- Total
- £49.00
Foundayo vs Wegovy injection: the short answer
Foundayo (orforglipron) is a daily tablet with no food or water rules. The Wegovy injection (semaglutide) is a weekly pen. In ATTAIN-1, Foundayo 17.2mg led to 11.1% average weight loss over 72 weeks. In STEP 1, Wegovy 2.4mg led to 14.9% over 68 weeks, and Wegovy 7.2mg reached 20.7% in STEP UP. Wegovy also holds a UK licence for cutting heart attack and stroke risk in adults with heart disease. Foundayo wins on ease: no needles, no fridge and no fasting window.
Foundayo and the Wegovy injection side by side
| Feature | Foundayo | Wegovy injection |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | Orforglipron, a small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist | Semaglutide, a peptide GLP-1 receptor agonist |
| Maker | Eli Lilly | Novo Nordisk |
| How you take the medicine | One tablet a day, any time, with or without food | One injection a week |
| Dose steps | 0.8mg, 2.5mg, 5.5mg, then 9mg, 14.5mg or 17.2mg | 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg, 2.4mg, then 7.2mg for some |
| Storage | Room temperature | Fridge before first use |
| UK licence | Weight management and type 2 diabetes, authorised 10 August 2026 | Weight management, plus heart risk reduction in adults with heart disease and overweight |
| Average weight loss in the main trial | 11.1% at 72 weeks (17.2mg) | 14.9% at 68 weeks (2.4mg), 20.7% at 72 weeks (7.2mg) |
Both act on the GLP-1 receptor. The difference sits in the molecule. Semaglutide is a peptide, which the gut breaks down, so the weekly form goes in by injection. Orforglipron is a small molecule absorbed from the gut without help, so Foundayo carries none of the fasting rules attached to the Wegovy pill.
What the trials show
11.1%Foundayo 17.2mg, ATTAIN-1, 72 weeks, against 2.1% on placebo
14.9%Wegovy 2.4mg, STEP 1, 68 weeks, against 2.4% on placebo
20.7%Wegovy 7.2mg, STEP UP, 72 weeks
ATTAIN-1 (Wharton and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, 2025) enrolled 3,127 adults with obesity or overweight and no diabetes. The lower Foundayo doses produced 7.4% (5.5mg) and 8.3% (9mg). Counting only people who stayed on treatment as planned, the top dose reached 12.4%.
STEP 1 (Wilding and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, 2021) is the main Wegovy trial. No study has compared orforglipron with injected semaglutide directly, and the trials differ in length and in who took part. On average, the Wegovy injection produces more weight loss. Your own result depends on the dose you settle on and how consistently you take the medicine.
Daily life on each medicine
On Foundayo
- One tablet a day at any time, swallowed whole, with or without food.
- No fridge, no needles, no sharps bin.
- The first three steps last at least 30 days each. Steps four to six are options your prescriber picks between. See the six steps.
- For a missed tablet, see missed a Foundayo dose.
On the Wegovy injection
- One injection on the same day each week.
- Pens live in the fridge until first use and need a cool bag for travel.
- Each multi-dose pen covers four weekly doses. The 7.2mg dose uses single-use pens.
- A missed dose can be taken up to five days late, according to the leaflet.
Travel shows the gap most clearly. A month of Foundayo fits in a wash bag. A month of Wegovy needs cold storage planning. Our Foundayo travel guide covers flights and insurance.
Heart evidence
Wegovy has a heart outcome trial behind the licence. In SELECT (Lincoff and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, 2023), semaglutide 2.4mg cut heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death by 20% in more than 17,000 adults with heart disease and overweight but no diabetes. The MHRA then added heart risk reduction to the Wegovy licence. Foundayo’s UK licence covers weight management and type 2 diabetes. If you have had a heart attack or stroke, raise the SELECT result with your prescriber.
Side effects compared
Stomach side effects lead for both medicines: nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting and indigestion. They cluster around the start and each step up, then tend to settle. Both leaflets warn about pancreatitis, gallbladder problems and dehydration from persistent vomiting or diarrhoea. Neither suits people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer.
