Eli Lilly’s Foundayo moved a step nearer to the European market on Friday after the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, known as the CHMP, recommended the pill for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The opinion now goes to the European Commission, which is expected to make a final decision in roughly two months.
Foundayo is a once-daily oral medicine containing the glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, molecule orforglipron. It has no specific requirements on food or water intake, unlike Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.
The recommendation for obesity covers adults living with obesity or overweight who have at least one weight-related health problem. For type 2 diabetes, Foundayo may be used by itself when metformin is unsuitable, or alongside other diabetes medicines.
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The evidence behind the obesity recommendation came from two studies. After 72 weeks, participants taking Foundayo lost around 5% to 11% of their body weight, depending on the dose they received. In late-stage testing, people on the highest dose lost roughly 11% over 72 weeks, compared with about 2% for those given placebo.
Common side effects included nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. They occurred more often while patients were increasing their dose.
If the Commission approves Foundayo, it would become the second oral weight-loss drug authorised in the EU, after Wegovy’s pill. Novo received an EU endorsement for the Wegovy pill for weight management-only in May.
Lilly has already won clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration, which cleared Foundayo in April 2026. The company launched it in Britain on 24 August at £100-£120 a month, and has also launched it in the United Arab Emirates.
Foundayo generated $98 million in revenue during the April-to-June period after its debut. Lilly is seeking approval in roughly 40 additional markets globally.
Martha Stewart featured in Lilly advertisements for the drug.
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