The development comes as health authorities consider another potential change in diabetes treatment: a once-weekly insulin injection called Onswik. The medicine has received an initial recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), although it still requires authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before it can become available through the NHS.
Together, the developments concern different medicines and different stages of approval. Foundayo has received MHRA authorisation, while decisions about its use within the NHS will follow established processes. Onswik, meanwhile, has Nice’s initial approval but is awaiting the medicines regulator’s decision.
Foundayo Becomes Available as an Oral GLP-1 Treatment
The MHRA has authorised orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes, making Britain the first European country to approve the GLP-1 tablet. It will be available in UK pharmacies from Monday and remains a prescription-only medicine.
Khalil Asmar, vice-president of cardiometabolic health at Lilly Northern Europe, said the authorisation provided another oral treatment option for eligible UK patients alongside licensed injectable medicines.
The National Pharmacy Association also welcomed the arrival of another weight-loss pill. Its chief executive, Henry Gregg, said it could be particularly significant for people who cannot, or do not wish to, use injectable medicines. He also called for greater use of pharmacies to help eligible patients in clinical need obtain weight-loss treatments through the NHS.
The authorisation follows the MHRA’s approval in June of a tablet form of Wegovy, described by the Birmingham Mail as the first GLP-1 pill approved for weight loss. Julian Beach, the MHRA’s executive director of healthcare quality and access, said orforglipron had undergone a rigorous assessment of its “safety, quality, and effectiveness“. He added that the regulator would continue monitoring the medicine’s safety and effectiveness.
Weekly Insulin Could Sharply Reduce the Number of Injections
A separate treatment could change how some people with type 2 diabetes receive insulin. Onswik, made by Eli Lilly, is designed to be injected once a week rather than every day and is said to work as well as daily insulin injections.
According to the BBC, switching to the weekly treatment could reduce the number of injections required by 86%. Around 4.7 million people in the UK were living with diabetes in 2024-25, roughly 90% of whom had type 2 diabetes. Diabetes UK says around one in four people with type 2 diabetes uses insulin.
The weekly option could particularly benefit people who require assistance with injections, including frailer patients and those with sight loss, limited hand movement or learning disabilities. It may also help people who find the steps involved in daily injections difficult or struggle to maintain their treatment regime.
Douglas Twenefour, head of clinical at Diabetes UK, said moving from daily injections to a weekly option could make diabetes easier to manage for some people with additional care needs and improve their quality of life.
Nice has initially recommended the treatment, but patients cannot yet obtain it through the NHS. According to the BBC, health officials are awaiting the MHRA’s ruling before determining whether Onswik could be rolled out across the NHS.
