts low and increases gradually.
- It should not be combined with another GLP-1 receptor agonist.
- It is not approved to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, although one of its trials enrolled people with type 2 diabetes.
The tablet strengths look different from the doses reported in the trials because the phase 3 studies used an earlier capsule version at 6, 12 and 36 mg. Lilly states that those capsules are bioequivalent to the 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg tablets.
Orforglipron trial results: ATTAIN-1 and ATTAIN-2
ATTAIN-1, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, enrolled 3,127 adults with obesity and without diabetes in nine countries. They took orforglipron or placebo once daily for 72 weeks in a double-blind design, alongside diet and activity advice. The label also reports a second 72-week trial in adults with type 2 diabetes, known as ATTAIN-2.
| Trial (72 weeks) | Placebo | Low dose | Middle dose | High dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATTAIN-1, no diabetes (NEJM) | -2.1% | -7.5% | -8.4% | -11.2% |
| ATTAIN-2, type 2 diabetes (label) | -2.5% | -5.1% | -7.0% | -9.6% |
In ATTAIN-1, 54.6% of people on the highest dose lost at least 10% of their body weight and 18.4% lost at least 20%, compared with 12.9% and 2.8% on placebo. Waist size, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and non-HDL cholesterol also improved more than with placebo. Side effects led 5.3% to 10.3% of people on orforglipron to stop treatment, versus 2.7% on placebo.
You may see a higher figure, 12.4%, in Lilly’s announcements. That number estimates the result for people who kept taking the drug as directed, while the 11.2% counts everyone who was randomized. Both trials were funded by Eli Lilly.
How orforglipron differs from peptide GLP-1 drugs
| Foundayo (orforglipron) | Wegovy pill (semaglutide) | Weekly injections (Wegovy, Zepbound) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molecule | Small molecule, not a peptide | Peptide | Peptide |
| How often | Once daily | Once daily | Once weekly |
| Food and water rules | None on the label | Empty stomach, limited water, then a wait | None; any time of day |
| Approved for weight management | Yes, adults | Yes, adults | Yes |
| Cardiovascular risk indication | No | Yes | Wegovy: yes |
| Boxed warning | Thyroid C-cell tumors | Thyroid C-cell tumors | Thyroid C-cell tumors |
Being a small molecule also brings interactions that peptides do not usually have. Orforglipron is broken down mainly by the liver enzyme CYP3A4, so the label limits the dose when it is combined with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors, advises avoiding strong CYP3A4 inducers, and caps the dose of the cholesterol drug simvastatin. It is not recommended for people with severe liver impairment.
Foundayo vs the Wegovy pill
No published trial has compared Foundayo with the Wegovy pill at their weight-management strengths, so claims that one causes more weight loss than the other rest on cross-trial comparisons. Those are unreliable: ATTAIN-1 and OASIS 4 differed in length, size and the people enrolled.
The closest direct evidence is ACHIEVE-3, published in The Lancet in March 2026. It compared orforglipron with oral semaglutide at Rybelsus diabetes doses, not the Wegovy pill, in 1,698 adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin, over 52 weeks and without blinding. Both orforglipron doses lowered A1C more than both semaglutide doses, and Lilly reported average weight loss of 9.2% with the top orforglipron dose versus 5.3% with the top semaglutide dose. The trade-offs were real: digestive side effects affected about 58% to 59% of people on orforglipron versus 37% to 45% on semaglutide, about 9% to 10% stopped orforglipron because of side effects versus 4% to 5% on semaglutide, and pulse rose more with orforglipron. Eli Lilly funded the trial. For the semaglutide pill in detail, see our Wegovy pill guide.
Foundayo side effects and safety
The label’s boxed warning covers thyroid C-cell tumors. Orforglipron itself is not active at the rodent GLP-1 receptor and did not cause tumors in rodents, but the FDA kept the class warning because the human relevance of GLP-1-related thyroid tumors in rodents is unknown. People with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2 should not take it.
In the pooled trials, the most common side effects were digestive, and they were more frequent during dose increases:
- Nausea: 26% to 35% across the three studied strengths, versus 10% on placebo.
- Constipation: 20% to 27%, versus 9%.
- Diarrhea: 21% to 25%, versus 11%.
- Vomiting: 13% to 24%, versus 4%.
- Indigestion: 12% to 16%, versus 4%; headache and fatigue were also more common than with placebo.
- Overall, 8% stopped treatment because of side effects, versus 3% on placebo.
Other warnings cover pancreatitis, severe digestive reactions, kidney injury from dehydration, low blood sugar (especially with a sulfonylurea or insulin), serious allergic reactions, diabetic retinopathy complications in type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease and inhaling stomach contents during anesthesia. Heart rate rose by an average of 4 to 5 beats per minute. Oral contraceptives may work less well: the label advises a non-oral method or an added barrier method for 30 days after starting and after each dose increase. Foundayo should be stopped when pregnancy is recognized. The Foundayo label, like the updated Wegovy and Zepbound labels, has no warning section on suicidal thoughts. Our guides to semaglutide side effects and tirzepatide side effects cover the peptide drugs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Foundayo?
Foundayo is the brand name of orforglipron, a once-daily oral GLP-1 receptor agonist from Eli Lilly. The FDA approved it on April 1, 2026, for weight management in adults with obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition.
Is orforglipron a peptide?
No. Orforglipron is a small-molecule drug. It acts on the same GLP-1 receptor as semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are peptides, but its chemistry lets it be absorbed from a regular tablet.
Does Foundayo have to be taken on an empty stomach?
No. The label says it is taken once daily with or without food, at any time of day. The Wegovy pill, by contrast, has empty-stomach instructions.
How much weight did people lose on orforglipron?
In ATTAIN-1, adults without diabetes lost an average of 11.2% of body weight at the highest dose over 72 weeks, versus 2.1% on placebo. Lilly’s 12.4% figure counts only people who kept taking the drug.
Is Foundayo better than the Wegovy pill?
That has not been tested. No trial has compared the two at their weight-management strengths. ACHIEVE-3 compared orforglipron with lower-dose oral semaglutide in type 2 diabetes, where orforglipron lowered A1C and weight more but caused more digestive side effects and discontinuations.
What are the most common side effects of Foundayo?
Nausea, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion and stomach pain, mostly during dose increases. The label also carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors.
Can I buy orforglipron online without a prescription?
No. Foundayo is a prescription-only drug. Products sold online as orforglipron “for research” are not the approved medicine. Peptide Labs does not sell it.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Peptide Labs does not sell prescription drugs, including any product named here. Read the Medication Guide that comes with a prescription, and ask a pharmacist or prescriber how this information applies to you.
Last reviewed September 2026.
Related guides: Tirzepatide Pill: Is There an Oral Mounjaro or Zepbound?, Wegovy Pill: What the FDA Approved and How It Compares, What Is GLP-1? The Hormone, How GLP-1 Drugs Work and Every FDA-Approved Option.