Every GLP-1 pill you can actually get, and what each one costs

Four swallowable GLP-1s exist now, and three of them launched in 2026. Rybelsus, the Wegovy pill and the Ozempic pill are all semaglutide in a tablet but are approved for different things; Foundayo is a different molecule entirely and the only one with no food or timing rules. Two are for weight, two are for type 2 diabetes, and the cheapest thing on most rankings is not any of them. Here is the whole landscape, with what each actually costs.

Julian CaraulaniFounder, PriceTracker GLP-1Last checked Aug 28We track prices. Clinical facts on this site are quoted from the drug's label, the FDA or the published trial, with the source and the date beside each one. We do not write medical guidance and we do not tell anyone what to take.

8 min read · published Aug 28

The short version

1Four pills: Rybelsus, the Wegovy pill, the Ozempic pill, and Foundayo.
2Three are semaglutide; Foundayo is orforglipron, a different molecule.
3For weight: the Wegovy pill and Foundayo. For type 2 diabetes: Rybelsus and the Ozempic pill.
4Only Foundayo has no fasting rule. The semaglutide pills all need an empty stomach and a wait.

There are four, and three of them went on sale in 2026. Most pages on this subject were written when there was one.

The four, side by side

Pill	Molecule	Strengths	On sale since	Approved for
Rybelsus	semaglutide	3, 7, 14 mg	Sept 2019	Type 2 diabetes
Wegovy pill	semaglutide	1.5, 4, 9, 25 mg	Jan 2026	Obesity
Ozempic pill	semaglutide	1.5, 4, 9 mg	Apr 2026	Type 2 diabetes
Foundayo	orforglipron	0.8 to 17.2 mg	Apr 2026	Obesity

Strengths and marketing dates read from the FDA's National Drug Code directory.¹

In plain English

Three of these are the same drug in a tablet, and they are still not interchangeable. They come in different strengths and carry different approvals, so which one you can get depends on what you are being treated for, not on which name you have heard.

The split that decides your options

If you are being treated for weight: the Wegovy pill or Foundayo. Those are the two approved for it.

If you are being treated for type 2 diabetes: Rybelsus or the Ozempic pill. Diabetes indications are also covered by insurance far more readily, so this group has an easier time than the numbers below suggest.

The daily ritual, which nobody mentions and everybody notices

All three semaglutide pills have to be taken on an empty stomach with a small amount of plain water, followed by a wait of around half an hour before you eat, drink or take anything else. It is a real constraint on your morning and it is a common reason people quietly stop.

Foundayo does not have it:³

Take Foundayo by mouth 1 time each day, with or without food.
Eli Lilly

1 of 4

The number of GLP-1 pills you can take with breakfast. If you have already failed a semaglutide tablet on the fasting rule rather than on the drug, that is the distinction worth taking to your prescriber.

The reason is chemistry rather than marketing: orforglipron is a small molecule, so it does not need the absorption enhancer that oral semaglutide depends on, and that enhancer is what the empty stomach is for.

What they cost

Novo publishes one ladder covering its tablets:²

Patients pay $149 for each month of 1.5 mg, $199 per month for 4 mg and $299 per month for 9 mg and 25 mg. One month defined as 1 bottle of 30 tablets.
NovoCare Pharmacy

Lilly's self-pay for Foundayo also starts at $149 and rises with the dose.³ So both weight-loss pills start in the same place.

Worth knowing

Novo publishes no cash price for Rybelsus at all. Their self-pay pharmacy lists the Wegovy and Ozempic tablets and does not list Rybelsus, though it remains on sale. If you are uninsured and were prescribed Rybelsus specifically, there is no published figure to compare against and you will have to ask your pharmacy directly. More on that gap here.

The thing to be careful about

Search for a GLP-1 pill and you will find prices below $149. Read what they are before you assume they are the same product.

A large part of the telehealth market sells compounded oral semaglutide, often as dissolving tablets. It is genuinely cheaper. It is also not the branded pill and not FDA-approved, which is a different risk profile rather than a discount on the same thing. Our own ranking below currently has a compounded tablet at the top, under the branded ones, and that ordering is by price alone.

Both things can be true: the compounded route is a legitimate choice many people make with open eyes, and a $147 headline sitting beside a $149 branded price is the easiest place in this whole market to buy something other than what you thought. How to check a seller is the companion to that.

