The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency authorised orforglipron on 10 August 2026, in an Eli Lilly foundayo approval that makes the UK the first country in Europe to approve the once-daily tablet for weight management and type 2 diabetes. The medicine is sold as Foundayo and is taken by mouth, with use set out for adults in the UK who meet the BMI criteria in the approval.
The authorisation covers adults with a BMI of 30 or above, and adults with a BMI of between 27 and 30 who have at least one weight-related comorbidity. The same approval also covers patients with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes, and the tablet can be taken at any time of day with no food or water restrictions.
MHRA and Foundayo dosing
Foundayo starts at 0.8 mg, then increases through 2.5 mg, 5.5 mg, 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg. Patients should remain at each dose level for a minimum of one month, which gives the treatment a built-in step-up schedule rather than an immediate full-dose start.
The most common side effects listed are nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, dyspepsia and abdominal pain. The MHRA says it will keep the safety and effectiveness of orforglipron under close review as use begins in the UK.
NHS and NICE
The tablet is not currently available via the NHS, so the approval does not make it an immediate public-health option for routine prescribing. NHS use will follow established processes, including an evaluation by NICE.
For adults in the UK who meet the BMI criteria, the practical change is regulatory rather than immediate access: the drug now has UK authorisation, but NHS availability still depends on that separate evaluation route. That leaves the next step with NICE, while the authorised use remains limited to the groups described in the approval.
