Oral GLP-1 Comparison · Wegovy Tablets and Foundayo Tablets
Foundayo vs Wegovy Pill: Two Daily Tablets, Read Label by Label
Foundayo vs Wegovy pill comes down to the rules on each label. The Wegovy pill is oral semaglutide, taken in the morning on an empty stomach, with four dose steps and a heart-risk indication. Foundayo is oral orforglipron, taken with or without food, with six strengths and different drug-interaction rules. No head-to-head obesity trial exists, so the labels do not rank them.
Both are FDA-approved for adult weight management. This page sets the two labels side by side, names the document behind each claim, and picks no winner. Part of our semaglutide hub.
Last reviewed: October 29, 2026
The calculator models semaglutide levels only. It does not model Foundayo (orforglipron).
Key Takeaways
- Different routines. The Wegovy pill is taken in the morning on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of water, then a 30-minute wait. Foundayo is taken with or without food, with no waiting period.
- Different ladders. The Wegovy pill has four strengths in 30-day steps to a 25 mg maintenance dose. Foundayo has six, at least 30 days each, up to 17.2 mg.
- No ranking possible. Each label reports its own trials, run separately. The only head-to-head trial, ACHIEVE-3, was in type 2 diabetes at doses neither tablet uses for weight.
- Overlapping prices. On October 29, 2026, both started at $149 a month and both top strengths cost $299, Foundayo's when refills stay within 45 days.
Dec 22, 2025
Wegovy tablets FDA approval
Apr 1, 2026
Foundayo FDA approval
4 and 6
Tablet strengths (Wegovy pill, Foundayo)
$149
Starting self-pay price, both (Oct 29, 2026)
Foundayo vs Wegovy Pill at a Glance
Here "Wegovy pill" means Wegovy tablets. Brackets name the document; PI is the FDA prescribing information.
| Wegovy pill | Foundayo | |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Semaglutide, co-formulated with the absorption enhancer SNAC [PI 12.3] | Orforglipron, a small-molecule, nonpeptide GLP-1 receptor agonist [ACHIEVE-1] |
| Maker; FDA approval | Novo Nordisk; December 22, 2025 [Drugs@FDA] | Eli Lilly; April 1, 2026 [Drugs@FDA] |
| Labeled for (adults) | Weight reduction and maintenance; heart-risk reduction in adults with established cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight [PI 1] | Weight reduction and maintenance [PI 1] |
| How to take | Morning, empty stomach, water only (up to 4 oz), wait at least 30 minutes [PI 2.1] | Once daily with or without food, swallowed whole [PI 2.1] |
| Strengths | 1.5, 4, 9, 25 mg [PI 3] | 0.8, 2.5, 5.5, 9, 14.5, 17.2 mg [PI 3] |
| Dose steps | Days 1-30, 31-60, 61-90, then 25 mg from day 91 [PI 2.3, Table 2] | At least 30 days per step; steps above 5.5 mg are optional; maximum 17.2 mg [PI 2.1] |
| Birth control pills | No instruction; a tablet study found no clinically significant change [PI 12.3] | Non-oral or barrier method for 30 days after starting and each dose increase [PI 7.3, 8.3] |
| Self-pay per month | $149 to $299 by strength [NovoCare] | $149 to $299 by strength; $349 at 14.5 and 17.2 mg if a refill is late [Lilly] |
How this page was built
We read the Foundayo label (revised 07/2026) and the Wegovy label (revised 06/2026). Wegovy's covers both injection and tablets, so injection-only text is left out: the adolescent indication, MASH, the 7.2 mg dose and the injection symptom table. Prices were checked October 29, 2026.
See How Semaglutide Levels Build
The free calculator plots semaglutide levels from a dose schedule. It models semaglutide only, so it does not cover Foundayo.
Open Semaglutide CalculatorHow Each Tablet Is Taken
The Wegovy pill: morning, empty stomach, 30 minutes
The Wegovy label (Section 2.1): one tablet once daily on an empty stomach in the morning, with water only, up to 4 ounces. Swallow it whole, never split, crushed, chewed or dissolved, and take no more than one a day. Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other oral medicines.
Why so strict: semaglutide is co-formulated with SNAC, absorbed mainly in the stomach, with an absolute bioavailability of about 1% to 2%. The Wegovy label (Section 12.3) reports more absorption with 50 mL of water than with 240 mL, and after a longer fast following the dose. See our Wegovy pill guide.
Foundayo: with or without food
The Foundayo label (Section 2.1): once daily, with or without food, swallowed whole, never broken, crushed or chewed, no more than one a day. It has no time-of-day rule, water limit or waiting period.
