On 10 August 2026, the MHRA approved Foundayo (orforglipron), making the UK the first country in Europe to license Eli Lilly's once daily weight loss tablet. It is the biggest UK weight loss news since Mounjaro, and it changes what tablet based treatment can look like.
What exactly was approved?
The MHRA licensed Foundayo for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 to 30 alongside at least one weight related condition such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. Unusually for a weight loss licence, it also covers blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes whose current treatment is not working well enough. The US FDA approved the same medicine in April 2026, so the UK decision follows several months of real world American use.
Why this tablet is different
There is already one GLP-1 weight loss tablet in the UK, the Wegovy tablet, which launched in June. But the Wegovy tablet is a peptide, so it comes with strict rules: an empty stomach, no more than 120ml of water, and a 30 minute wait before eating, drinking, or taking other medicines. Foundayo is a small molecule, not a peptide. Around 79% of each dose is absorbed compared with roughly 1% for oral semaglutide, which is why Foundayo can be taken at any time of day, with or without food, with no water restrictions at all. For anyone whose mornings do not suit a fasting routine, that flexibility is the headline.
How well does it work?
In the ATTAIN-1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, more than 3,100 adults took orforglipron or placebo for 72 weeks. On the highest dose, average weight loss was 11.1% of body weight, rising to 12.4% in people who completed the full 72 weeks, with nearly half losing at least 10% of their starting weight. That sits below the Wegovy tablet at around 14% and well below Mounjaro at up to 22.5%, but with a convenience profile nothing else matches. The trial also recorded improvements in waist size, cholesterol, and blood pressure. For a closer look at the two tablets side by side, read our Foundayo vs Wegovy tablets comparison.
Dosing and side effects
Foundayo starts at 0.8mg once daily and steps up through 2.5mg, 5.5mg, 9mg, and 14.5mg to a maximum of 17.2mg, with at least a month at each level. Side effects are the familiar GLP-1 pattern, mainly nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, and stomach discomfort, worst in the first weeks and after dose increases, and easing over time for most people.
When can you actually get it?
Not yet. Approval is not the same as availability. Foundayo is not on the NHS, NICE will assess it separately, and Eli Lilly has not confirmed a UK on sale date, though supply is expected in the coming weeks to months. Private pharmacies, including Solira, are preparing waitlists now. If you want to start treatment today rather than wait, Wegovy tablets and Mounjaro are available now following a free consultation with our pharmacist.
When should you speak to your pharmacist or doctor?
Speak to a pharmacist or your GP before starting any weight loss medicine, especially if you take insulin or diabetes tablets, have a history of pancreatitis or thyroid cancer in the family, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take the contraceptive pill, which Foundayo can make less effective.
Be first in line when Foundayo lands
References
- MHRA press release, 10 August 2026.
- ATTAIN-1, New England Journal of Medicine, 2025.
- OASIS 4, New England Journal of Medicine, 2025.
- SURMOUNT-1, New England Journal of Medicine, 2022.
Reviewed by Jimah Alsaai MPharm, GPhC 2232652, Superintendent Pharmacist, Solira.