Foundayo — the brand name for orforglipron, Eli Lilly's once-daily GLP-1 tablet — comes in six strengths, from a 0.8mg starting dose up to a 17.2mg maximum. This page sets out what each strength is for, how the dose is increased over time, and why the tablet's "any time of day, no food or water rules" dosing is the thing that most separates it from the peptide GLP-1 tablets UK patients may already know, such as Rybelsus.
Foundayo dosage runs on a ladder: 0.8mg → 2.5mg → 5.5mg → 9mg → 14.5mg → 17.2mg, taken once daily, with at least a month at each step before moving up. It can be taken at any time of day, with or without food or water. The maintenance range is 5.5mg–17.2mg, the dose is always chosen by a prescriber — and the same six strengths are now licensed in the UK, where the medicine has been available by private prescription since 24 August 2026.
The six Foundayo strengths
Foundayo was approved by the US FDA on 1 April 2026 for adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. It was then licensed by the UK MHRA on 10 August 2026, for weight management and for type 2 diabetes. In both countries it comes in the same six tablet strengths:
| Strength | Role in treatment |
|---|---|
| 0.8mg | Starting dose — taken once daily for at least 30 days |
| 2.5mg | Second titration step |
| 5.5mg | Third step; the lowest maintenance dose |
| 9mg | Optional higher maintenance step |
| 14.5mg | Optional higher maintenance step |
| 17.2mg | Maximum dose |
Two of these numbers do the most work in searches — the 0.8mg tablet, because it is where everyone starts, and the 17.2mg tablet, because it is the ceiling. The four strengths in between exist so that the dose can climb gradually rather than in one uncomfortable jump.
How Foundayo is taken: once daily, any time, no food or water rules
The dosing instruction itself is short: one tablet, once a day. What made headlines at approval is what is missing from the instruction. According to Lilly, Foundayo can be taken at any time of day, with or without food, and with or without water. There is no requirement to take it on an empty stomach, no restriction on how much you drink with it, and no waiting period afterwards. Lilly's own announcement describes it as the only GLP-1 pill for weight loss without food or water restrictions.
Why that matters: the Rybelsus comparison
The oral GLP-1 medicine UK patients may already know best is Rybelsus (oral semaglutide). Rybelsus is a peptide, and peptides are broken down easily in the stomach — so its labelling wraps the tablet in rules: it must be taken on an empty stomach, with only a small amount of plain water, and the patient must then wait before eating, drinking anything else, or taking other medicines. The exact quantities and timings are set out in the Rybelsus product information. Miss the routine and absorption suffers.
Orforglipron avoids all of that because it is a different kind of molecule. It is a small-molecule (non-peptide) GLP-1 receptor agonist — a conventional chemical compound rather than a fragile peptide — so it does not need an empty stomach to be absorbed. That single chemistry difference is why the two tablets have such different instructions, and it is also central to why Lilly believes it can manufacture the drug at very large scale: a small-molecule tablet can be synthesised chemically, more cheaply and at far higher volume than an injectable peptide.
The titration ladder: how the dose is increased
Nobody starts on 17.2mg. Like every GLP-1 medicine, orforglipron is titrated — started low and increased in stages — because the most common side effects are gastrointestinal (nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting) and they are dose-related. The US label's escalation schedule looks like this:
| Step | Once-daily dose | Minimum time before the next increase |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 0.8mg | At least 30 days |
| 2 | 2.5mg | At least 30 days |
| 3 | 5.5mg | At least 30 days |
| 4 (optional) | 9mg | At least 30 days |
| 5 (optional) | 14.5mg | At least 30 days |
| Maximum | 17.2mg | — |
Three points are worth pulling out of that table:
- The maintenance range is 5.5mg to 17.2mg once daily. The 0.8mg and 2.5mg tablets are stepping stones, not destinations.
- Steps 4 and 5 are optional. The label tells prescribers to choose the maintenance dose based on the patient's response and how well they tolerate the medicine. Someone doing well on 5.5mg may simply stay there.
- The pace is prescriber-led. "At least 30 days" is a minimum, not a target. A prescriber can hold a dose for longer, or step back down, if side effects are a problem. Patients do not adjust the dose themselves.
The reason for the slow climb is spelled out in the label: gradual escalation reduces the risk of gastrointestinal side effects. In the 72-week ATTAIN-1 trial, nausea affected roughly 29–36% of participants on orforglipron (against about 10% on placebo), and discontinuation due to adverse events rose with dose, from 5.3% to 10.3%. Our Foundayo side effects page goes through the full trial data, the label warnings and who should not take the medicine at all.
