Overview
- Eli Lilly’s Foundayo pill, approved by the FDA on Wednesday, begins shipping Monday through LillyDirect with retail pharmacy access to follow.
- Foundayo is a nonpeptide GLP-1 small molecule that can be taken any time of day with or without food, unlike Wegovy’s pill, which requires morning fasting and water-only dosing.
- Lilly set costs as low as $25 per month with commercial insurance, $149 to $349 for self-pay depending on dose, and a potential $50 Medicare copay starting July 1, though broader coverage remains uncertain.
- Company data show about 12% average weight loss over roughly 72 weeks, with common gastrointestinal side effects and label warnings that include a thyroid tumor risk, while injectables like Zepbound typically show greater average weight loss.
- The approval used the FDA commissioner’s voucher pathway that has drawn scrutiny, as the new pill enters a head-to-head market fight with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy tablets.