Foundayo's label (Section 12.3) reports no clinically relevant food effect on orforglipron exposure. "Any time of day" is Lilly's wording on its LillyDirect and Foundayo websites, not the label's. Orforglipron is a small-molecule, nonpeptide drug; read what Foundayo is and why it is not oral tirzepatide.
Daily rules from each FDA label, Section 2.1.
Missed doses
| Tablet | What the label says after a missed dose |
|---|---|
| Wegovy pill | Skip it and take the next dose the following day (PI 2.4). The Wegovy label's restart rule is for the injection only. |
| Foundayo | Take it as soon as possible; never 2 doses in one day. After 7 or more missed in a row, restart escalation at a lower dose the label does not name; the Medication Guide says to ask your provider how (PI 2.3). |
Storage and tablets
Both are kept at room temperature, 68°F to 77°F, and neither needs refrigeration. Wegovy tablets stay in the original bottle, away from moisture; Foundayo bottles hold a desiccant.
Video: the timing difference, from approval week
Good Morning America, April 2, 2026: ABC's Dr. Tara Narula on the timing difference, noting there is no head-to-head trial of the two pills. Its other statements (weight, price, switching and pipeline figures, and 'any time of day') are approval-week reporting and Lilly statements, not label data.
Dose Steps: Four Strengths vs Six
The Wegovy label (Table 2) sets 1.5 mg on days 1 to 30, 4 mg on days 31 to 60, 9 mg on days 61 to 90, and the 25 mg maintenance dose from day 91. If a step is not tolerated, it says to consider delaying escalation; if 25 mg is not tolerated, to consider Wegovy injection 1.7 mg weekly.
Foundayo starts at 0.8 mg, then 2.5 mg, then 5.5 mg, each after at least 30 days. Steps to 9, 14.5 or 17.2 mg (the maximum) follow at least 30 days later, based on response and tolerability. The Foundayo label names no maintenance dose and no maximum time per step. The earliest day to reach 17.2 mg is day 151, a minimum, not a target. Our Foundayo dosage chart lists every strength, tablet and per-strength price.
Earliest possible schedule on each label. Not a prescription.
Who Each Label Covers
Both are for adults, with a reduced-calorie diet and more activity. Beyond that, the labels differ.
| Wegovy pill | Foundayo | |
|---|---|---|
| Heart-risk indication | Yes, in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight | No; weight management only |
| Teens, MASH, 7.2 mg | Injection only; the tablets are for adults | Adults only |
| Type 2 diabetes | Not studied for weight reduction in type 2 diabetes; semaglutide levels on 25 mg were lower in this group (about 44 nmol/L) than on the 2.4 mg injection (about 68), and for people with type 2 diabetes who have an inadequate response to the tablets, the label says to consider alternatives, including switching to the injection (PI 8.6) | Weight studied in type 2 diabetes (Trial 2); no diabetes indication |
| Pregnancy | Weight loss offers no benefit in pregnancy and may cause fetal harm. Stop if pregnant and using it for weight reduction, and at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy because of semaglutide's long half-life (PI 8.1, 8.3) | Weight loss offers no benefit in pregnancy and may cause fetal harm. Stop when pregnancy is recognized; the label advises effective contraception during treatment (PI 8.1, 8.3) |
| Breastfeeding | Not recommended; SNAC or its metabolites appear in human milk | Not recommended; no human data, and the drug was found in rat milk |
| Liver disease | No liver-impairment section in the dosing or populations sections. Section 12.3 reports no clinically significant change in semaglutide blood levels in mild, moderate or severe impairment (a general semaglutide statement, not tablet-specific) | Not recommended in severe impairment (Child-Pugh C); no dose change for mild or moderate (PI 8.6) |
The Ozempic pill is a separate oral semaglutide product for type 2 diabetes; see Is there an Ozempic pill?
What the Two Labels Report on Weight Loss
For the tablets, the Wegovy label reports one placebo-controlled weight trial (Study 7). The Foundayo label reports two: Trial 1 in adults without diabetes and Trial 2 in adults with type 2 diabetes. The table compares the two trials that excluded diabetes.
