Eli Lilly launches oral weight-loss pill Foundayo in the UK

Eli Lilly (LLY) has launched Foundayo, its oral weight-loss and diabetes treatment, in the United Kingdom, making Britain the first country in Europe where the pill is available following regulatory approval earlier this month.

The drug, known chemically as orforglipron, became available via private prescription after the UK medicines regulator authorised it on August 10. It is the second GLP-1 tablet to reach the British market, following Novo Nordisk's (NVO) Wegovy pill.

Lilly said it was working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, England's health cost-effectiveness watchdog, as the agency conducts its assessment of Foundayo for weight management — a prerequisite for any future availability on the National Health Service. A NICE spokesperson said the agency had requested further information following its first committee meeting, with no date set for a second review, and added that Novo Nordisk had yet to make an evidence submission for the Wegovy pill.

In the interim, patients may access Foundayo through private providers. Lilly said the pill would likely be priced between £100 and £120 per month — significantly below the £330 monthly cost of the company's Mounjaro injection. Private providers in the UK currently offer the Wegovy pill from £74 to £129 per month for initial low doses, with prices rising as patients progress to higher doses.

In the US, self-pay prices for both the Wegovy pill and Foundayo start at $149 per month, rising to $299 and $349 respectively at higher doses. A new Medicare pilot programme offers selective access to both oral treatments at $50 per month.

Foundayo remains under regulatory review in the European Union. Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill has received a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency, with a final decision from the European Commission still pending.