A note on trial doses: 6mg, 12mg and 36mg are not tablet strengths
If you read about the clinical trials, you will see different numbers: the phase 3 ATTAIN studies tested orforglipron at research doses labelled 6mg, 12mg and 36mg. Those are the dose groups used in the trial programme, not the tablet strengths that ended up on the approved label. The prescribing ladder is the 0.8mg–17.2mg series above. The two numbering systems describe the same medicine at different stages of its life, and mixing them up is one of the most common errors in coverage of this drug.
What if a dose is missed?
We deliberately do not publish a specific missed-dose rule for Foundayo, because that instruction belongs to the official product label and patient leaflet. For UK patients, the authority is the UK Summary of Product Characteristics and the patient information leaflet supplied with the medicine, both published on the electronic medicines compendium (emc); the US prescribing information is the authority for American patients.
The general principle for any once-daily medicine still applies: do not take extra tablets to "catch up" on a missed dose unless a prescriber or pharmacist tells you to, and when in doubt ask them rather than guessing.
How should the tablets be stored?
Exact storage conditions are also a label matter. Standard practice for prescription tablets — keep them in their original packaging, at room temperature away from heat and moisture, and out of the sight and reach of children — is a sensible baseline, but the patient information leaflet in the box is the instruction that counts, not this page.
The UK position: licensed, six strengths, private prescription only
The tables above follow the US label, which was the first to exist. The UK now has its own. On 10 August 2026 the MHRA licensed orforglipron for weight management and for type 2 diabetes — the first regulator in Europe to do so — in the same six strengths: 0.8mg, 2.5mg, 5.5mg, 9mg, 14.5mg and 17.2mg once daily, with at least one month at each step before moving up. The UK Summary of Product Characteristics for each strength is published on the electronic medicines compendium (emc), and for UK patients that document and the patient information leaflet in the box are the authority — not the US label, and not this page. Lilly UK announced on 24 August 2026 that the medicine is available in the UK by private prescription. It is not available on the NHS: NICE's appraisal is expected to publish on 18 November 2026. Our UK availability tracker follows this in detail.
Foundayo is a prescription-only medicine, so the dose — and whether you should be taking it at all — is a decision for a qualified prescriber after a proper assessment. Any site offering to sell it to UK customers without a consultation and prescription is breaking the law, and what arrives in the post will not be a regulated medicine and may be dangerous. If you have taken any weight-loss medicine and experienced side effects, report them through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme and speak to your GP or pharmacist.
Frequently asked questions
What strengths does Foundayo come in?
Six: 0.8mg, 2.5mg, 5.5mg, 9mg, 14.5mg and 17.2mg, all taken once daily — the same six strengths licensed in the UK. Treatment starts at 0.8mg and is increased by a prescriber with at least a month at each step; the maintenance range is 5.5mg to 17.2mg.
Do you have to take Foundayo on an empty stomach?
No. The manufacturer states it can be taken at any time of day, with or without food or water — unlike Rybelsus (oral semaglutide), which must be taken on an empty stomach with a small amount of water and a waiting period before eating or drinking.
What is the maximum dose of Foundayo?
17.2mg once daily. Not everyone reaches it — the label directs prescribers to pick a maintenance dose between 5.5mg and 17.2mg based on response and tolerability.
What should I do if I miss a dose?
Follow the official label or patient leaflet, or ask your prescriber or pharmacist. As a general rule for once-daily medicines, never double up to make up a missed dose unless a healthcare professional tells you to. For UK patients, the UK Summary of Product Characteristics and the patient information leaflet in the box are the authority.
Can I get Foundayo in the UK?
Yes, by private prescription only. The MHRA licensed it on 10 August 2026 and it has been available privately since 24 August 2026; it is not on the NHS, pending NICE's decision (expected 18 November 2026). Anyone selling "Foundayo" without a prescription from a qualified prescriber is acting illegally. See our UK availability page for the current status.
References
- Eli Lilly and Company. FDA approves Lilly's Foundayo™ (orforglipron), the only GLP-1 pill for weight loss. Investor news release, April 2026. investor.lilly.com
- Eli Lilly and Company. How to take Foundayo. foundayo.lilly.com/how-to-take
- Eli Lilly and Company. Foundayo dosage information for healthcare professionals. foundayo.lilly.com/hcp/dosage
- US Food and Drug Administration. Approval letter, NDA 220934 (Foundayo / orforglipron), 2026. accessdata.fda.gov
- Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, in adults with obesity (ATTAIN-1). New England Journal of Medicine. nejm.org
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes. 10 August 2026. gov.uk
- Foundayo — Summary of Product Characteristics. electronic medicines compendium (emc). medicines.org.uk
- MHRA. Yellow Card scheme — report a side effect. yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk