New Oral Weight Loss Drug in the UK: Wegovy Tablets and Foundayo (October 2026)

01 · The short answer

Which new oral weight loss drugs can you get in the UK?

Two GLP-1 weight-loss tablets are now licensed in the UK: Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk), approved by the MHRA in June 2026, and Foundayo (orforglipron, made by Eli Lilly), approved in August 2026.²⁰²¹ They are different medicines from Mounjaro, with their own dosing, eligibility checks and trial results, and both are prescription-only.

There is no tablet form of Mounjaro. Tirzepatide is injection-only in the UK.¹ That matters because online headlines about 'a Mounjaro pill' often blur the line between Eli Lilly's injection and Eli Lilly's separate tablet. Foundayo is made by the same company, but it contains a different active ingredient, so it is not the same medicine in a new shape.

02 · What to decide

Is a weight loss tablet relevant to you?

A tablet may be relevant if you are an adult with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, because that is the licensed range for both tablets.²⁰²¹ They are used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, not instead of them. They are not for cosmetic weight loss in someone who falls outside those ranges.

The real decision is usually not 'tablet or nothing' but 'tablet or injection'. Think about your own habits. Do you eat breakfast early, take other tablets in the morning or travel often? Would you rather take a daily tablet or inject once a week? A prescriber will check which option is suitable for your health, your other medicines and your routine.²⁰

If a tablet sounds right, you can start with a prescription for an oral treatment through a free online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber. If you would rather compare every route, including injections, our weight loss clinic shows the full range and current prices.

If you are leaning towards the weekly injection, the Mounjaro pen has a standard price of £169.99 per month for 2.5mg, with all six doses in stock. New customers save £40 on their first order with code FIRST40, and an automatic £25 reorder discount applies to every future order (code DOSE25).

03 · Wegovy tablets explained

Wegovy tablets: what they are and how to take them

Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, the same active ingredient as the Wegovy injection, taken as one tablet once a day.²⁰ If you have heard of the weekly Wegovy pen, this is the same medicine in a different form. That also places it among the wider family of oral GLP-1 medicines, a group that was unavailable in this form for weight loss until recently.

They are licensed for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.²⁰ In plain terms, the lower BMI band only applies if a weight-related health condition is also present, and a prescriber has to confirm that during the consultation.

Treatment starts at 1.5mg once daily and steps up to 4mg, 9mg and then the 25mg maintenance dose, with at least one month at each dose; the dose can stay at an earlier step if needed.²⁰

The daily routine is the part that needs the most planning. The tablet must be taken on an empty stomach after fasting for at least 8 hours, swallowed whole with a sip of water (up to half a glass, about 120ml), and you then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other tablets.²⁰ Practically, that means the tablet comes first thing, before coffee, breakfast or any other morning medicine. People who wake and eat straight away, or who take several other tablets in the morning, should be honest with the prescriber about whether this will work.

If a dose is missed, skip it and take the next tablet the following day.²⁰

People already using the weekly injection can switch. People on the 2.4mg weekly Wegovy injection can move to the 25mg tablet, starting one week after their last injection.²⁰ Switching should only happen with prescriber guidance, because the tablet has its own dose ladder and its own eligibility checks.

Before starting, bring a full list of everything you take, including over-the-counter products and supplements. The consultation is where interactions, other conditions and your daily routine get checked, and an honest answer there is worth more than any article. If the tablet turns out not to suit you, other licensed options exist, and the prescriber can talk you through them.

04 · Wegovy tablet results

Wegovy tablets: OASIS 4 results and side effects

In the OASIS 4 trial, adults taking semaglutide 25mg tablets for 64 weeks lost on average 13.6% of their body weight, compared with 2.2% on placebo.²² 76.3% lost at least 5% of their body weight (vs 30.5% on placebo) and 59.8% lost at least 10% (vs 14.1%).²² These are trial averages in a specific group of people over a specific time, and individual results vary. Trial averages do not predict your own result.

It helps to read those figures the right way round. The headline average describes the group, so some people lost more and some lost less. The percentages of people reaching at least a given loss show the spread. Each figure also sits beside the placebo comparison, which shows what happens with the diet and activity advice alone, so the difference between the two columns is the useful part.

