Lilly begins selling Foundayo in Israel

Eli Lilly began selling Foundayo, its oral GLP-1 medicine known chemically as orforglipron, in Israel this week, making the country the fourth market where the pill is available ^[1]. The move follows a UK launch in late August and comes as Lilly works through regulatory filings it says cover more than 40 countries for weight management and, in some cases, type 2 diabetes ^[1][2].

In Israel, Foundayo is expected in pharmacies starting September 15, available only with a doctor's prescription ^[1]. Reported prices range from 691 shekels for the lowest dose to 1,146 shekels for the highest, though the amount of insurance subsidy, if any, has not yet been set ^[1]. The timing lines up with a schedule that could allow Lilly to apply for inclusion in Israel's basket of subsidized medical services for 2027 ^[1]. Until then, patients can access the drug only through private import with special insurer permission ^[1].

In the UK, where Foundayo launched August 23 after regulatory authorization on August 10, the drug is available by private prescription while England's cost-effectiveness watchdog, NICE, continues reviewing it for coverage under the National Health Service ^[2]. NICE has asked Lilly for more information after an initial committee meeting and has not set a date for a second review ^[2]. Private UK pricing for Foundayo is expected to run between £100 and £120 a month, undercutting Lilly's injectable Mounjaro, which costs £330 a month ^[2].

In the United States, self-pay prices for Foundayo are reported to start at $349 for higher doses, compared with Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy pill starting at $149 and rising to $299 ^[2]. A Medicare pilot program is also offering selective access to oral GLP-1 drugs for $50 a month, according to Reuters reporting ^[2]. Foundayo remains under review in the European Union, while Novo's oral Wegovy has already received a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency, with a final European Commission decision still pending ^[2].

On effectiveness, one Israeli report noted that Foundayo's highest dose produced 12.4% weight loss in trials, a smaller reduction than the 14% to 16.6% seen with Novo Nordisk's yet-to-launch oral tablet in its own trials ^[1]. The same report said Lilly's drug also showed a significant reduction in the risk of cardiac death among patients with diabetes ^[1]. Foundayo is taken once daily, without food or timing restrictions, and does not require refrigeration ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

For US patients, the Israel and UK launches are early signals of how Lilly is sequencing its global rollout of an oral GLP-1 alternative to injections like Mounjaro and Zepbound. The drug is not yet broadly available in the US market the way it now is in Israel and the UK, and this development does not change current US prescribing or coverage status. Reported prices in Israel and the UK are not directly comparable to US costs, since insurance systems, subsidy structures, and self-pay rates differ by country ^[1][2]. The gap between Foundayo's 12.4% weight-loss figure and higher results reported for Novo Nordisk's in-development oral pill, as described in the Israeli coverage, suggests patients comparing oral GLP-1 options may see differing efficacy claims depending on the source and trial ^[1]. Coverage decisions, such as whether NICE ultimately backs NHS funding in the UK or whether Israel's health funds add subsidies for 2027, could offer clues about how other regulators and insurers, including in the US, eventually treat pricing and reimbursement for oral GLP-1 drugs ^[1][2].

What happens next

NICE has not set a date for its second review of Foundayo for NHS coverage in the UK ^[2]. Israel's inclusion process for its 2027 subsidized drug basket is tied to the current sales schedule, though outcomes are not yet known ^[1]. Foundayo also remains under review by the European Medicines Agency for the broader EU market ^[2]. Lilly has said additional country launches will follow as more of its more-than-40 regulatory submissions are approved, though specific dates for future markets, including any changes to US availability or pricing, were not detailed in current reporting ^[1][2].