If you’re on a weight loss journey, you now have an arsenal of medications at your disposal. And while injectable medications have dominated the space for years, GLP-1 weight loss pills are now on the table. As of this week, you have your choice of two: Wegovy (semaglutide) or Foundayo (orforglipron).
If you know you want to try a weight loss medication, but can’t get behind the idea of sticking yourself with a needle, it makes sense to narrow the field to these two options. How can you make a choice? It’s important to know the ins and outs of each before making a decision with the help of a healthcare professional. Here’s how doctors recommend navigating this.
What is the Wegovy pill?
The Wegovy pill, which is made by Novo Nordisk, is an FDA-approved oral semaglutide medication for adults with overweight or obesity. It’s the sister medication to the injectable form of Wegovy, which is also used for weight loss. Like the injectable form, the Wegovy pill is designed to be taken in smaller doses, before ramping up to a larger dose.
“Semaglutide has the longest real-world track record of any GLP-1 agent,” Tony Yang, DSc, MPH, professor in the Milken Institute School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management and associate dean for Health Policy and Population Science at George Washington University, tells SELF. “Physicians have years of experience managing its side effects, drug interactions, and dosing nuances.”
The Wegovy pill works by mimicking a protein in your body called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). It helps to reduce feelings of hunger and slows down the transit of food in your gut to help you feel fuller for longer. The Wegovy pill is designed to be taken once a day in the morning on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of water. Users need to wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking other oral medications after taking the Wegovy pill.
What is Foundayo?
Foundayo, aka orforglipron, is also a GLP-1 medication—it’s made by Lilly. Patients are also started on a lower dose before increasing to higher doses of the medication. “Orforglipron mimics GLP-1, a hormone your gut naturally releases after eating—the one that tells your brain ‘okay, we’re done here,’” Dr. Yang says.
“What makes it genuinely novel is its chemistry: It’s a small molecule, not a peptide,” he continues. “That distinction matters enormously.” Peptide-based GLP-1s like semaglutide—again, the active ingredient in Wegovy—get broken down by stomach acid, which is why they’ve historically required injections or very strict fasting protocols in the pill form to survive digestion, Dr. Yang explains.
