| Approval
The UK medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), approved Foundayo (orforglipron), Eli Lilly's GLP-1 pill, on August 10, 2026, according to the MHRA's own announcement.
It is approved for two uses in adults. The first is weight management, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, in people with obesity or with overweight and at least one weight-related condition. The second is type 2 diabetes, to improve blood sugar control alongside diet and exercise, either alone or with other diabetes medicines.
Pharmaphorum reports that the UK is the first country in Europe to approve Foundayo. It is prescription-only. It is not yet available through the NHS, the UK's public health service, because the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not finished its appraisal, and Pharmaphorum says preliminary NICE guidance is expected in mid-November 2026. For now it can be obtained on a private prescription.
In the United States, the FDA approved Foundayo for obesity in April 2026. The Atlas reported that approval at the time.
Worth knowing: The approval date comes from the MHRA's own announcement. The NHS and NICE details come from trade press. An approval in one country does not apply in another. The European Union is a separate process: EMA's human medicines committee adopted a positive opinion on October 15, 2026, which EMA published on October 16, and the Atlas has not found a European Commission decision. See the report on the EMA recommendation. The UK price, NHS timing and NICE's conclusions are not yet known.
Related: Orforglipron medicine page | Foundayo brand page | Lilly tracker | FDA approval of Foundayo
Sources: MHRA, UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes, August 10, 2026 Regulator page. EMA, CHMP meeting highlights, 12 to 15 October 2026 Regulator page. Pharmaphorum, UK MHRA authorises orforglipron for private prescription, Pharmaphorum, UK is first European country to approve Foundayo and Longevity.Technology, UK beats EU and US to first oral GLP-1 approval Trade press, not a regulator page. Pharmaceutical Executive, EMA panel backs Lilly Foundayo Trade press.