Two trials, two designs
| Wegovy tablets: Study 7 (OASIS 4) | Foundayo: Trial 1 (ATTAIN-1) | |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | NCT05564117 | NCT05869903 |
| Length | 64 weeks | 72 weeks |
| Randomized | 307 (205 tablet, 102 placebo), 2:1 | 3,127 (723, 725 and 730 on 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg; 949 placebo) |
| Product tested | Marketed 25 mg tablet; one dose arm | Investigational formulation shown as equivalent Foundayo dosages; three arms |
| Population | No type 2 diabetes; mean age 48; 79% women; 92% White; BMI 38 | No type 2 diabetes; mean age 45; 64% female; 56% White, 28% Asian; BMI 37 |
| Final weight missing | 6.3% tablet, 11.8% placebo | 15% at 17.2 mg, 24% placebo |
| Sponsor | Novo Nordisk | Eli Lilly |
| Placebo arm, weight change | -2.4% | -2.1% |
| Active arm, weight change | -13.6% (25 mg) | -7.4% (5.5 mg), -8.3% (9 mg), -11.1% (17.2 mg) |
Against placebo, the Wegovy label's difference is 11.2 percentage points; Foundayo's are 5.3, 6.2 and 9.0 points at 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg. A separate Foundayo trial in type 2 diabetes (Trial 2) reported -5.1%, -7.0% and -9.6% versus -2.5%; the Wegovy tablets have no weight trial in that group. Novo Nordisk's 16.6% for OASIS 4, from its December 2025 approval announcement, is a different estimand (weight loss when treatment was adhered to), so it does not belong next to any Foundayo number.
Why the numbers are not ranked here
Foundayo's label warns that "adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice." Wegovy's has nearly identical wording. Weight results carry the same problem: the trials differ in length, size, dose arms, product, missing data and sponsor. A 2026 network meta-analysis of oral GLP-1 trials found that low-to-moderate certainty and the lack of head-to-head trials limit any comparison. So this page calls neither tablet stronger.
The one head-to-head trial: ACHIEVE-3 (type 2 diabetes)
ACHIEVE-3 (Lancet, 2026), funded by Eli Lilly, was an open-label, 52-week trial in 1,698 adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin. It tested orforglipron 12 and 36 mg, which are not Foundayo label strengths, against oral semaglutide 7 and 14 mg, diabetes-line doses rather than the Wegovy pill's 25 mg. The primary endpoint was HbA1c.
HbA1c fell 1.71 and 1.91 points on orforglipron 12 and 36 mg versus 1.23 and 1.47 on semaglutide 7 and 14 mg, meeting the trial's non-inferiority and superiority tests. Orforglipron groups also had more gastrointestinal events (58% to 59% vs 37% to 45%), more stopping for adverse events (9% to 10% vs 4% to 5%) and larger mean pulse rises (3.7 to 4.7 vs 1.0 to 1.5 beats per minute).
It enrolled no one without diabetes, tested neither tablet at its weight dose, and says nothing about how Foundayo and the Wegovy pill compare for weight.
Side Effects and Warnings in the Two Labels
Both carry a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors and rule out use with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2, or a prior serious hypersensitivity reaction to the drug. Foundayo's boxed warning adds that orforglipron is not pharmacologically active in rats or mice and did not produce tumors in rodents.
Shared warnings include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar with insulin or secretagogues, kidney injury, severe gastrointestinal reactions, hypersensitivity, diabetic retinopathy complications and aspiration under anesthesia. Wegovy adds a heart-rate warning.
| What each label publishes | Wegovy pill vs placebo | Foundayo vs placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Stopped for adverse reactions | 6.9% vs 5.9% (PI 6.1) | 6%, 9%, 10% at 5.5, 9, 17.2 mg vs 3% |
| Stopped for stomach or bowel reactions | 3.4% vs 2% | 3%, 6%, 6% vs 0.7% |
| Any stomach or bowel reaction | No tablet figure in the label | 60%, 68%, 69% vs 37% |
| Severe stomach or bowel reactions | 2% vs 0% (PI 5.6) | About 3% vs 1% (PI 5.3) |
| Gallstones (cholelithiasis) | 2.5% vs 1% (PI 5.3) | 1% vs 0.7% (PI 5.8) |
| Heart rate | Warning 5.9 says tablet findings were similar to the injection's. Study 7: mean resting heart rate +2.7 bpm on the tablet vs +2.4 on placebo (PI 14.2, Table 16; outside the trial's pre-specified testing) | Fast heart rate in 3% vs 0.9%; mean rise of 4 to 5 beats per minute vs 0.5 (PI 6.1) |
The Wegovy label has no per-symptom table for the tablet; it calls the common reactions similar to Table 3, the injection's table. Nausea or vomiting rates quoted for the Wegovy pill are usually injection numbers. See Wegovy pill side effects and the per-dose symptom table in the Foundayo dosage chart.
