The Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly's daily oral obesity pill Foundayo on Wednesday. The drug, orforglipron, showed patients lost an average of 12 percent of their body weight over 72 weeks in clinical trials. This makes it the second daily weight-loss pill to reach the market, following Novo Nordisk's Wegovy which was approved in December 2025. Unlike Wegovy, Foundayo can be taken with or without food at any time, offering greater convenience for patients who previously needed strict morning dosing on an empty stomach.

Foundayo's approval comes with a $149 list price without insurance, a figure set in a Trump administration deal announced last fall. Medicare will cover the drug for eligible patients, and experts anticipate broader insurance coverage. The pill works by mimicking a natural hormone to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar, with clinical trials showing a 2.2 percentage point drop in hemoglobin A1C levels for Type 2 diabetes patients. Lilly plans to seek FDA approval for diabetes treatment later this year.

This expansion of obesity treatment options allows patients to choose between convenient oral medications and injectable alternatives like Wegovy, weighing factors such as side effects, cost, and lifestyle needs. The approval marks a significant moment in the rapidly evolving weight-loss drug market, giving doctors more tools to help patients manage obesity and related conditions.