Your ultimate guide to new weight loss pills…from most effective to nasty side effects & when to expect NHS green light

STEP aside fat jabs – pills are the new weight loss ‘game changer’ in town. The latest addition, orforglipron, sold under the brand name Foundayo, became available to buy in the UK yesterday. Weight loss jabs are arguably the biggest medical breakthrough of recent times – but now pills are available to help Brits to shed the pounds with barely any effort at all Credit: Getty Foundayo is manufactured by the same US company behind the blockbuster jab Mounjaro Credit: Supplied And it may be the ‘easiest’ slimming option yet, even more so than the Wegovy pill which launched last month. Wegovy products (semaglutide) are made by Danish pharma company Novo Nordisk, while Foundayo is manufactured by Lilly, the same US pharma giant behind blockbuster jab Mounjaro (tirzepatide). At the moment, both pills are only available privately for eligible patients.Promising to replicate some of the benefits of weight loss jabs – but without the need for needles or refrigeration – the pills have been hailed as “transformational” by doctors and pharmacists. The need for such medication has never been greater. One in eight people across the world now have obesity, leaving them at higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, fatty liver disease, and many cancers. Obesity is estimated to cost the NHS more than £9billion a year. Weight loss pills, part of the GLP-1 class of medicines, have made slimming down even more convenient. Just like the jabs, they work by mimicking the GLP hormones that tell the brain your stomach is full, quashing your appetite and preventing over eating. But there are some differences to be aware of if you’re considering a weight loss pill, including weight loss expectations and side effects. So what’s the most effective? And how much does Foundayo cost? Here’s our essential guide. WHEN CAN I GET IT ON THE NHS? NOT yet. Neither pill is currently available on the NHS because they need to be signed off as good value for money by the spending watchdog NICE, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. Experts believe it could be another year, yet. A NICE review of Foundayo is scheduled for November 2026. “If recommended and the standard three-month funding period applies, it could become available by February 2027,” Dr Marie Spreckley, an expert in diabetes and metabolic disorder prevention at the University of Cambridge, tells Sun Health. Leading doctors, however, are apprehensive about what the NHS rollout could look like, given the “terrible” slow struggle patients have faced accessing the jabs. Lilly is optimistic that the pill will be easier for the NHS to roll out to more eligible patients than the jabs. Khalil Asmar, vice president for cardiometabolic health, Lilly UK and Northern Europe, tells Sun Health: “The reality is, if we really want to open up access in the NHS, we need to think about a new way of delivering obesity care across the NHS.” WHAT IS THE COST? Wegovy’s pill is more expensive than Foundayo, starting at £79 per month Credit: Alamy THE Wegovy pill is more expensive than Foundayo because the tablet has a different chemical structure. Foundayo is a non-peptide small molecule GLP-1 drug, meaning it is significantly less complex and cheaper to make and manufacture at scale than the Wegovy pill, which is a peptide-based GLP-1. But prices between the two are difficult to compare, as are the doses. Many pharmacies have offers, such as those for new patients. Voy is today charging £64 for the first month of the lowest dose of Foundayo (0.8mg), while MedExpress is charging £59.99 and Superdrug, £79 for new patients. CAN I GET IT? FOUNDAYO and the Wegovy pill are both available for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, or those with a BMI of between 27 and 30 and at least one weight-related condition, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnoea or type 2 diabetes. But experts have urged patients to always use reputable pharmacies and websites with extremely low prices or heavily discounted offers should ring alarm bells. Huge global demand for weight loss drugs have seen counterfeit versions flood the market in recent years and fake medications have been topped up with potentially dangerous ingredients. WHICH PILL IS MOST EFFECTIVE? THERE is no straightforward answer. Studies suggest that long-term Wegovy pill users at the highest dose could lose up to 17 per cent body weight, compared with 21 per cent on the jab. Patients lost roughly 12 per cent on Foundayo, and 20 per cent on sister jab Mounjaro. But no options have been trialled head-to-head. Dr Simon Cork, a senior lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University, says: “While the weight loss experienced on [Foundayo] is typically lower than that experienced with injectable medications, patients can still expect to see significant, clinically meaningful changes.” Other research has suggested that Foundayo was more effective in patients with type 2 diabetes, and that it could be used as a “maintenance” tool. One trial of 376 patients who had been taking Mounjaro or Wegovy kept 75 per cent of the lost weight off by switching to Foundayo. At the time, Dr Louis Aronne, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, said