Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are set to compete in the oral obesity medication market following the recent approval of Lilly's orforglipron, branded as Foundayo, according to an April 2 report. Analysts have described this development as a significant moment for Lilly, with BMO Capital Markets stating, “Orforglipron approval puts bears to bed.”
The rivalry between the two pharmaceutical companies is expected to intensify as both have now received regulatory clearance for their respective pills. William Blair said in a note that Foundayo could limit the uptake of Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy once it becomes available.
Novo Nordisk responded by highlighting differences between its product and Lilly’s. In a statement emailed to BioSpace, Novo said: “Not all GLP-1s are the same. Any reports claiming orforglipron is more effective than Wegovy pill for weight management are inaccurate and misleading.” The company also announced plans to present data from an analysis called Orion, which suggested greater weight loss with its pill compared to Foundayo; however, no direct head-to-head clinical trials have been conducted.
Clinical trial data show that Foundayo achieved average weight loss of about 11.2% at 72 weeks in its Phase 3 ATTAIN-1 trial, while Wegovy pill reached a mean weight loss of 16.6% in its own Phase 3 OASIS 4 trial supporting FDA approval.
Differences in dosing requirements may influence patient preferences: Foundayo can be taken with or without food, whereas patients using Wegovy must take it on an empty stomach and wait before eating or drinking again. Pricing strategies also vary; both drugs start at $149 per month but escalate at higher doses—Foundayo up to $349 and Wegovy up to $299—with analysts giving Novo Nordisk a slight edge on pricing.
Manufacturing approaches further distinguish the products. While Foundayo was tested as a capsule during trials, it will be released as a tablet—an approach considered more efficient due to lower active ingredient requirements. Meanwhile, Wegovy uses peptide technology—a method described by Novo as innovative for putting such compounds into pill form.
Despite these developments in oral medications, analysts from William Blair estimate injectable options will continue dominating about 80% of the U.S. obesity treatment market due to their potency.