Insurance, briefly

The pills are treated like the injections: diabetes indications are covered far more readily than weight ones, and weight-loss coverage usually depends on whether your employer bought the category at all.

On Medicare there is a real route, and it names two of these four:⁴

the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program will give eligible Part D plan members access to Foundayo, Wegovy (injection or tablet), or Zepbound (KwikPen) weight loss medications for a $50 copayment for each 30-day supply.
Humana

Our coverage tracker carries the verified position for eight insurers, and the four gates explains what your plan will ask for.

Picking one

Weight, and you want no daily ritual: Foundayo. It is the only one you can take with breakfast.
Weight, and you want the longest-studied molecule: the Wegovy pill, same semaglutide as the injection.
Type 2 diabetes: Rybelsus or the Ozempic pill, and your coverage odds are much better here.
Lowest possible price, eyes open: the compounded market, understanding it is not FDA-approved.
Best results overall: honestly, an injection. Every pill here lands below what the injectable tirzepatide achieves in trials. The pill is a convenience decision, and a perfectly reasonable one, but it is a trade.

Sources4

FDA National Drug Code directory, oral semaglutide listings read Aug 27“RYBELSUS 3, 7, 14 mg, marketing start 2019-09-20. Wegovy tablets 1.5, 4, 9, 25 mg, marketing start January 2026. Ozempic tablets 1.5, 4, 9 mg, marketing start April 2026.” ↩
NovoCare Pharmacy, self-pay prices read Aug 27“Patients pay $149 for each month of 1.5 mg, $199 per month for 4 mg and $299 per month for 9 mg and 25 mg. One month defined as 1 bottle of 30 tablets.” ↩
Eli Lilly, Foundayo FDA approval and pricing read Aug 28“Take Foundayo by mouth 1 time each day, with or without food. … starting at $25 per month with commercial coverage and $149 for self-pay” ↩
Humana, Medicare GLP-1 Bridge coverage read Aug 28“the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program will give eligible Part D plan members access to Foundayo, Wegovy (injection or tablet), or Zepbound (KwikPen) weight loss medications for a $50 copayment for each 30-day supply.” ↩

Common questions

Is there a GLP-1 in pill form?

Four of them. Rybelsus, the Wegovy pill and the Ozempic pill are all semaglutide tablets, and Foundayo is orforglipron, a different molecule. Three of the four went on sale during 2026. The Wegovy pill and Foundayo are approved for weight; Rybelsus and the Ozempic pill are approved for type 2 diabetes.

Which GLP-1 pill is best for weight loss?

Only two are approved for it: the Wegovy pill and Foundayo. Foundayo is the only GLP-1 pill with no food or timing restrictions, so it wins on practicality. The Wegovy pill is semaglutide, the same molecule as the injection with the longer track record. Both start at $149 a month on the manufacturer's own self-pay price.

How much does a GLP-1 pill cost?

Novo's published self-pay ladder for its tablets is $149 a month at 1.5 mg, $199 at 4 mg and $299 at 9 and 25 mg. Lilly's Foundayo self-pay also starts at $149. Telehealth programs selling compounded oral semaglutide can be cheaper, but that is a different, non-FDA-approved product rather than a discount on the branded pill.

Do you have to take GLP-1 pills on an empty stomach?

For the three semaglutide tablets, yes: empty stomach, a small amount of plain water, and a wait of roughly half an hour before eating, drinking or taking anything else. Foundayo is the exception and is taken once daily with or without food, because it is a small molecule and does not rely on the same absorption mechanism.

Is the GLP-1 pill as effective as the injection?

Generally not. Every pill currently available lands below what injectable tirzepatide achieves in trials, and choosing a tablet is a convenience trade rather than a free upgrade. For a meaningful number of people who would never start an injection, that trade is clearly worth making.

What is the difference between Rybelsus and the Wegovy pill?

Both are semaglutide tablets from Novo, but they are different products with different strengths and different approvals. Rybelsus is 3, 7 and 14 mg and approved for type 2 diabetes, on sale since September 2019. The Wegovy pill is 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg, approved for obesity, and launched in January 2026. Novo publishes a cash price for the Wegovy pill and none for Rybelsus.

Does Medicare cover GLP-1 pills?

For weight loss, through the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, which covers Foundayo and the Wegovy injection or tablet at a $50 copayment per 30-day supply. Standard Part D does not cover a GLP-1 for weight loss alone. For type 2 diabetes, Rybelsus and the Ozempic pill go through ordinary Part D coverage instead.