Eli Lilly's weight-loss pill Foundayo won UK approval on August 10, becoming the first European country to clear the drug for both weight management and type 2 diabetes. It is only the second GLP-1 pill approved in Europe, arriving two months after Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill got its own UK approval in June. Foundayo can be taken at any time of day without food or water restrictions, unlike the Wegovy pill, which must be taken on an empty stomach with a 30-minute wait before eating. Lilly said the drug will launch in the UK later this month through private prescription, priced below Mounjaro's roughly £330 monthly list price. Foundayo already brought in $98 million in US sales last quarter, and Lilly's overall 2026 revenue guidance now sits at $85 billion to $87 billion, up from its earlier forecast, due to strong demand for its weight-loss and diabetes drugs. The Wegovy pill has already topped 5 million prescriptions since its January launch, and roughly 300,000 UK patients started taking it within its first three weeks there, according to CEO Mike Doustdar. Novo Nordisk's second-quarter sales rose 3% in constant currency to 78.49 billion kroner, with adjusted sales up 7%, but Wegovy pill sales of 3.22 billion kroner missed the 3.33 billion kroner analysts expected. Novo has also sued Eli Lilly over allegedly deceptive advertising, a sign of how heated this rivalry has become.
Eli Lilly and CompanyFoundayo wins first European approval in UK, expanding market access for its weight-loss drug.
Novo Nordisk A/SWegovy pill sales miss expectations and Eli Lilly's Foundayo gains UK approval, intensifying rivalry.
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