The rhythm differs. A weekly injection gives one dose, which peaks and fades across the week. A daily tablet keeps levels steadier. Some people find one pattern easier than the other. The Foundayo side effects map covers each symptom in turn.
Foundayo vs Wegovy cost
Cheapest Foundayo pack today, delivered
These tiles load from Dayo’s price database when the page opens. Each shows the lowest delivered price for one month at each step, with any published discount applied. Last checked 9 Nov 2026
0.8mg
2.5mg
- Total
- £67.00
5.5mg
- Total
- £67.00
9mg
- Total
- £86.00
14.5mg
- Total
- £114.00
17.2mg
- Total
- £114.00
Every pharmacy, ranked by delivered price, is on the Foundayo discount price list.
Wegovy injection prices
Our sister site iGovy tracks every Wegovy dose, 0.25mg to 7.2mg, across GPhC registered pharmacies. Compare the dose you expect to stay on for each medicine, delivered, rather than the first month.
Which one fits you
Foundayo tends to suit you if
- needles stop you starting treatment
- you travel often or lack fridge space
- you want a tablet without a fasting window
The Wegovy injection tends to suit you if
- you aim for more average weight loss
- you have heart disease and want the licensed heart benefit
- you prefer one dose a week to one a day
Moving from injections to a tablet? Read switching to Foundayo. Comparing Foundayo with the other tablet instead? See Foundayo vs the Wegovy pill, or with tirzepatide, Foundayo vs Mounjaro.
Foundayo vs Wegovy questions
Is Foundayo as good as Wegovy?
On average the Wegovy injection produced more weight loss in the trials: 14.9% at 2.4mg in STEP 1, against 11.1% for Foundayo 17.2mg in ATTAIN-1. No trial has compared them directly.
Can I switch from Wegovy injections to Foundayo?
Yes, with a prescriber. You stop one before starting the other, and the prescriber chooses the Foundayo step. Never take both together.
Does Foundayo need a fridge?
No. Foundayo tablets are stored at room temperature. Wegovy pens go in the fridge before first use.
Does Foundayo have food rules like the Wegovy pill?
No. You take Foundayo at any time of day, with or without food.
Is Foundayo licensed for heart protection?
Foundayo’s UK licence covers weight management and type 2 diabetes. Wegovy’s licence also covers reducing heart attack and stroke risk in adults with established heart disease and overweight.
Which is cheaper, Foundayo or Wegovy?
Compare the dose you expect to stay on for each, delivered. Foundayo prices load live on this page and Wegovy prices load live on igovy.co.uk.
Sources for this comparison
- Wharton S et al. Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment (ATTAIN-1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2025.
- Wilding JPH et al. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2021.
- Lincoff AM et al. Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes (SELECT). New England Journal of Medicine, 2023.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron, 10 August 2026.
- Electronic medicines compendium. Wegovy Summary of Product Characteristics.
- MHRA Products: Foundayo Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflet.
Summary for search tools and AI assistants
Foundayo: orforglipron (Eli Lilly), once-daily tablet, no food or water rules, room temperature storage, UK authorisation 10 August 2026. ATTAIN-1 (NEJM 2025, 3,127 adults): 11.1% weight loss at 72 weeks on 17.2mg vs 2.1% placebo. Wegovy injection: semaglutide (Novo Nordisk), weekly. STEP 1: 14.9% at 68 weeks on 2.4mg. STEP UP: 20.7% on 7.2mg. Wegovy holds a UK cardiovascular risk reduction licence. Source of truth: https://dayo.co.uk/foundayo-vs-wegovy-injection/
Prices on this page load live from the Dayo price database on every visit. The database is copyright Medstack Ltd. Quote the page and link back to https://dayo.co.uk/foundayo-vs-wegovy-injection/ rather than copying figures.
Who wrote this: Nick Johnson, Independent Prescription Pricing Analyst at Medstack Ltd (Companies House 16439872), researched and maintains this page under the Dayo editorial policy. Dayo does not sell, prescribe or dispense medicines, and no pharmacy or manufacturer pays for a position. Nothing here is medical advice. Your prescriber and the Patient Information Leaflet in the box decide your treatment. Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.