Orforglipron
Orforglipron is a once-daily GLP-1 pill that is not a peptide. The FDA approved it for weight management on April 1, 2026.
Brand names: Foundayo
Orforglipron (known as Foundayo, formerly LY3502970)
Also searched as: Foundayo pill, GLP-1 pill from Lilly, LY3502970, oral GLP-1, orfoglipron, orforglipran, orforglipron pill, weight loss pill.
Educational information. This page does not give dosing instructions or tell you what to take. Ask a prescriber about your own care.
In plain English
Most GLP-1 medicines are peptides, which the stomach would digest if swallowed without special protection. Orforglipron is a small molecule instead, so it can work as an ordinary pill. It switches on the same GLP-1 receptor that semaglutide does.
It is taken once a day. The label says the tablet can be taken with or without food and must be swallowed whole, not broken, crushed or chewed.
Brand names and products
A generic name identifies the drug itself. A brand name identifies one company's product. One drug can come in several products with different forms and approved uses, so the brand name often tells you more about what a prescription is for.
| Brand name | Maker | Form | U.S. approved use | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundayo | Eli Lilly | Daily tablet | Weight management | FDA-approved for weight management |
Approved and investigational. Each product above is approved only for the use shown. Orforglipron for type 2 diabetes is not recorded as approved in the U.S. in this atlas. Other uses may be under study, but none are recorded here.
How it works
Orforglipron activates the GLP-1 receptor. Because it is a small molecule rather than a peptide, it is absorbed after swallowing and does not need the absorption enhancer used in oral semaglutide.
Forms and approval status
| Form | How it is taken | U.S. status |
|---|---|---|
| Orforglipron tablets (Foundayo) | Once daily. Per the label, the tablet is taken once a day, with or without food, and swallowed whole. The label says not to break, crush or chew it. | Approved in the U.S. for weight reduction in adults with obesity, or overweight plus at least one weight-related condition. Used with diet and activity. Trade press dates the approval to April 1, 2026. Type 2 diabetes is not recorded as an approved use here. |
What the trials found
These are group averages from published trials in adults without diabetes unless stated. See how to read trial numbers before comparing.
ATTAIN-1
Average change in body weight. Every bar uses one scale, 0 to 25 percent.
- People studied
- 3,127 adults with obesity, without diabetes
- Length
- 72 weeks
- Compared with
- Placebo once daily, with a healthy diet and physical activity in all groups
- What was measured
- Average change in body weight at week 72
- Analysis approach
- Treatment-regimen estimand in the intention-to-treat population: effects regardless of treatment discontinuation
- Other results
- In the highest-dose group, 54.6% lost at least 10% of body weight, 36.0% at least 15% and 18.4% at least 20%, versus 12.9%, 5.9% and 2.8% on placebo. The manufacturer's headline figure for the highest dose is larger because it counts only participants while they were taking the drug. Compare trials only on the same estimand.
- Safety
- Stopping treatment because of side effects: 5.3% to 10.3% across the three orforglipron groups vs 2.7% with placebo. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal and mostly mild to moderate.
- Limits
- Funded by Eli Lilly. Participants did not have diabetes. The tablet strengths used in the trial were named differently in later publications and do not all match the marketed strengths, so check the Foundayo label for what is sold. Group averages do not predict one person's result.
Sources: Wharton S 2025, ATTAIN-1 trial record (NCT05869903), Foundayo (orforglipron) tablets: prescribing information
Safety
Based on the FDA-approved label for Foundayo. The official label is the controlling source for warnings. The points below are a summary and may be incomplete.
Boxed warning and label notes
- Orforglipron tablets (Foundayo): Boxed warning: risk of thyroid C-cell tumors. The label says orforglipron is not pharmacologically active in rats or mice and did not produce tumors in rodents, and that the relevance to humans is undetermined. Not for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.
Warnings labels describe
- The Foundayo label carries a boxed warning for risk of thyroid C-cell tumors. It says orforglipron did not produce tumors in rodents because it is not active in rats or mice, and that the relevance to humans is undetermined.
- The label says the medicine is contraindicated with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2, and after a serious allergic reaction to orforglipron or its ingredients.
- The label's warnings and precautions list acute pancreatitis, severe stomach and bowel reactions, kidney injury from dehydration, low blood sugar, allergic reactions, diabetic retinopathy complications in people with type 2 diabetes, acute gallbladder disease, and aspiration during anesthesia or deep sedation.
- The label advises people who use oral hormonal birth control to switch to a non-oral method, or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and for 30 days after each dose increase. Anyone using birth control pills should ask their prescriber.
- The label says to stop the medicine when pregnancy is recognized, because weight loss offers no benefit in pregnancy and may cause fetal harm.
- The label says using it with another GLP-1 receptor agonist is not recommended.
Most common in trials
- Digestive side effects are the most common type reported for this drug class. Foundayo-specific figures are not yet added to this atlas.
Less common but serious
- Pancreatitis
- Gallbladder problems
- Dehydration with kidney injury
- Severe allergic reactions
- Diabetic retinopathy complications in people with type 2 diabetes
What is still unknown
- How the pill compares with injectable GLP-1 medicines in a head-to-head weight-loss trial.
- How weight returns after stopping.
- Long-term safety beyond the trial durations.
Compiled from public information: FDA-approved labels, manufacturer websites, ClinicalTrials.gov and published journal articles. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
Sources
- Foundayo (orforglipron) tablets: prescribing information Eli Lilly and Company, on DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Label version 7/2026. Official FDA label on DailyMed
- FDA approves orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 for adults with obesity Healio, April 1, 2026. Trade press, secondary source
- DailyMed: current FDA drug labels U.S. National Library of Medicine. Regulator
- Mechanisms of action and therapeutic application of glucagon-like peptide-1 Drucker DJ. Cell Metab. 2018;27(4):740-756. PMID 29617641. Journal article
- Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity treatment (ATTAIN-1) Wharton S, et al. N Engl J Med. 2025;393(18):1796-1806. PMID 40960239. Funding: Eli Lilly. Journal article
- ATTAIN-1 trial record (NCT05869903) ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05869903. Trial registry