Foundayo and the Wegovy pill are the two GLP-1 tablets approved for weight loss, and they are different drugs. Foundayo is Lilly's orforglipron, a small molecule.1 The Wegovy pill is Novo's semaglutide, the same ingredient as the Wegovy pen.3 Both are taken once a day, and both start at $149 a month on the maker's own self-pay price.67
The practical difference Lilly leads with is food: Foundayo "can be taken any time of the day without restrictions on food and water intake."1
The two pills side by side
| Foundayo | Wegovy pill | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Eli Lilly | Novo Nordisk |
| Molecule | orforglipron, small molecule (non-peptide) | semaglutide |
| How often | once a day | once a day |
| Strengths | 0.8, 2.5, 5.5, 9, 14.5, 17.2 mg | 1.5, 4, 9, 25 mg |
| Available since | April 2026 | January 2026 |
| Food and water | no restrictions, per Lilly | follow the Wegovy label |
| Self-pay entry price | $149/mo | $149/mo |
Foundayo strengths from Lilly's approval announcement and its April 2026 start from Lilly's self-pay terms;16 Wegovy tablet strengths and launch month from the FDA's drug code directory;4 prices from each maker.67
The milligram figures cannot be compared across the two columns. They are different molecules, so 17.2 mg of one and 25 mg of the other are each the top of their own range and nothing more. Your prescriber sets the dose.
What each one is approved for
Foundayo: the FDA approved it "for adults with obesity, or overweight with weight-related medical problems."1
Wegovy pill: Novo calls it "the only semaglutide tablet that's FDA-approved for weight loss in adults."3 Its label also gives the 25 mg maintenance dose "for cardiovascular risk reduction and weight reduction in adults",5 so the tablet carries a heart-risk use on top of weight. Lilly's approval announcement names weight only for Foundayo.
How each one is taken
Lilly's instruction for Foundayo:2
Take Foundayo by mouth 1 time each day, with or without food. Swallow tablets whole. Do not break, crush, or chew the tablet.
Eli Lilly
For the Wegovy pill, Novo describes "a once-daily pill"3 and the label names 25 mg once daily as the maintenance dose.5 Its own instructions on food and water are on the label and the leaflet in the bottle. We have not quoted them, so we will not paraphrase them here. If timing around meals is the thing you care about most, read both labels side by side before you choose, and ask the pharmacist.
What the trial showed, and what we cannot compare
For Foundayo, Lilly reports from ATTAIN-1:11
individuals taking the highest dose of Foundayo and who stayed on treatment lost an average of 27.3 pounds (12.4%) compared to 2.2 pounds (0.9%) with placebo.
Eli Lilly
Note the two conditions: highest dose, and stayed on treatment. For the Wegovy tablet we hold no trial figure we can quote, and the two pills have not been compared head to head in any source we have. So we do not rank them on weight loss.
What each one costs
Both makers publish a self-pay ladder, and they track each other closely. The rows below line up by price step, not by equivalent dose:
| Price step | Foundayo (Lilly) | Wegovy pill (Novo) |
|---|---|---|
| $149/mo | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg |
| $199/mo | 2.5 mg | 4 mg |
| $299/mo | 5.5 mg, 9 mg | 9 mg, 25 mg |
| $349/mo regular | 14.5 mg, 17.2 mg | none |
Foundayo prices from Lilly's Self-Pay Journey terms;6 Wegovy from NovoCare, where one month is "1 bottle of 30 tablets".7
Foundayo's top two strengths come with a condition. The regular price is $349, but Lilly applies a $299 offer automatically from your first purchase of 14.5 mg or 17.2 mg. To stay eligible, each refill has to be bought "within 45 days of the delivery/receipt date of your previous Foundayo prescription."6 A late refill can cost you the offer.
Here is Lilly's Foundayo ladder as we hold it today, with the date we last checked it:
And here is the live board for semaglutide pills from the sellers we track, all-in with membership fees. It includes sellers of the branded Wegovy tablet and compounded oral semaglutide, which is not FDA-approved and is not the Wegovy pill. Foundayo is a separate molecule and is not on this board.
With insurance or Medicare
Commercial plan that covers it: both makers run a savings card. Lilly advertises "as little as $25 per month" for Foundayo;8 Novo advertises as little as $25 for Wegovy, "subject to a maximum savings of $100/month."9
Whether your plan covers either is the real question. Anthem's 2026 New York list carries both tablets at Tier 2 with the same three flags, including a benefit exclusion that means "This drug may not be covered depending on your plans design."1213 Same tier, same catch. Our coverage tracker holds what eight insurers publish.
Medicare: the GLP-1 Bridge names both, "Foundayo, Wegovy (injection or tablet)", at "a $50 copayment for each 30-day supply", through 31 December 2027.10
Choosing between them
- If meal timing is the problem: Foundayo is the one Lilly says has no food or water restrictions.1
- If you want the more familiar molecule: the Wegovy pill is semaglutide, the same ingredient as the Wegovy pen and as Rybelsus, a semaglutide tablet on sale since 2019.4
- If heart risk is part of why you are being treated: the Wegovy tablet's label includes cardiovascular risk reduction.5
- If cash price decides it: they match at $149, $199 and $299. At the very top, Foundayo is $299 on the refill offer and $349 without it.
Which pill, and which strength, is your prescriber's decision. For more on each: Foundayo, the Wegovy pill, and every GLP-1 pill compared.