Novo Nordisk presents Wegovy menopause data; Lilly follows with Foundayo analyses

Novo Nordisk presented analyses at the European Congress on Obesity on May 12, 2026 reporting that Wegovy (semaglutide) delivered substantial weight loss in women at every stage of menopause, along with reported heart and migraine protection ^[1]. Eli Lilly published comparable menopause analyses for its oral GLP-1 Foundayo (orforglipron) about a month later, on June 7, 2026, reporting significant weight loss in women at every stage of menopause ^[2].

The specific results have not been reported. How much weight women lost in each menopause stage, how many women were included, which doses they took, and whether the findings came from a dedicated trial or a subgroup of a larger study are all undisclosed ^[1][2]. The heart and migraine findings for Wegovy are described in the company announcement as protection ^[1]. No peer-reviewed publication of the menopause analyses has been reported ^[1][2].

The two products are not the same. Wegovy is semaglutide, first approved by the FDA on June 4, 2021, and sold as a once-weekly injection and as once-daily tablets taken on an empty stomach ^[1]. Its approved uses include long-term weight reduction in adults with obesity, or adults with overweight plus a weight-related condition; reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight; and treating noncirrhotic MASH with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis ^[1]. Foundayo is orforglipron, a non-peptide oral GLP-1 approved April 1, 2026, taken once daily with or without food, for long-term weight reduction in adults with obesity or overweight plus at least one weight-related condition ^[2]. Neither approved label lists a menopause-specific use ^[1][2].

Other weight-loss figures from the same drug programs give a sense of scale, but they are not menopause results. In the STEP UP trial, Wegovy HD (injectable semaglutide 7.2 mg) produced 20.7% mean weight loss; it was approved in March 2026 and launched in the US on April 7, 2026 ^[4]. At the same ECO 2026 meeting, Novo reported nearly 28% weight loss among early responders on higher-dose Wegovy and 21.6% among early responders taking the Wegovy pill ^[1]. In the OASIS 4 trial, oral Wegovy plus diet and exercise produced about 17% weight loss versus about 3% with placebo ^[3]. For Foundayo, the ATTAIN-1 trial found that people on the highest dose who stayed on treatment lost an average of 27.3 pounds (12.4%) versus 2.2 pounds (0.9%) with placebo, and ATTAIN-2 found 22.9 pounds (10.5%) at 72 weeks at the highest dose ^[2]. Those trials used different doses, populations and time points, so the numbers cannot be compared with one another or with the menopause analyses ^[1][2].

Both pills are already on the US market. The Wegovy pill launched in the US on January 5, 2026; Novo reported about 1.3 million total prescriptions in the first quarter of 2026 and more than 2 million since launch, with weekly prescriptions topping 200,000 for the week ending April 17, 2026 ^[4]. Q1 2026 Wegovy pill sales were DKK 2,256 million ^[4]; a separate report put quarterly revenue at DKr2.3bn ($360m) ^[3]. One report dates Foundayo's US approval to April 2025, while the FDA approval history lists April 1, 2026 ^[2][3].

Why it matters for patients

The menopause analyses focus on women at different menopause stages, a group the two companies chose to report on separately. What has been released does not say whether weight loss differed by stage, how many women were in each group, or how the heart and migraine findings were measured, so it is not yet possible to judge how strong those results are ^[1][2]. Results presented at medical meetings typically come before peer review and do not change what a drug is approved for; neither Wegovy nor Foundayo carries a menopause-specific indication ^[1][2].

How the medicines are taken also differs, which can matter day to day. Wegovy tablets are taken once daily on an empty stomach and the injection once weekly ^[1]. Foundayo is taken once daily with or without food ^[2]. Novo cut US list prices for Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus in February 2026 and launched a multi-month subscription program in March 2026 offering savings of up to $1,200 a year ^[1].

What happens next

After a May 22, 2026 committee recommendation, the European Commission is expected to decide whether to approve oral Wegovy and a single-dose 7.2 mg pen in Europe; if approved, oral Wegovy would be the first GLP-1 pill cleared for weight management there ^[3]. Novo expects the first Wegovy pill launches outside the US in the second half of 2026, pending regulatory decisions ^[4]. Lilly is expected to launch Foundayo in Europe in 2027 ^[3]. No date has been reported for peer-reviewed publication of either company's menopause data ^[1][2].