Foundayo is orforglipron, a GLP-1 receptor agonist taken as one tablet a day. The FDA approved it on April 1, 2026, under NDA 220934. [2] It is a small molecule rather than a peptide, and the label puts its absolute bioavailability at 77% after a 0.8 mg dose [1].
This page covers what the label says and what the trials behind it recorded, including the side effects. The molecule itself, and how it acts on the same receptor as the injections, is covered in the guide linked above.
What the FDA approved
The approval covers one use: with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, to reduce excess body weight and keep it off long term. [2] It applies to adults with obesity, or adults with overweight and at least one weight-related condition.
The label adds one limit. It does not recommend taking Foundayo alongside another GLP-1 receptor agonist [1]. Unlike the Wegovy label, it makes no claim about heart attacks or strokes.
How the label doses it
The label’s starting dose is 0.8 mg once a day [1]. After at least 30 days it rises to 2.5 mg, then after another 30 days to 5.5 mg. From there it may rise to 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg, each after at least 30 days, based on response and tolerability.
The maximum is 17.2 mg a day, one tablet, swallowed whole [1]. The label says it can be taken with or without food. If 7 or more daily doses in a row are missed, it says to restart the climb at a lower dose.
That food rule is the practical difference from the oral semaglutide tablet. The Wegovy pill must be taken on an empty stomach with a small amount of water, then a 30-minute wait. For Foundayo, the label reports that food lowered drug exposure by 19% in one study, which it judged not clinically relevant [1].
0.8 mg
starting dose, once daily
Foundayo label
17.2 mg
maximum dose, once daily
Foundayo label
29–49 h
elimination half-life after an oral dose
Foundayo label
Why the trial doses have different numbers
Anyone reading the trial papers will see doses of 6, 12 and 36 mg [3]. Those refer to an investigational formulation used in the trials.
The label presents the same trial groups as 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg of Foundayo, which it calls equivalent dosages [1]. The group sizes match: 329, 332 and 322 people in the diabetes trial, in both the journal paper and the label [4] [1]. So a trial’s “36 mg” result describes the label’s 17.2 mg dose, not a dose more than twice as high.
What the two trials found
ATTAIN-1 randomized 3,127 adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes, for 72 weeks [3] [1]. On the label’s analysis, weight fell 7.4%, 8.3% and 11.1% on the three doses, against 2.1% on placebo [1]. The journal paper, using its own estimate, reports 7.5%, 8.4% and 11.2%.
On the top dose, 54.5% lost at least 10% of their weight, against 13% on placebo, per the label [1]. The trial population averaged 103.2 kg at the start and was 64% women.
ATTAIN-2 enrolled 1,613 adults with type 2 diabetes and a BMI of 27 or more [4]. Weight loss was smaller: 5.1%, 7.0% and 9.6% across the doses, against 2.5% on placebo. HbA1c, the long-term blood sugar measure, also improved on every dose.
Neither trial compared Foundayo with an injection. How the injected drugs compare with each other is set out in tirzepatide vs semaglutide.
Orforglipron side effects
The label pools both trials: 3,155 adults on the drug for up to 72 weeks [1]. Stomach and bowel effects dominate. They were reported by 60%, 68% and 69% on the three doses, against 37% on placebo.
On the 17.2 mg dose, nausea affected 35%, diarrhea 25%, vomiting 24% and constipation 24% [1]. The placebo figures were 10%, 11%, 4% and 9%. The label says nausea, vomiting and diarrhea were more common while the dose was being raised, then eased.
Overall, 8% of people on Foundayo stopped it for side effects, against 3% on placebo [1]. Among those who reported stomach effects, 60% had mild ones and 4% severe ones.
35% vs 10%
nausea on 17.2 mg vs placebo
Foundayo label, Table 1
69% vs 37%
any gastrointestinal effect on 17.2 mg vs placebo
Foundayo label
8% vs 3%
stopped for side effects, all doses vs placebo
Foundayo label
Less common effects the label records
- Hair loss: 7% of women and 0.9% of men on the drug, against 3% and 0.7% on placebo. The label links it to weight loss [1].
- Heart rate: a mean rise of 4 to 5 beats per minute, against 0.5 on placebo. Fast heart rate was reported in 3%, against 0.9% [1].
- Low blood pressure: 2% against 0.5%, rising to 4% in people also taking blood pressure medicine [1].
- Pancreatitis: confirmed in 6 people on the drug and 1 on placebo, which the label expresses as 0.14 and 0.04 patients per 100 years of exposure [1].
- Low blood sugar in the diabetes trial: 2% against 0.2%, and 7% among those also taking a sulfonylurea [1].
The liver has been checked separately. A pooled analysis of seven phase 3 trials, 6,920 people on orforglipron, found no case that met the criteria for drug-induced liver injury [5]. Most of its authors work for the drug’s maker, and the analysis was sponsor-run.
Switching from an injection
ATTAIN-MAINTAIN tested whether the tablet could hold weight off after an injection [6]. It took people who had lost weight on tirzepatide or semaglutide in an earlier trial and randomized them to orforglipron or placebo for 52 weeks.
Coming off tirzepatide, people on orforglipron kept an estimated 74.7% of their lost weight, against 49.2% on placebo [6]. Coming off semaglutide, the figures were 79.3% and 37.6%. The authors note the trial had no group that simply stayed on the injection, and it lasted one year.
What happens to weight when a GLP-1 drug stops altogether is covered in what happens when you stop taking semaglutide.
What this means
Foundayo is a daily tablet with a monthly dose climb and no fasting rule. In its trial without diabetes, the top dose averaged about 9 points more weight loss than placebo over 72 weeks.
Its side effects look like the rest of the class, led by nausea during the dose climb. Approved in April 2026, it has a short record outside trials. For other options with trial data, start at the weight goal page, or compare the two older injections in liraglutide vs semaglutide.