UK regulator authorizes Eli Lilly's orforglipron (Foundayo) for weight management and type 2 diabetes

The UK medicines regulator licensed orforglipron, sold as Foundayo, on August 10, 2026, for two adult uses: weight management and type 2 diabetes. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the UK is the first country in Europe to authorize the once-daily GLP-1 tablet for those indications ^[1].

For weight management, the license covers adults with a body mass index of 30 or above, and adults with a BMI between 27 and 30 who also have at least one weight-related condition. The drug is meant to be used alongside a lower-calorie diet and more physical activity ^[1]. It is separately licensed to improve blood sugar control in adults whose type 2 diabetes is not sufficiently controlled ^[1]. The authorization was granted to Eli Lilly ^[1].

Dosing climbs through six levels: 0.8 mg, then 2.5 mg, 5.5 mg, 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg, with at least one month at each level ^[1]. The MHRA said a dose is taken once a day, at any time of day, with no restrictions on food or water ^[1]. People should follow the instructions in the Patient Information Leaflet ^[1].

The side effects reported most often were nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, dyspepsia (indigestion) and abdominal pain, the agency said ^[1].

Julian Beach, the MHRA's executive director of healthcare quality and access, said the decision followed "rigorous assessment of orforglipron's safety, quality, and effectiveness." He said the tablet is a prescription-only medicine and that the MHRA "will keep the safety and effectiveness of orforglipron under close review" ^[1].

Orforglipron imitates GLP-1, a hormone the body releases after eating. According to the MHRA, it acts on parts of the brain that regulate appetite, so people feel full for longer, feel less hunger and have fewer food cravings, and therefore eat less. In type 2 diabetes it also brings down blood sugar when levels are high ^[1].

The tablet is authorized in the UK but cannot currently be obtained through the National Health Service. The MHRA said decisions about NHS use follow established processes, including an evaluation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ^[1]. No date for that review has been disclosed.

In the UK the medicine is prescription-only, meaning it comes from a registered pharmacy with a doctor's prescription. The MHRA warned that buying GLP-1 medicines from unregulated sellers carries serious health risks, and noted that promoting prescription-only medicines directly to the public is against the law ^[1]. Anyone who suspects a side effect is encouraged to speak to a doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it to the Yellow Card scheme ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

A regulator's authorization does not mean a medicine is on the market or paid for. In the UK, orforglipron is not part of NHS care while NICE reviews it, and how that review will go has not been reported ^[1]. Nothing in the announcement changes the rule that the medicine requires a prescription there ^[1].

The MHRA's announcement says nothing about orforglipron's status in the United States or any other country outside the UK, and it does not compare the UK license with decisions made elsewhere. Whether the drug is approved, sold or covered in the US has not been reported.

The agency also did not compare the tablet's dosing, or its lack of food and water rules, with other GLP-1 medicines, and it did not discuss how the side effect profile compares. It said only that it will monitor the medicine closely, as it does all GLP-1 receptor agonists ^[1].

What happens next

The MHRA said the Summary of Product Characteristics and the Patient Information Leaflet will appear on the MHRA Products website within seven days of August 10, 2026 — by roughly August 17 ^[1]. NHS availability depends on the NICE evaluation, whose timing was not disclosed ^[1].