Foundayo (orforglipron) Uses: What the Medicine Is Intended For

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Foundayo has two licensed uses in the UK. The first is weight management, including weight loss and weight maintenance, in eligible adults with obesity or overweight plus at least one weight-related health condition, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. The second is improving blood sugar control in adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes, alongside diet and exercise. Both uses were authorised by the MHRA on 10 August 2026.

Foundayo is the brand name for orforglipron, an oral, non-peptide GLP-1 receptor agonist. It activates GLP-1 receptors involved in appetite regulation and glucose control, reduces food intake, delays gastric emptying and improves measures of blood glucose.

A licensed use is a precise thing. It is the purpose the regulator assessed the evidence for, the group of people it applies to, and the conditions attached, and it is what a UK prescriber works to. This guide from the EveryDayMeds pharmacy team sets out each licensed use in detail, explains what the medicine does day to day and over months, lists the uses it does not have, describes the uses under study, and explains how a prescriber decides which use applies to you and when a use comes to an end.

What is Foundayo used for?

Foundayo is used for weight management and for type 2 diabetes, and each use has a defined group of people and a condition attached.

Key things to know

• Foundayo is licensed for two uses in the UK: weight management in adults who meet the BMI criteria, and insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes. Both were authorised by the MHRA on 10 August 2026.
• "Weight maintenance" is part of the weight management licence. The medicine is used to hold weight off as well as to lose it.
• Both uses require diet and activity changes. The medicine supports them; it does not replace them.
• It is not licensed for people below the BMI criteria, for children, for type 1 diabetes, for cosmetic weight loss, or for short term use before an event.
• Trials are under way in other conditions linked with obesity, but a use is not a licensed use until the MHRA has assessed it.
• A prescriber decides which licensed use applies, sets the dose steps and reviews whether the use is still appropriate.
• Treatment suitability depends on an individual clinical assessment, and your prescriber will determine the appropriate treatment.

What does "licensed use" mean?

A licensed use, also called an indication, is a purpose for which the MHRA has assessed a medicine's evidence and authorised its use for a defined group of patients under specified conditions. The authorised indications are set out in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC).

A medicine can sometimes be prescribed outside its licence, known as off-label prescribing, when a prescriber considers this clinically appropriate and takes responsibility for the decision. An off-label use should not, however, be described as an MHRA-approved or licensed use.

Foundayo for weight management: what does the use cover?

The weight management use covers losing weight and keeping it off, in adults who meet the BMI criteria, with diet and activity changes alongside. Clinical trials show significant body weight loss when Foundayo is used with diet and exercise. Each part of that sentence matters.

• Losing weight. Clinical trials assess weight loss over 72 weeks, while the UK licence covers weight management, including both weight loss and weight maintenance, without specifying a 72-week treatment limit. In ATTAIN-1, 59.6% of participants receiving the 36 mg study dose achieved at least 10% weight loss at week 72.
• Keeping it off. Weight maintenance is explicitly included in the UK indication. The appropriate dose and duration of treatment are determined by the prescriber according to treatment response and tolerability.
• The BMI criteria. A BMI of 30 or above qualifies on its own. A BMI of 27 to 30 qualifies only with at least one weight related condition.
• Diet and activity. The licence assumes a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity. They are part of the use, and they are what the medicine's appetite effect makes achievable.

What counts as a weight related condition?

Conditions that are caused or worsened by excess weight and that improve with weight loss, typically high blood pressure, raised cholesterol or other blood fats, type 2 diabetes or raised blood sugar short of diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea, and weight related joint problems. A prescriber judges whether a condition qualifies, and the trial evidence for Foundayo included people with these conditions.

Foundayo for type 2 diabetes: what does the use cover?

The diabetes use covers improving blood sugar control in adults whose type 2 diabetes is insufficiently controlled, as part of diabetes care with diet and activity. GLP-1 medicines increase the release of insulin when blood sugar is high and reduce the hormone that raises blood sugar, and they reduce appetite, which helps with the weight that drives type 2 diabetes. The ACHIEVE trial programme studied orforglipron in people with type 2 diabetes and supports this licence.

Can Foundayo be used for type 1 diabetes?

No.Foundayo does not have a UK licence for treating type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes requires insulin replacement, and any use of orforglipron outside its licence would require an individual clinical decision by the treating clinician.

What does Foundayo do in the body?

Foundayo mimics GLP-1, a naturally occurring hormone released after eating, and like other GLP-1 receptor agonists it works through pathways that help support weight loss, adding up to its two licensed uses.

What else did the trial show?