Side effects are the other half of the picture. The most common side effects are digestive — nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and stomach pain — along with headache and tiredness; gallstones and hair loss are listed as common.²²

If a side effect worries you, speak to your prescriber rather than stopping or adjusting on your own. You can also report any suspected side effect through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme, which helps regulators monitor medicines after launch.¹⁹

Trial results should not be compared with results from other trials as if they were head to head. SURMOUNT-5 remains the trial that compared tirzepatide directly with injected semaglutide, and it did not include the tablet.¹⁵

In practice, a good question for your prescriber is not 'what is the average?' but 'what could I realistically expect on the dose I will be taking, and what would we do if side effects get in the way?' That conversation, plus regular reviews, is where the trial numbers become useful for you personally.

05 · Foundayo explained

Foundayo (orforglipron): what it is and how to take it

Foundayo contains orforglipron, a once-daily GLP-1 tablet made by Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro.²¹ Unlike Wegovy tablets it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food and without water restrictions; the tablet is swallowed whole.²¹ For people who cannot manage a fasting morning routine, that flexibility may be the deciding factor.

It is licensed for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to under 30 with at least one weight-related condition, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.²¹ That is the same eligibility range as Wegovy tablets, so the choice between them is more about routine, tolerability and prescriber judgement than about who qualifies.

Treatment starts at 0.8mg once daily, then steps up to 2.5mg and 5.5mg, and then to 9mg, 14.5mg or 17.2mg depending on response and tolerability, with at least 30 days at each dose; 17.2mg once daily is the maximum.²¹ Note the phrase 'depending on response and tolerability'. The prescriber helps you settle on the dose that balances benefit and comfort.

If a dose is missed, take it as soon as possible, but never more than one tablet a day.²¹ This differs from Wegovy tablets, where a missed dose is skipped until the next day, so do not assume the rules are interchangeable if you ever move between the two.

One safety point deserves particular attention. Foundayo may make oral contraceptive pills less effective: switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and for 30 days after each dose increase.²¹ Make sure the prescriber knows if you use any hormonal contraception, and ask them to talk through the right backup for you.

Because Foundayo has no food or water rules, it is easier to fit around shift work, early starts or other morning medicines. Easier does not mean easier to get right, though. As with every prescription weight-loss medicine, it works alongside diet and activity changes rather than replacing them, and your prescriber will review how you are getting on.

06 · Foundayo trial results

Foundayo: ATTAIN-1 results and side effects

In the ATTAIN-1 trial of 3,127 adults without type 2 diabetes, people taking the highest dose of orforglipron for 72 weeks lost on average 12.4% of their body weight, compared with 0.9% on placebo; the two lower doses gave 7.8% and 9.3%.²³

There is an important technical caveat. The trial used capsules, and the UK 17.2mg tablet corresponds to the highest trial dose, so the tablet and capsule doses are not comparable milligram for milligram.²³ If you see trial doses quoted in news stories, do not map them directly onto the tablet strengths you would be prescribed. Your prescriber works from the UK product information, not from the trial doses.

The most common side effects are digestive — nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion and stomach pain.²³ In the trial, 10.3% of people on the highest dose stopped because of side effects, compared with 2.7% on placebo.²³

How should you read ATTAIN-1 next to the Wegovy tablet trial? Carefully, and not as a contest. The two trials involved different people, different durations and different doses, so setting one headline average beside the other would mislead. The honest reading is that both tablets produced meaningful average losses against placebo in their own trials, and that both carry mainly digestive side effects.

Neither tablet has been tested head to head against Mounjaro. SURMOUNT-5 is the trial that compared tirzepatide directly with injected semaglutide, and it did not include these tablets.¹⁵ Anyone claiming a tablet 'beats' or 'matches' Mounjaro from separate trials is going beyond what the evidence supports.

