Foundayo (orforglipron): price and how to get it
Foundayo (orforglipron) is a once-daily GLP-1 pill from Eli Lilly, approved by the FDA for weight loss on April 1, 2026. Without insurance it costs $149 a month at the two starting doses, $199 at 5.5 mg and $299 at 9 mg and above from LillyDirect, Lilly's own pharmacy, and TrumpRx lists the same prices. Unlike the Wegovy pill, it can be taken with or without food. In its main trial, people on the top dose lost 11.1% of their body weight over 72 weeks, against 2.1% on placebo.
What this comes down to
- Foundayo is orforglipron, a small-molecule GLP-1 drug rather than a peptide, which is why it survives the stomach without an empty-stomach routine. It was approved on April 1, 2026 for adults with obesity, or overweight with at least one weight-related condition.
- Self-pay at LillyDirect: $149 a month for 0.8 mg and 2.5 mg, $199 for 5.5 mg, and $299 for 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg. Lilly marks the 2.5 mg and 5.5 mg prices as temporarily reduced through December 31, 2026.
- In the 72-week trial of adults without diabetes, average weight loss was 7.4% at 5.5 mg, 8.3% at 9 mg and 11.1% at 17.2 mg, against 2.1% on placebo. The Wegovy pill's own trial reported 13.6% over 64 weeks; no trial has compared the two pills directly.
- Nausea, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting are the most common side effects, and they are most frequent while the dose is being raised. If you take birth control pills, the label says to switch or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and after each dose increase.
- Placebo2.1%
- Foundayo 5.5 mg7.4%
- Foundayo 9 mg8.3%
- Foundayo 17.2 mg11.1%
3,127 adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, randomized and double-blind.
What is Foundayo, and when was it approved?
Foundayo is the brand name for orforglipron, a GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly, the company behind Zepbound. The FDA approved it on April 1, 2026 under NDA 220934[1]. Its label indicates it, together with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, to reduce excess body weight and keep it off in adults with obesity, or with overweight and at least one weight-related condition. The label also says not to take it alongside another GLP-1 drug[2].
What makes it different is the molecule. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are peptides, which the gut breaks down, so the Wegovy pill needs an absorption enhancer and a strict morning routine to work at all. Orforglipron is a small, non-peptide molecule, so it can be swallowed like an ordinary tablet. Our guide to GLP-1 pills covers every oral option, including the compounded ones, and the next-generation molecules covers what is still in trials.
How do you take Foundayo?
One tablet by mouth once a day, with or without food, swallowed whole and never broken, crushed or chewed. The dose starts low and steps up at least 30 days apart to keep stomach side effects down[2]:
- 0.8 mg once daily for at least 30 days.
- 2.5 mg once daily for at least 30 days.
- 5.5 mg once daily.
- If more is needed, 9 mg, then 14.5 mg, then 17.2 mg, each after at least 30 days on the dose before. 17.2 mg is the maximum.
If you miss seven or more doses in a row, the dose has to be stepped back down. If you take birth control pills, the label says to switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and for 30 days after each dose increase. Some medicines that block the CYP3A4 liver enzyme cap Foundayo at 9 mg, so tell the prescriber everything you take[2].
How much weight do people lose on Foundayo?
The approval rests on two 72-week, double-blind trials. In the first, 3,127 adults without diabetes lost an average of 7.4% of their body weight at 5.5 mg, 8.3% at 9 mg and 11.1% at 17.2 mg, against 2.1% on placebo. In the second, 1,613 adults with type 2 diabetes lost 9.6% at 17.2 mg against 2.5%. On the top dose, 54.5% of people without diabetes lost at least a tenth of their weight, against 13% on placebo[2].
The first trial is ATTAIN-1, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The paper names the doses 6 mg, 12 mg and 36 mg and reports 11.2% at the top dose; those were an investigational formulation, which the label presents as the equivalent marketed doses of 5.5 mg, 9 mg and 17.2 mg[3]. Side effects stopped treatment for 8% of people on Foundayo across both trials, against 3% on placebo, mostly because of stomach symptoms[2].
How much does Foundayo cost without insurance?
