Eli Lilly’s Foundayo: A New Weight Loss Pill Surpasses 20,000 Users
Eli Lilly’s CEO, Dave Ricks, announced on Thursday that their new weight loss pill, Foundayo, has been started by over 20,000 people in its initial weeks on the market. The pill is being started by more than 1,000 people daily.
The FDA approved Foundayo, a once-daily oral GLP-1 drug, on April 2. This makes it the second oral weight loss medication to be approved, following Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill. The approval was granted in just 50 days under an expedited review process for drugs considered a national priority.
Ricks disclosed that over 80% of Foundayo prescriptions are being given to patients new to GLP-1 medications. This suggests that the pill is expanding the market rather than cannibalizing existing injectable drug sales. Approximately 45% of the volume has come through Lilly’s direct-to-consumer platform, LillyDirect, while 35% has been via telehealth platforms. The drug has attracted 8,000 prescribers, with a third having never prescribed an oral GLP-1 before.
Unlike some competing oral medications, Foundayo can be taken at any time of day without any food or water restrictions. Clinical trials showed that patients taking the highest dose lost an average of 12.4% of their body weight (about 25 pounds) after 72 weeks. The medication starts at $149 per month for self-pay patients, while commercially insured individuals may pay as little as $25 monthly with a savings card.
The announcement was made as Eli Lilly reported impressive first-quarter earnings of $19.8 billion, a 56% increase from 2025. This was driven by strong sales of its diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight loss injection Zepbound. The company raised its full-year revenue guidance to $82-85 billion from the previous $80-83 billion.
Source: CNBC