Eli Lilly launches oral weight-loss drug Foundayo in UK

HealthInternationalEli Lilly launches oral weight-loss drug Foundayo in UKBy Reuters -Aug 25, 2026Add ARY News on GoogleA bottle of Eli Lilly’s Foundayo weight-loss pills in this undated illustration. Eli Lilly/Handout via REUTERSAAResizeEli Lilly has launched its pill, Foundayo, in the UK for weight management and type 2 diabetes, it said ​on Monday, making Britain the first country in Europe where the ‌oral treatment is available. The pill, known chemically as orforglipron, will be available via private prescription after Britain’s medicines regulator authorised the drug on August 10, making it the second GLP-1 ​tablet to be launched in the UK after Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill. England’s ​health cost-effectiveness watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, ⁠must assess the pill before it can become available on the state-run ​National Health Service. Lilly said it was working with NICE during the agency’s assessment ​of Foundayo for weight management access. A NICE spokesperson said that the agency has requested further information on Foundayo following its first committee meeting, with no date set for a second ​review. The agency reiterated that Novo was yet to make an evidence submission for ​Wegovy pill. Until then, patients can access the pill through private providers. Foundayo will likely be ‌priced ⁠between £100 and £120 ($136 and $164), lower than Lilly’s Mounjaro injection’s £330 price for a month’s supply, the company said. Private providers in the UK price the Wegovy weight-loss pill from £74 to £129 per month for initial low doses, with most starting rates tied to ​multi-month subscription plans. Prices ​for patients go ⁠up as they move to higher doses of the pill. In the U.S., self-pay prices for the Wegovy pill and Foundayo ​start at $149 per month, and can rise up to $299 and $349 ​respectively for ⁠higher doses. A new U.S. Medicare pilot offers selective access to the oral drugs for $50 a month. Foundayo remains under review in...