Foundayo is a once-daily weight-management pill with no food rules
Foundayo (orforglipron) is a daily tablet from Eli Lilly that the FDA approved on April 1, 2026. It is a small molecule, not a peptide, and the label lets you take it with or without food. It still has a long dose ladder, common stomach side effects, and a few drug interactions that matter.
Information current as of November 10, 2026. Educational only. Confirm everything here with your own clinician before starting, stopping or changing any medication.
At a glance
Drug class
Orforglipron, a GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly. Prescription only.
How it is taken
One tablet once a day, swallowed whole, with or without food.
Approval status
FDA-approved April 1, 2026, as a new molecular entity for weight reduction and maintenance.
Who it is for
Adults with obesity, or with overweight and a weight-related condition, alongside diet and activity.
Main cautions
Boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors. Stomach side effects are common. It can weaken birth control pills.
Who sells it
Eli Lilly makes it and sets its own prices and channels. Summit does not dispense or sell it.
What it is
What Foundayo is
Foundayo contains orforglipron, a drug that switches on the same receptor as the gut hormone GLP-1, which slows stomach emptying and quiets appetite. Orforglipron is a small, non-peptide molecule, so it is built differently from the semaglutide tablet.
The label (NDA 220934, Eli Lilly) approves it with a reduced-calorie diet and more activity, to reduce excess body weight and keep it off in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition. Using it with another GLP-1 receptor agonist is not recommended.
Fit
Who should and should not take it
Do not take Foundayo if
- You or a family member has had medullary thyroid carcinoma, or you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
- You have had a serious allergic reaction to orforglipron or any ingredient in the tablet.
- Pregnancy: stop when it is recognized and use effective contraception. The label points to a pregnancy registry.
- Severe gastroparesis: not recommended.
- Insulin or a sulfonylurea: consider lowering that dose, since low blood sugar becomes more likely.
Taking it
Dosing and the daily routine
Take one tablet a day at any time, with or without food. Swallow it whole. Never take more than one tablet in a day.
The dose ladder
You start at 0.8 mg. After at least 30 days the dose goes to 2.5 mg, and after at least 30 more days to 5.5 mg. From there, some people step up to 9 mg, 14.5 mg or 17.2 mg, each after at least 30 days on the dose before. The top dose is 17.2 mg.
The label gives one starting dose, 0.8 mg, and no schedule for switching from an injection. Changing from a weekly shot to this pill needs a plan from your prescriber.
The Foundayo label gives one starting dose, 0.8 mg, and no schedule for switching from an injection. Anyone changing from a weekly shot to this pill needs a plan from their prescriber, not a rule from the label.
Evidence
What the trials showed
ATTAIN-1: the main weight trial
ATTAIN-1 (Wharton and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, 2025) followed 3,127 adults with obesity and no diabetes for 72 weeks. At the highest dose, average weight change was -11.2%, against -2.1% on placebo. In that group, 54.6% lost 10% or more of body weight, 36.0% lost 15% or more and 18.4% lost 20% or more. On placebo those shares were 12.9%, 5.9% and 2.8%. Eli Lilly funded the trial.
The label reports the same trial (Trial 1): -7.4%, -8.3% and -11.1% across the three doses, against -2.1% on placebo. The journal’s -11.2% and the label’s -11.1% are two analyses of the same top-dose group. Between 22% and 24% on Foundayo and 30% on placebo stopped the trial drug early.
Type 2 diabetes
A second label trial (Trial 2) enrolled 1,613 adults with type 2 diabetes, a BMI of 27 or higher and an HbA1c of 7% to 10%. Average weight change ranged from -5.1% to -9.6% across doses, against -2.5% on placebo.
ATTAIN-MAINTAIN: after weekly shots
ATTAIN-MAINTAIN (Nature Medicine, 2026) was a 52-week, double-blind phase 3b trial in adults who had lost weight on a weekly injection. Among 205 who had used tirzepatide, those switched to orforglipron kept 74.7% of their weight reduction, against 49.2% on placebo. Among 171 who had used semaglutide, it was 79.3% against 37.6%.
There was no group that stayed on the injection, so the trial cannot say whether the pill holds weight as well as the shot. It lasted one year, and Lilly employees were among the authors. The label does not describe switching.
Pill and shot results are not directly comparable
Each trial enrolled different people, ran for a different time and used its own methods. No trial cited here compared Foundayo with Wegovy tablets or a weekly injection. See Wegovy tablets and our injection-versus-pill guide.
Safety
Side effects and serious warnings
Boxed warning: thyroid C-cell tumors
Some drugs in this class caused thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents. Orforglipron is not pharmacologically active in rodents and produced no rodent tumors, so those studies cannot settle the question. Whether it affects the human thyroid has not been determined. Tell your prescriber about a neck lump, trouble swallowing or hoarseness that does not go away.