If you want the broader landscape of tablets, our guide to oral weight loss medications puts the licensed options in one place. Report any suspected side effect through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹

07 · Tablets versus Mounjaro

GLP-1 tablets vs Mounjaro injection

Mounjaro is a once-weekly injection; Wegovy tablets and Foundayo are once-daily tablets.¹ That single difference shapes most of the day-to-day experience, so start there when deciding. A weekly pen means a short task once a week. A daily tablet means a small task every day, with extra rules for Wegovy tablets.

No trial has compared Mounjaro directly with either tablet, so results from separate trials — with different people, durations and doses — should not be set against each other as if they were head to head (SURMOUNT-5 is the trial that compared tirzepatide directly with injected semaglutide).¹⁵

The practical differences matter as much as the averages: Wegovy tablets need a strict empty-stomach routine every morning, Foundayo has no food or water rules, and Mounjaro needs one injection a week. A prescriber will check which option is suitable for your health, your other medicines and your routine.

The mechanisms also differ. Tirzepatide is the first treatment of its kind to activate two natural gut-hormone receptors at once: GIP and GLP-1. Together these help regulate appetite, slow how quickly the stomach empties, and improve the way the body responds to insulin.¹ The tablets are GLP-1 medicines, so Mounjaro's dual action is what distinguishes it from single-action medicines such as semaglutide.

The injectable Wegovy pen is the third relevant comparison. People on the 2.4mg weekly Wegovy injection can move to the 25mg tablet, starting one week after their last injection.

Who might lean which way? Someone who dislikes needles, or who simply wants a tablet, may favour an oral option. Someone who prefers a single weekly task, or who cannot manage a morning fast, may prefer the pen. Someone who takes several morning medicines may find Foundayo easier than Wegovy tablets. None of these is medical advice, just the kinds of practical question a prescriber will ask.

If you want to explore other recent launches, see our overview of other new weight loss treatments.

08 · Cheaper and natural options

Cheaper alternatives, 'poor man's Ozempic' and supplements

There is no tablet form of Mounjaro — tirzepatide is injection-only in the UK.¹ The honest answer is that licensed options exist, but they are different medicines, and a low-cost product is not automatically an equivalent one.

Other licensed options work differently: orlistat (tablet) blocks some dietary fat absorption and produces smaller average losses, and Wegovy and Saxenda (liraglutide) are other licensed injectables.¹ Liraglutide is supplied at 6mg/ml and is a daily injection, unlike once-weekly Mounjaro and Wegovy. Which of these is the right fit is a prescriber's decision, based on your health and goals.

What about the nickname 'poor man's Ozempic'? It is marketing, and it is usually attached to berberine or similar products. 'Natural GLP-1' supplements (such as berberine) are not medicines, are not regulated for this use and have no comparable trial evidence.¹ They are available cheaply without assessment, which is part of the problem: there is no clinical oversight, dosing is not standardised, and dramatic weight-loss claims on sellers' pages are not backed by the kind of trials behind licensed medicines. The nickname borrows the credibility of a real medicine without carrying its evidence.

The same caution applies to fibre products such as psyllium husk, which people ask about in connection with belly fat. These are not licensed weight-loss medicines. If you find a fibre product helpful for digestion, that is a separate question from weight-loss treatment, and it is worth mentioning to your prescriber or pharmacist anyway.

Be especially wary of anything sold as a pill that claims to 'work like' a GLP-1 medicine. Counterfeit and mislabelled products are a recognised risk with weight-loss medicines. Buy only from a registered pharmacy, such as one listed on the GPhC register, and be suspicious of any seller offering to supply without a consultation or prescription.⁷

Older prescription weight-loss drugs have their own stories, which we cover in our guides to the Belviq weight loss drug and the fen-fen weight loss drug. They are useful background for why modern licensing and monitoring matter, and why the newest medicines are still watched closely after launch.

If cost is your main concern, compare prices through registered pharmacies rather than switching to an unproven supplement. Our weight loss clinic lists current prices for the medicines we supply, and a free consultation will tell you whether you are suitable for treatment at all.

