💊 Europe Nears a Yes on Foundayo, Lilly’s Once-Daily GLP-1 Pill
Europe is one signature away from a second GLP-1 pill for weight management. 🇪🇺 The European Medicines Agency’s drug committee has recommended approving Eli Lilly’s once-daily tablet, Foundayo, across the European Union.
📰 What Happened
The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion on Foundayo (orforglipron) at its October 12 to 15 meeting, and the agency announced it on Oct. 16. The recommendation covers two uses in adults: weight management alongside a healthy diet and physical activity, and type 2 diabetes that isn’t well controlled.
For weight management, the recommended EU wording covers adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or a BMI from 27 up to 30 with at least one weight-related condition, such as prediabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.
According to the EMA, the weight-management recommendation rests on two studies with 4,740 adults. After 72 weeks, people taking Foundayo lost about 5% to 11% of their body weight, depending on the dose, compared with about 2% to 2.5% on placebo. For diabetes, the EMA looked at four main studies with 3,765 adults, where Foundayo lowered HbA1c (a long-term blood sugar marker) by about 1.2 to 1.9 percentage points. The most common side effects the agency listed were nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. They showed up more often while the dose was being increased and became less frequent over time.
🔙 The Backstory
Most familiar GLP-1 medicines are peptides, which are larger molecules usually given as shots. The EMA describes orforglipron as a small, non-peptide molecule, and that’s what lets it work as a pill. Like other GLP-1 medicines, it acts on the receptor for GLP-1, a natural hormone involved in appetite and blood sugar. Per the EMA, that helps reduce appetite and increase feelings of fullness.
Foundayo isn’t new everywhere. CNBC and Reuters report that Lilly launched it in the U.S. in April and in the UK in August, and that it brought in $98 million in second-quarter sales. Lilly has sought approval in more than 40 countries.
It also wouldn’t be Europe’s first weight-management pill. Both outlets report that Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill won EU approval in July. Lilly’s main selling point is convenience: Foundayo can be taken at any time of day without food or water restrictions, a feature Lilly contrasts with the Wegovy pill. Reuters notes, though, that Foundayo has caught on more slowly in the U.S. than the Wegovy pill, which reached the market first.
🔮 What’s Next
A committee recommendation isn’t the finish line. 🏁 The European Commission makes the final decision on an EU-wide marketing authorization. The EMA’s summary of the opinion says that decision is normally issued 67 days after the opinion is adopted, which would put it around late December.
After that, the EMA says each member state decides on price and reimbursement separately. Reuters quoted a Bernstein analyst who expects an EU launch for obesity around year-end, while the diabetes launch “depends on member-state reimbursement.”
One small date wrinkle: CNBC and Reuters describe the committee’s recommendation as coming on Friday, Oct. 16. The EMA’s records show the opinion was formally adopted on Oct. 15 and made public on Oct. 16.
🩺 Your Care Team Knows Best
Wondering whether news like this matters for your own care? Ask your doctor or pharmacist, who know your full health history.
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📚 Sources
EMA: New oral GLP-1 medicine for weight management and type 2 diabetes (Oct. 16, 2026)
EMA: Foundayo medicine overview and CHMP summary of positive opinion
CNBC: Eli Lilly’s weight-loss pill wins EU drug regulator’s backing (Oct. 16, 2026)