Drug Interactions and Medicines That Matter
| Medicine | Wegovy pill label | Foundayo label |
|---|---|---|
| Birth control pills | No instruction; a tablet study found no clinically significant change in ethinyl estradiol or levonorgestrel | Non-oral or barrier method for 30 days after starting and after each dose increase |
| Levothyroxine | Total thyroxine exposure rose 33% with oral semaglutide; monitor narrow-therapeutic-index drugs more closely | Not named in the label |
| CYP3A4 drugs | In lab (in vitro) studies, semaglutide showed very low potential to inhibit or induce CYP enzymes (PI 12.3) | Maximum 9 mg with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor; avoid strong inducers and inhibitors that also block OATP1B, such as ritonavir |
| Simvastatin | Not named in the label | Do not exceed 20 mg once daily |
| Insulin or sulfonylureas | Higher risk of low blood sugar; their dose may need lowering | Same warning |
Both drugs slow stomach emptying, which can change how other oral medicines are absorbed. Bring a full medicine list to the prescriber or pharmacist, and do not start or stop anything on your own.
Foundayo vs Wegovy Pill Cost, Self-Pay (Checked October 29, 2026)
Cash prices for one 30-tablet bottle, from NovoCare, LillyDirect and TrumpRx.gov on October 29, 2026, along the earliest schedule each label allows. Prices change; check before you fill.
| Fill | Wegovy pill | Foundayo, today | Foundayo, after the reductions end Dec 31, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.5 mg: $149 | 0.8 mg: $149 | 0.8 mg: $149 |
| 2 | 4 mg: $199 | 2.5 mg: $149 | 2.5 mg: $199 |
| 3 | 9 mg: $299 | 5.5 mg: $199 | 5.5 mg: $299 |
| 4 | 25 mg: $299 (maintenance dose) | 9 mg: $299 (not the top strength) | 9 mg: $299 |
| Total, 4 fills | $946 | $796 | $946 |
Assumptions: before taxes and fees; not insurance prices; no missed doses; a step up at every first chance. Foundayo steps above 5.5 mg are optional, so this is the earliest path, not what anyone pays. By fill 4, someone on the Wegovy pill has reached the maintenance dose; someone on Foundayo is on 9 mg with two optional steps left. The totals are not like for like. The "today" column assumes all four fills happen while the reduced prices last. On the earliest schedule, that means a first fill by November 1, 2026. Starting later moves the 5.5 mg fill past December 31, 2026, to Lilly's regular $299. From a December 2 start, the 2.5 mg fill also passes that date, at the regular $199. At the top strengths, Wegovy pill 25 mg and Foundayo 17.2 mg are both $299 a month, on the conditions below.
- Foundayo 2.5 and 5.5 mg are temporarily reduced through December 31, 2026 (regular $199 and $299). Lilly says it may change or cancel the offer at any time.
- Foundayo 14.5 and 17.2 mg are $299 under Lilly's Self-Pay Journey Program; to keep that price, each refill must be completed within 45 days of the previous delivery. Lilly's regular price for both is $349.
- Wegovy pill: $149 (1.5 mg), $199 (4 mg), $299 (9 and 25 mg). Novo Nordisk may modify or cancel the program at any time.
More detail: the Foundayo dosage chart, our semaglutide cost guide and TrumpRx pricing guide.
Insurance and Medicare
With commercial insurance, eligible people may pay as little as $25 a month for Wegovy (NovoCare; maximum savings $100 a month; see the Wegovy savings card guide) or as low as $25 for Foundayo if their plan covers it (LillyDirect). Both exclude government beneficiaries.
Medicare.gov lists Foundayo (tablet) and Wegovy (injection or tablet) under the temporary Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, running from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027 (CMS), with a $50 monthly copayment. A prescriber must complete a prior authorization, and BMI and health rules apply; see our guide to insurance and the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge. To compare your own answers with the CMS criteria, use the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge eligibility checker.
Switching Between the Two
Neither label gives a plan. Wegovy's switching section covers only its own injection and tablets (2.4 mg injection to 25 mg tablets one week after the last shot; 25 mg tablets to the injection the day after the last tablet). The Foundayo label never mentions Wegovy or semaglutide and has one starting dose, 0.8 mg. Both say another GLP-1 receptor agonist at the same time is not recommended. With no conversion table, timing and dose are a prescriber's call.
Questions to Bring to a Prescriber
This page won't tell anyone which tablet to take. These are the questions where the labels split:
- Can I keep a morning empty-stomach routine, with a 30-minute wait, on most days?
- Do I take levothyroxine, simvastatin, birth control pills or a CYP3A4-affecting drug?
- Does the Wegovy pill's heart-risk indication apply to me?
- If I have type 2 diabetes, what does each label say?
- Am I pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding?
- What will coverage or self-pay cost me over the first four months and after?