In ATTAIN-1, alongside weight loss, orforglipron improved secondary health markers including systolic blood pressure, cholesterol, waist circumference and blood sugar measures compared with placebo. These were outcomes measured in the trial, but they are not separate licensed indications for Foundayo.

How quickly does Foundayo do what it does?

The effects of Foundayo develop over different timescales. Its effects on appetite and food intake can become noticeable during treatment, while improvements in blood glucose are assessed through measures such as blood glucose and HbA1c over time. Weight reduction develops progressively over months rather than immediately.

The dose is started low and increased gradually according to treatment response and tolerability. Individual responses vary, so there is no single timeline that applies to everyone.

What is Foundayo not used for?

Foundayo currently has two licensed uses in the UK. Other potential uses may be studied or may sometimes be considered off-label by a prescriber, but they should not be described as licensed uses.

A prescriber should assess whether the requested use is clinically appropriate and whether it falls within the medicine's UK licence. A use that is not listed in the licence should not be presented to patients as an MHRA-authorised indication. In some circumstances, medicines can be prescribed off-label when a clinician considers this appropriate.

What uses are under study?

Trials of orforglipron are under way in conditions linked with obesity, including a trial in adults with obesity or overweight and osteoarthritis of the knee, which is recruiting and is not expected to complete until 2028. Trial programmes also continue in weight management and type 2 diabetes, and results in people aged 65 and over have been reported from the ATTAIN trials. None of these creates a licensed use.Until the MHRA authorises a new indication, it should not be described as a licensed use.

How is Foundayo used in practice?

In practice Foundayo is used as a once-daily oral tablet, started at a low dose of 0.8mg, increased in steps by the prescriber, held at the strength that works and is tolerated, and reviewed at intervals for as long as the licensed use continues.

1. A prescriber confirms which licensed use applies, checks eligibility and safety, and sets the plan.
2. Treatment starts at a low dose of 0.8mg so the digestive system adjusts.
3. The prescriber increases the strength in steps according to the licence and how you tolerate each step. The steps are not a schedule to follow yourself.
4. A holding strength is reached, the one that controls appetite and is tolerated.
5. Reviews continue at intervals: weight, side effects, blood sugar where relevant, and the diet and activity plan.
6. The use is revisited at each review. Weight maintenance is a licensed use, and so is stopping when the prescriber and you agree the time is right.

To take Foundayo, it is used as one tablet once daily, at any time of day, with or without food, at the same time each day. Swallow Foundayo tablets whole; do not crush or chew. A missed dose is handled as the patient information leaflet directs, and never by taking two.

How long is Foundayo used for?

Foundayo is intended for ongoing treatment when the prescriber considers that its benefits continue to outweigh its risks. For weight management, the UK indication includes both weight loss and weight maintenance, so treatment is not defined as a short course.

The appropriate dose and duration depend on the individual's response, tolerability, health needs and treatment goals. If you are considering stopping Foundayo, discuss this with your prescriber rather than stopping treatment without advice.

What commonly goes wrong?

• Asking for the medicine for a use outside the licence, and being declined, or worse, finding a service that agrees. Foundayo is a prescription-only medicine that requires healthcare provider evaluation, with the prescriber confirming eligibility and safety after reviewing your medical history.
• Treating it as a short course before a holiday, and stopping without the changes that protect the result. Early digestive adjustment can happen, and common side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Serious side effects are uncommon with Foundayo, but you should still follow the advice in the patient information leaflet and speak to a clinician if symptoms are severe or persistent.
• Expecting weight loss to arrive in weeks. The trial measured 72 weeks.
• Assuming the diabetes use replaces diabetes care. It sits alongside it, and other medicines may need adjusting.
• Skipping the diet and activity changes that both licences assume.
• Doubling a missed dose. Never. Follow the leaflet.

How can EveryDayMeds help?

If you are unsure whether Foundayo's licensed uses cover your situation, our online consultation with UK registered prescribers will tell you plainly. An independent prescriber reviews the information provided during the consultation, assesses eligibility and safety, and determines whether treatment is clinically appropriate. The prescriber also discusses whether Foundayo is available through our clinic at the time of your consultation and what the alternatives are if it is not. EveryDayMeds is a GPhC registered UK pharmacy and weight loss clinic, registration number 9012878.

Medically supervised weight loss treatment is available to adults living with obesity, subject to an individual clinical assessment, and a prescriber will not prescribe outside a medicine's licence on request.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for general information only and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. It does not recommend any specific medicine or dose. The summary of product characteristics and patient information leaflet published by the MHRA set out Foundayo's licensed uses and take precedence over anything written here. Foundayo is a prescription only medicine that should only be used under the supervision of an appropriately qualified prescriber, within its UK licence. Always read the patient information leaflet.