Stomach effects lead the list. They occurred in 60%, 68% and 69% across the three doses, against 37% on placebo; 60% were mild, 36% moderate and 4% severe. At 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg, nausea was 26%, 34% and 35% (placebo 10%), vomiting 13%, 21% and 24% (4%), diarrhea 21%, 23% and 25% (11%), and constipation 20%, 27% and 24% (9%). They were higher during dose increases and eased over time. See managing nausea.
Stopping because of side effects happened in 8% on Foundayo and 3% on placebo, per the label. Other effects: hair loss in 4% to 5% (2% on placebo), more often in women (7%) than men (0.9%); a resting heart rate rise of 4 to 5 beats a minute; and low blood pressure in 2% versus 0.5%.
Other warnings in the label: pancreatitis (6 adjudicated events in 6 Foundayo patients versus 2 events in 1 placebo patient); severe stomach reactions in about 3% versus 1%; kidney injury in 0.2% versus 0.05%; gallstones in 1% versus 0.7%; low blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, 2% versus 0.2% and 7% with a sulfonylurea; allergic reactions; worsening diabetic retinopathy; and aspiration during anesthesia.
Interactions
Birth control and other medicines
Birth control pills
If you use an oral contraceptive, the label says to switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 30 days after you start Foundayo and for 30 days after each dose increase. Non-oral hormonal contraceptives are not affected.
- Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. The dose should not exceed 9 mg. Avoid the ones that also block OATP1B, such as ritonavir.
- Strong CYP3A4 inducers. Avoid them. With moderate inducers, your prescriber watches how well the drug works and adjusts the climb.
- Simvastatin. Do not exceed 20 mg.
- Insulin and sulfonylureas. Consider reducing the dose of either.
Stopping
What happens if you stop
This page does not cite a study of stopping Foundayo. Obesity is a long-term condition, and for many people appetite returns when a GLP-1 medicine ends. See stopping without regaining weight and maintenance after goal weight.
Choosing
A daily pill, a weekly shot, or neither
The easy part is the routine: no needle and no meal rule. The harder parts are the long dose ladder, the interactions and the birth-control step. A weekly injection may suit you better if you take many daily medicines. For some people neither is right.
The free GLP-1 quiz walks through these trade-offs. With Medicare, check the Medicare coverage navigator. For the weekly options, read about compounded semaglutide, compounded tirzepatide and compounded versus brand-name medications.
Summit’s role
What Summit does and does not do with Foundayo
Summit does not dispense or sell Foundayo or any other brand-name product. Eli Lilly makes Foundayo and sets its own prices and the channels through which it is sold, so ask Eli Lilly or your pharmacy. Summit’s own programs are on the pricing page.
Summit prescribes compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide after a physician evaluation, prepared by an independent state-licensed pharmacy. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and the FDA has not evaluated their safety, effectiveness or quality. They are not Foundayo.
Dr. Miranda can talk through whether a daily pill, a weekly compounded injection, or neither fits you. Applying is not a prescription.
Common questions
Questions people ask
Does Foundayo affect birth control?
It can. For oral contraceptives, the label says to switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 30 days after you start and for 30 days after each dose increase. Non-oral hormonal methods are not affected.
What if I miss a dose?
Take it as soon as you remember. Do not double up. If you miss 7 or more doses in a row, the label says to restart the climb at a lower dose.
Is Foundayo the same as Wegovy tablets?
No. Foundayo is orforglipron from Eli Lilly, a small molecule. Wegovy tablets are semaglutide from Novo Nordisk. Their trials were separate, so the results are not directly comparable.
Does Summit sell Foundayo?
No. Summit does not dispense or sell brand-name products. Eli Lilly sets the price and channels. Dr. Miranda can help you decide whether a pill, a compounded weekly injection, or neither fits.
Sources
Where this comes from
All retrieved November 10, 2026.
- Eli Lilly. Foundayo (orforglipron) tablets, prescribing information. DailyMed, label read November 10, 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8ac446c5-feba-474f-a103-23facb9b5c62
- FDA. Drugs@FDA: Foundayo, NDA 220934 (approved April 1, 2026). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm?event=overview.process&ApplNo=220934
- Wharton S, et al. Orforglipron in adults with obesity (ATTAIN-1). N Engl J Med 2025. PMID 40960239. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2511774
- ATTAIN-MAINTAIN: orforglipron for weight maintenance after weekly injections. Nature Medicine 2026. PMID 42120723. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04386-7
Confirm with your provider. This page is general education, not medical advice, and it does not diagnose or treat anything. Every medication carries risks and is not right for everyone. Medication is prescribed only after a physician evaluation determines it is appropriate for you. Individual results vary and no outcome is guaranteed. Information current as of November 10, 2026.
Next step
Talk it through with a physician first
Dr. Miranda reviews your history and labs, then decides whether a daily pill, a weekly compounded injection, or neither fits you.