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is more effective, Foundayo or the Wegovy pill?
No randomized trial has compared them for obesity, so their labels cannot rank them. Each label reports its own placebo-controlled trials (one for the Wegovy tablets, two for Foundayo), with different lengths, sizes, dose plans and products. The only head-to-head trial, ACHIEVE-3, enrolled adults with type 2 diabetes, used other doses and measured HbA1c, not weight.
Which has fewer side effects, Foundayo or the Wegovy pill?
The labels cannot say. Stomach and bowel effects are the most common with both. Foundayo's label reports gastrointestinal reactions in 60%, 68% and 69% of people at 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg versus 37% on placebo. The Wegovy label has no per-symptom table for the tablet, and the trials differ, so the figures are not comparable.
Is Foundayo cheaper than the Wegovy pill?
On October 29, 2026, Wegovy pill self-pay was $149, $199, $299 and $299 across four strengths. Foundayo was $149, $149, $199, $299, $299 and $299 across six, with 2.5 and 5.5 mg temporarily reduced through December 31, 2026. Both top strengths cost $299 a month, Foundayo's when refills stay within 45 days.
Can you switch from the Wegovy pill to Foundayo?
Neither label gives a plan. The Wegovy label covers only switching between Wegovy tablets and Wegovy injection. The Foundayo label never mentions Wegovy and lists one starting dose, 0.8 mg. Both say using another GLP-1 receptor agonist at the same time is not recommended. Timing and dose are a prescriber decision.
Do Foundayo and the Wegovy pill affect birth control pills?
The Foundayo label advises switching to a non-oral method, or adding a barrier method, for 30 days after starting and after each dose increase. The Wegovy label has no contraceptive instruction; its tablet study found no clinically significant change in ethinyl estradiol or levonorgestrel. Ask a prescriber before relying on either.
Are Foundayo and the Wegovy pill covered by Medicare?
Medicare.gov lists Foundayo (tablet) and Wegovy (injection or tablet) under the temporary Medicare GLP-1 Bridge from July 1, 2026, with a $50 copayment for a one-month supply. A prescriber must complete a prior authorization, and BMI and health-condition rules apply. Our insurance guide explains who qualifies.
Does either pill have a heart-protection indication?
Only the Wegovy pill's label does: it is indicated to lower the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight, alongside weight management. Foundayo's label lists weight management only. The adolescent and MASH indications belong to Wegovy injection, not the tablets.
Plan a Semaglutide Schedule
The free calculator charts semaglutide levels for a dose schedule. It does not model Foundayo.
References
- WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and tablets. Prescribing Information. Novo Nordisk. Revised 06/2026.
- FOUNDAYO (orforglipron) tablets. Prescribing Information. Eli Lilly. Revised 07/2026.
- Wharton S, Lingvay I, Bogdanski P, et al. Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (OASIS 4). N Engl J Med. 2025;393(11):1077-1087.
- Wharton S, Aronne LJ, Stefanski A, et al. Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment (ATTAIN-1). N Engl J Med. 2025;393(18):1796-1806.
- Rosenstock J, Yabe D, Cox D, et al. Orforglipron compared with oral semaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes (ACHIEVE-3). Lancet. 2026;407(10534):1147-1160.
- Kamrul-Hasan ABM, Ashraf H, Nagendra L, et al. Oral GLP-1 receptor agonists in weight management without diabetes: a network meta-analysis. Obes Sci Pract. 2026;12(4):e70181.
- Rosenstock J, et al. Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, in Early Type 2 Diabetes (ACHIEVE-1). N Engl J Med. 2025;393(11):1065-1076.
- FDA. Drugs@FDA application records NDA218316 (Wegovy tablets) and NDA220934 (Foundayo), accessed October 29, 2026.
- Medicare.gov. Weight loss drugs (Medicare GLP-1 Bridge), accessed October 29, 2026.
- Eli Lilly. Foundayo full terms and conditions, accessed October 29, 2026.
- Novo Nordisk, NovoCare. Wegovy self-pay and savings offer, accessed October 29, 2026.
- TrumpRx.gov product pages, accessed October 29, 2026: Foundayo and Wegovy pill.
- Eli Lilly. Foundayo on LillyDirect (how to take, self-pay and commercial-insurance offers), accessed October 29, 2026.
- CMS. Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, accessed October 29, 2026.
- Novo Nordisk. Wegovy pill approved in the US as first oral GLP-1 for weight management. Company announcement, December 2025.
Medical Disclaimer: For informational purposes only. This page compares FDA labels, recommends neither medicine and does not replace medical advice. Talk to a prescriber before starting, stopping or switching treatment.
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