💊 Eli Lilly’s Foundayo, the brand name for orforglipron, has launched in UK pharmacies on private prescription. The once-daily tablet is authorised for specified adults seeking weight management and for people with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes.
The MHRA authorised the GLP-1 medicine on 10 August, making the UK the first European country to approve the tablet for both uses. Eligible adults include those with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to under 30 with a weight-related condition.
Foundayo can be taken at any time without food or water restrictions. It offers an oral option alongside licensed injectable GLP-1 treatments, but it is not currently available through the NHS while NICE assessment continues. 🏥
The MHRA says the medicine should be used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Common side effects include nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion and abdominal pain; the regulator and pharmacists have also warned against counterfeit or unlicensed GLP-1 tablets.
People seeking the treatment need a prescription and should use registered pharmacies. The regulator says it will continue to monitor Foundayo’s safety and effectiveness. ⚕️