09 · NHS, private and ordering

NHS or private access, and how ordering works

Mounjaro is available on the NHS, but access is being phased in over several years.⁴⁶ NICE recommends it for adults with a BMI of at least 35 plus at least one weight-related condition, and the NHS primary-care rollout began in June 2025 with the highest-need groups first (initially BMI 40+ with four or more qualifying conditions). Full rollout is expected to take years, which is why many people who meet the licensed criteria choose regulated private treatment rather than waiting.⁴⁶

If you want to know whether you qualify for NHS support, ask your GP. NHS access to Wegovy runs through specialist weight-management services, so ask your GP about what is available locally.

If you choose private treatment, here is how ordering works with us. First, you complete a free online consultation, a short health questionnaire with no charge and no obligation. Second, your answers are reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber, not a scoring script. Payment is taken when you place the order; if the prescriber decides the treatment is not suitable, the order is refunded automatically in full. Third, your medicine is dispensed by our registered pharmacy, with same-day dispatch when ordered by 3pm. Finally, delivery is free next-day tracked (DPD, temperature-controlled packaging, discreet), with Saturday delivery at £14.99.

The consultation is free, and the price shown is the price paid, with no hidden fees. You can pay by Visa or Mastercard, use Klarna or pay-monthly options, and there are no subscriptions. Repeat orders re-check suitability, and there is no auto-shipping, so nothing arrives that you have not chosen.

Ongoing care matters with a new medicine. Our prescribing team provides monthly reviews, dose titration and follow-up assessments, plus side-effect support. Our support team is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by email at support@everydaymeds.co.uk, through the account portal chat, or by phone on 0333 207 0413. The free GLPTrackr app helps you keep track of your own GLP-1 journey on iOS or Android.

For Mounjaro specifically, we supply through official LillyDirect supply, which means genuine KwikPens direct from Eli Lilly's UK distribution. Check that any pharmacy you use is on the GPhC register; ours is GPhC 9012878. If something seems wrong with a product, the MHRA runs counterfeit alerts and the Yellow Card scheme.⁷

Unsure where to begin? Our guide to a prescription for oral weight loss treatment walks through what to expect, and the consultation itself will tell you which licensed options suit you.

10 · What is coming next

What other new weight loss drugs are coming?

Right now, the licensed new oral options are Wegovy tablets and Foundayo, and nothing else should be described as available to prescribe. Other medicines are being developed, but a medicine in development is not licensed, not approved for UK prescribing and not something a legitimate pharmacy can supply. Our page on new weight loss drugs in development tracks that pipeline in general terms.

Why mention this at all? A licence means the regulator has reviewed quality, safety and efficacy evidence for a defined group of people. Before that point, any product offered for sale should be treated with suspicion.

When a new medicine does arrive, three questions help you assess it. Is it licensed in the UK for weight management? Does it have a Summary of Product Characteristics you can read? And has it been tested in a trial that matches your situation?

Another reason to be careful is that headlines routinely compare results across trials. When a story says one drug 'beats' another, look for whether the two were compared in the same trial.

Newly launched medicines also have less real-world experience behind them than established ones. Tell your prescriber about any unexpected symptom, and you can report suspected side effects through the Yellow Card scheme.

If you are ready to look at your own options, a free consultation is the sensible next step, and the prescriber will check what is suitable before anything is dispensed.

In short: two licensed tablets exist today, Mounjaro remains an injection, and everything else is either an older treatment, an unproven supplement or a future possibility. Treat each accordingly, keep your prescriber informed, and be sceptical of anything that sounds too good to be true.

11 · Serious side effects

Serious side effects: when to get help straight away

Serious side effects are uncommon but need urgent attention. Seek immediate medical help for: severe, persistent stomach pain that may spread to your back, with or without vomiting (possible pancreatitis); pain in the upper right abdomen, fever or yellowing of skin/eyes (possible gallbladder problems); or signs of a severe allergic reaction such as swelling of the face or throat and difficulty breathing. If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea alongside Mounjaro, watch for low blood sugar (shakiness, sweating, confusion) — your prescriber may need to adjust those medicines.¹ Mounjaro slows stomach emptying, which can reduce how well oral contraceptive pills are absorbed. The SmPC advises switching to a non-oral method, or adding a barrier method (such as condoms), for 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.