LillyDirect, Lilly's own online pharmacy, sells Foundayo for self-pay by dose. A month is 30 tablets. Our LillyDirect review has every price it publishes.
| Dose | A month | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8 mg (starting dose) | $149 | Prescription required |
| 2.5 mg | $149 | Temporarily reduced through December 31, 2026 |
| 5.5 mg | $199 | Temporarily reduced through December 31, 2026 |
| 9 mg | $299 | No refill condition |
| 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg | $299 | Only while each refill lands within 45 days; the regular price is not published |
Foundayo self-pay prices at LillyDirect, October 2026
TrumpRx, the federal drug-price site, lists Foundayo at the same $149, $199 and $299 by dose[8]. With commercial insurance that covers it, Lilly's savings card can bring it down to as little as $25 a month; people on government plans such as Medicare and Medicaid are excluded from that card, and Lilly points eligible Medicare Part D patients to a separate program. If your plan wants a prior authorization first, here is how that process works.
Is Foundayo better than the Wegovy pill?
Nobody can say yet, because no trial has put the two pills side by side. What can be compared is how each one is taken, what each one's own trial found, and what each costs.
| Foundayo | Wegovy pill | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug | Orforglipron, a small molecule | Semaglutide, a peptide |
| FDA approval | April 1, 2026 | December 22, 2025 |
| How you take it | Once daily, with or without food | Once daily on an empty stomach, with up to 4 ounces of water, then 30 minutes before food or other pills |
| Dose steps | 0.8, 2.5, 5.5 mg, then 9, 14.5 or 17.2 mg | 1.5, 4, 9, then 25 mg |
| Weight lost in its main trial | 11.1% at 72 weeks (placebo 2.1%) | 13.6% at 64 weeks (placebo 2.4%) |
| Self-pay a month | $149 to $299 | $149 to $299 |
Foundayo and the Wegovy pill compared
The Wegovy pill's figures come from its own 64-week trial, OASIS 4, in 307 adults[4], and its label[5]; it was approved on December 22, 2025[6]. A 2026 analysis that adjusted the two trials' populations and compared them indirectly found about 3 percentage points more weight loss with the Wegovy pill's top dose than with orforglipron's, and more people stopping orforglipron because of side effects. Treat it with care: it is not a head-to-head trial, and it was written mostly by employees of Novo Nordisk, which makes the Wegovy pill[7]. The practical difference you will notice every morning is the food rule. The Wegovy pill versus the Wegovy injection has the full routine.
What are the side effects of Foundayo?
| Side effect | Placebo | 5.5 mg | 9 mg | 17.2 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 10% | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| Constipation | 9% | 20% | 27% | 24% |
| Diarrhea | 11% | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| Vomiting | 4% | 13% | 21% | 24% |
| Indigestion | 4% | 12% | 16% | 13% |
| Headache | 7% | 8% | 9% | 9% |
| Hair loss | 2% | 4% | 4% | 5% |
Side effects in at least 5% of people on Foundayo, both trials pooled (label Table 1)
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea were most common while the dose was being raised and eased over time. The label carries the same boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors as other GLP-1 drugs, with one difference: orforglipron is not active in rats or mice and caused no tumors in them, but the label still rules it out for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or with MEN 2. It also warns about pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, kidney injury from dehydration and low blood sugar when combined with insulin or a sulfonylurea[2]. The GLP-1 side-effect evidence puts these numbers beside the injectable drugs.
Can you get Foundayo online through telehealth?
Yes, with a prescription. LillyDirect fills prescriptions sent by your own prescriber and can connect you with an online one. Two of the telehealth companies we review publish their own Foundayo price: NowPatient and ZipHealth. These also list it among the drugs they sell or prescribe: Hers, Hims, SkinnyRx, Calibrate Health, BloomMD, BloomWell Rx, MedLeanRx, Hello Alpha, JumpstartMD, and CLYR Health. On the pages we read, BloomWell Rx and MedLeanRx print only a visit or program fee beside it, not a price for the pill itself, so ask what the pharmacy charges before you pay.
Some telehealth companies sell compounded semaglutide tablets for less. They are not Foundayo and not the Wegovy pill: compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and no trial tested these tablets. How to check the pharmacy behind them is worth reading first.
- MyDrHank: compounded oral semaglutide, from $171 a month.
- Luvo Health: compounded oral semaglutide, $259 a month.
- Willow: compounded oral semaglutide, $299 a month.
