The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Eli Lilly’s oral weight loss therapy, Foundayo (orforglipron), intensifying competition further between itself and prime obesity rival, Novo Nordisk, as the two battle it out for market share in the space.
Indicated for use alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, once-daily, prescription-only Foundayo will now become available to British adults with obesity or insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes requiring weight loss or maintenance. To be eligible for treatment with Foundayo in the UK, patients will need to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, or a BMI of between 27 and 30 if they have at least one weight-related comorbidity.
The MHRA notes that patients should start on a 0.8mg dose of Foundayo, before escalating doses up to 17.2mg with a minimum of one month at each increasing dose level.
While Foundayo may have secured the UK regulatory greenlight, it may be confined to use by patients with private healthcare paying out-of-pocket for now, as the drug isn’t currently available to patients through the National Health Service (NHS). However, British health watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), will conduct a benefit-cost review on the drug to determine if it will recommend its use by the public healthcare system in the future.
The Novo-Lilly rivalry intensifies
Foundayo’s MHRA blessing will be a positive step forward for Lilly, as it looks to expand the drug’s reach on a global scale and grab a slice of Novo Nordisk’s weight loss pill market share commanded by oral Wegovy (semaglutide) following its first-to-market advantage. In May 2026, new Novo CEO Mike Doustdar noted that oral Wegovy’s market launch was off to a “record-breaking start” in the US, and there are already more than five million prescriptions for the drug on a cumulative basis.
The UK approval also adds a European nation to Foundayo’s geographic reach – joining the likes of the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which both opted to greenlight Foundayo earlier this year.
Following the UK approval, Lilly’s shares increased by 3.89% from a 7 August close of $1185.71 to a 10 August close of $1231.94. Lilly, listed on the Nasdaq exchange, has a market cap of $1.1tn, making it the highest value pharmaceutical company in the world.
While Lilly is flying ahead of competition in the weight loss injectables space, posting 91% sales growth for Mounjaro (tirzepatide) in Q2 2026, the Indiana-based pharma giant is not yet besting Novo in the oral weight loss ring, with Citi analysts calling Foundayo’s $98m Q2 sales “uninspiring”.
However, further global expansion could be on the horizon for Foundayo, as the drug is currently under review in the EU, Japan and Canada for long-term weight management and type 2 diabetes, long-term weight management and type 2 diabetes, respectively.
