Foundayo (orforglipron) is Eli Lilly’s once-daily GLP-1 pill for weight management, approved by the FDA on April 1, 2026. Bought self-pay from LillyDirect, it costs $149 a month at the starting doses and up to $299 a month at the higher doses, as of October 18, 2026, with some of those prices temporarily reduced until the end of the year (LillyDirect). Unlike the Wegovy pill, it can be taken with or without food.
Gentle Health’s doctor prescribes Foundayo in all 41 jurisdictions where our physician is licensed, for $28/month of doctor’s care, with the tablets bought from LillyDirect. Here is who it is approved for, what the trials showed, what it costs at each dose, and how it compares with the other GLP-1 options.
Who Foundayo is approved for
Foundayo is approved, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, to reduce excess body weight and keep it off long term “in adults with obesity or adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition” (Foundayo prescribing information). Its main trial enrolled adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to 30 with a condition such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea or heart disease. It is approved for adults only, and it is not approved for type 2 diabetes.
The label says not to take it with another GLP-1 medicine. Like other GLP-1s, it is not for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or with MEN2, and it may harm a fetus. (Its boxed warning about thyroid tumors applies to the class; the label notes that orforglipron itself “did not produce tumors in rodents,” because it is not active in rats or mice.)
How you take it
One tablet a day, at any time, “with or without food,” swallowed whole. The label has no rule about waiting before eating or drinking. You start at 0.8 mg a day and move up no sooner than every 30 days, through 2.5 mg to 5.5 mg, and then one step at a time to 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg if your doctor decides to go higher based on how you respond and tolerate it.
Two practical points from the label: if you take birth-control pills, switch to another method or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and after each dose increase, and tell your doctor about every other medicine you take, because some change how much Foundayo reaches your blood.
What the trials showed
In the main 72-week trial, in adults without diabetes, people on the highest dose (17.2 mg) lost 11.1% of their body weight on average, against 2.1% on placebo. On 9 mg the average was 8.3%, and on 5.5 mg, 7.4%. In a second trial in adults with type 2 diabetes, the highest dose averaged 9.6%, against 2.5% on placebo.
Side effects were mostly digestive and most common while the dose was going up. On 17.2 mg, 35% of people had nausea at some point (10% on placebo), 25% diarrhea, 24% vomiting and 24% constipation. Across both trials, 8% of people on Foundayo stopped because of side effects, against 3% on placebo.
What Foundayo costs
| Dose (daily) | LillyDirect self-pay price per month | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8 mg | $149 | starting dose |
| 2.5 mg | $149 | reduced from $199 until December 31, 2026 |
| 5.5 mg | $199 | reduced from $299 until December 31, 2026 |
| 9 mg | $299 | |
| 14.5 mg | $299 | if refilled within 45 days, otherwise $349 |
| 17.2 mg | $299 | if refilled within 45 days, otherwise $349 |
Prices from LillyDirect and Lilly’s savings terms, checked October 18, 2026. A month is 30 days, and taxes or fees may be added.
With commercial insurance that covers Foundayo, Lilly’s savings card can bring a fill down to as little as $25, with savings capped at $100 a month and $1,000 a year. The card excludes anyone on Medicare, Medicaid or other government coverage, and all of Lilly’s cards end December 31, 2026 (Foundayo savings terms).
With Medicare, Foundayo is one of the drugs covered by the temporary Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, with a $50 monthly copay for people who meet its eligibility rules, from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027 (CMS, Medicare.gov).
How it compares
With the Wegovy pill. Both are once-daily tablets approved for weight management in adults. They contain different medicines: the Wegovy pill is semaglutide, Foundayo is orforglipron. The Wegovy pill has to be taken with a wait of at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other oral medicines; Foundayo has no such rule. Their trials were separate and not head to head, so their results cannot be compared directly: in the Wegovy pill’s main 64-week trial, people on 25 mg lost 13.6% on average against 2.4% on placebo. More on buying the Wegovy pill is in where to buy GLP-1 pills online.
With weekly injections. Wegovy and Zepbound are weekly shots of semaglutide and tirzepatide. If you would rather avoid needles, a daily pill is the trade: one dose a week becomes one a day.
With compounded weekly injections. Gentle Health prescribes compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide as weekly injections, priced by dose tier starting at $135 and $169 a month, respectively. Those prices include the medication, physician care, visits, messaging and overnight refrigerated shipping, with no separate membership fee. Foundayo is a different medicine and a daily tablet; its FDA-approved trial results do not carry over to compounded injections. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved or generic versions of Foundayo, Wegovy or Zepbound. If you qualify for Foundayo through insurance or the Medicare Bridge, that may cost you less than self-pay, and it is worth asking about first. Our pricing comparison shows the care fees and medicine-price context side by side.
Getting Foundayo through Gentle Health
Our doctor prescribes Foundayo in all 41 jurisdictions where our physician is licensed. The intake is online, and the doctor reviews it in writing or by video visit, depending on your state’s rules. If Foundayo is right for you the doctor sends the prescription to LillyDirect, which texts and emails you how to check out. You pay us $28/month for the doctor’s care, including messaging and video visits, and LillyDirect for the tablets at the prices above. You pay us only once the doctor writes the prescription, there is no minimum, and you can cancel any time. Gentle Health is not affiliated with Eli Lilly.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Foundayo cost without insurance? On LillyDirect, $149 a month for 0.8 mg and 2.5 mg, $199 for 5.5 mg, and $299 for 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg, as of October 18, 2026. The 2.5 mg and 5.5 mg prices are temporarily reduced until December 31, 2026, and the two highest doses cost $349 if not refilled within 45 days.
Is Foundayo approved for weight loss? Yes. The FDA approved it on April 1, 2026, to reduce excess body weight and keep it off in adults with obesity, or with overweight plus a weight-related condition. It is not approved for type 2 diabetes.
Do you have to take Foundayo on an empty stomach? No. The label says to take it once a day with or without food, swallowed whole. The Wegovy pill is the one that needs a 30-minute wait before eating or drinking.
How much weight do people lose on Foundayo? In its main 72-week trial in adults without diabetes, people on the highest dose lost 11.1% of their body weight on average, against 2.1% on placebo.
Can I get Foundayo prescribed online? Yes. Gentle Health’s doctor prescribes it in the 41 jurisdictions where our physician is licensed, for $28/month of doctor’s care, and you buy the tablets from LillyDirect.
Does Medicare cover Foundayo? Through the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, yes, for eligible people, with a $50 monthly copay from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027. Lilly’s commercial savings card cannot be used with Medicare.
Dr. James Simmons, MD