- MEDGm: compounded oral semaglutide, $369 a month.
Questions people actually ask
Is Foundayo FDA-approved?
Yes. The FDA approved Foundayo (orforglipron) on April 1, 2026 for weight loss and weight maintenance in adults with obesity, or overweight plus at least one weight-related condition. It is made by Eli Lilly.
How much does Foundayo cost without insurance?
At LillyDirect it is $149 a month for 0.8 mg and 2.5 mg, $199 for 5.5 mg and $299 for 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg. The two higher doses keep that price only while each refill lands within 45 days.
Do you have to take Foundayo on an empty stomach?
No. The label says once daily with or without food, swallowed whole. That is the main practical difference from the Wegovy pill, which has to be taken on an empty stomach with no more than 4 ounces of water and a 30-minute wait.
Is Foundayo the same as the Wegovy pill?
No. Foundayo is orforglipron, made by Eli Lilly; the Wegovy pill is semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk. Both are once-daily GLP-1 pills approved for weight loss, but they are different molecules with different dose steps, and no trial has compared them directly.
Can I use insurance for Foundayo?
If your commercial plan covers it, Lilly's savings card can bring the cost to as little as $25 a month. Government plans such as Medicare and Medicaid are excluded from that card. Without coverage, the self-pay prices above apply.
Sources
Every source below was read for this article, with the claim it supports written beside it.
- 1.Drugs@FDA: FOUNDAYO, NDA 220934. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026. Source · Document dated April 2026Drugs@FDA lists FOUNDAYO (orforglipron) tablets, Eli Lilly and Company, NDA 220934, as a new molecular entity with an original approval dated April 1, 2026.
- 2.FOUNDAYO (orforglipron) tablets — FDA prescribing information. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Structured Product Labeling (DailyMed), 2026. Source · Document dated July 2026The label (effective July 29, 2026) gives the indication, once-daily dosing with or without food, the 0.8 mg to 17.2 mg dose steps at least 30 days apart, the missed-dose, birth-control and CYP3A4 rules, the side-effect table, the 8% versus 3% discontinuation rate, the boxed warning, and the 72-week results: 7.4%, 8.3% and 11.1% weight loss at 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg against 2.1% on placebo in adults without diabetes, and 9.6% against 2.5% in adults with type 2 diabetes.
- 3.Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment. New England Journal of Medicine, 2025. PMID 40960239 · doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2511774ATTAIN-1 randomized 3,127 adults with obesity and without diabetes to orforglipron 6, 12 or 36 mg or placebo for 72 weeks; mean weight change was -11.2% at 36 mg against -2.1% on placebo.
- 4.Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. New England Journal of Medicine, 2025. PMID 40934115 · doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2500969OASIS 4 randomized 307 adults to oral semaglutide 25 mg or placebo for 64 weeks; mean weight change was -13.6% with oral semaglutide.
- 5.WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and tablets — FDA prescribing information. DailyMed, National Library of Medicine, Structured Product Labeling, 2026. Source · Document dated June 2026The WEGOVY label reports 13.6% weight loss at week 64 with the 25 mg tablet against 2.4% on placebo, and sets the tablet's empty-stomach routine and its 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg dose steps.
- 6.Drugs@FDA: WEGOVY tablet, NDA 218316. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025. Source · Document dated December 2025Drugs@FDA lists the WEGOVY tablet, Novo Nordisk, NDA 218316, with an original approval dated December 22, 2025.
- 7.Oral Semaglutide 25 mg Versus Orforglipron 36 mg in Obesity: A Population-Adjusted Indirect Treatment Comparison. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2026. PMID 42225305 · doi:10.1111/dom.70919A population-adjusted indirect comparison of OASIS 4 and ATTAIN-1, by authors mostly employed by Novo Nordisk, found a mean difference of -3.2 percentage points in weight change favoring oral semaglutide 25 mg over orforglipron 36 mg, and higher odds of stopping for side effects with orforglipron.
- 8.TrumpRx: Foundayo. TrumpRx, U.S. government, 2026. SourceRead on October 5, 2026: TrumpRx lists Foundayo tablets at $149 a month for 0.8 mg and 2.5 mg, $199 for 5.5 mg, and $299 for 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg, as an out-of-pocket price.
Key figures