Foundayo should be considered “treatment for life” like blood pressure and diabetes meds. WHY IS FOUNDAYO THE EASIEST? Foundayo can be taken at any time with no food or drink requirements but with Wegovy, you need to fast Credit: foundayo.lilly THE clearest advantage of Foundayo is its flexibility. “It can be taken at any time without food or water restrictions,” says Dr Spreckley. “Whereas Wegovy requires an eight-hour fast, followed by 30 minutes without food, drink or other oral medicines.” But both medicines need to be taken as prescribed – and convenience shouldn’t be the only consideration when deciding which is more appropriate. ANY OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS? BEYOND weight loss, trials for both pills have found extra benefits. Patients on semaglutide, the ingredient in the Wegovy jab and pill, have experienced improved blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol level, helping heart health. In one major study, systolic blood pressure (the top number, showing the pressure when the heart beats) dropped by an average of 6.8mm/Hg for systolic and 2.7mm/Hg for diastolic (the bottom number and pressure between beats). Trials of Foundayo, meanwhile, have shown that it can reduce systolic blood pressure by around 6.7mmHg and levels of harmful blood fats called triglycerides. WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS? People experience similar side effects with the jabs and pills including acid reflux Credit: Alamy SIDE EFFECTS of both pills are similar to the jab – roughly one in 10 experience mild effects, including constipation, nausea, stomach pain, fatigue and acid reflux. Doctors say people shouldn’t assume the pills have fewer side effects than injections. In clinical trials, most digestive side effects were mild to moderate, meaning unpleasant but manageable for most people. Around four per cent were considered severe. In rare cases, GLP-1 medications can cause inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). The symptoms are distinctive: severe, persistent abdominal pain that may radiate to the back, with nausea, vomiting and fever. This is quite different from the mild digestive discomfort many experience in the early weeks. If you develop severe abdominal pain that does not improve, seek medical attention promptly.Rapid weight loss, from any cause, also increases the risk of gallstones. WHAT’S NEXT FOR GLP-1S? ELI Lilly is still trialling the “godzilla” weight loss jab retatrutide. It’s been shown to help users shed up to 30 per cent of their weight. But we can also expect more pills in the pipeline. In June, British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca revealed it was now developing its own oral slimming pill called elecoglipron, which resulted in weight loss “comparable to that reported for other oral” GLP-1 drugs in trials. In March, Structure Therapeutics’ also announced its once-daily pill, aleniglipron, helped patients lose up to 16.3 per cent of their weight after 44 weeks, compared with a placebo. “More oral treatments are likely to follow,” Dr Spreckley says.` “The real test will be how they compare directly, how well people tolerate and continue taking them, whether benefits really last, and whether the NHS can provide affordable access.” I’M ON A ROLL Lauren Carrigher pictured before taking the Wegovy pills Credit: SWNS The 35-year-old, who says she’s ‘terrified’ of needles, pictured after taking the Wegovy pills Credit: SWNS LAUREN Carrigher, 35, is among the first Brits to try the Wegovy weight loss pill. The influencer, from Maldon, Essex, wasn’t keen on injections because she is “terrified” of needles. So when she heard an oral version was available, she ordered a month’s supply from provider Voy, costing £99. In a month and a half, she has lost 10lbs, dropping from 15st 5lbs to 14st 7lbs. Lauren told Sun Health: “I feel like I have had no side effects. “I’ve got friends who were being sick and spending ages in the bathroom after having the injections, but I haven’t had anything like that. “Losing the weight has boosted my confidence.” Lauren had put on 2st after starting a new medication, Ryeqo, that starts early menopause. Lauren was able to lose 10lbs in just a month and a half Credit: SWNS It’s a treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). She found it impossible to shift the weight with healthy eating and regular exercise. Lauren’s BMI was 30 and, with her condition, she was eligible for a prescription. Lauren first started taking her pills on July 11 and after just three days, noticed a change. She says: “The biggest thing I noticed was that I was getting full much quicker. “I got about a quarter of the way through my dinner and I couldn’t eat any more. “Normally, I would eat the whole plate and then I’d still want something afterwards. “I always carry weight around my stomach and my hips. “My stomach sticks out and I feel really bloated. “That’s already started to improve, which has been lovely to see.”Lauren’s goal weight is 12st. She says: “My family have noticed I have lost weight and think I look good. “For me, the pills are much better because if they don’t agree with you, you just stop taking them. “With injections, they’re in your body for a month. “There are always going to be pros and cons, but for me it’s worked brilliantly so far. “I’m eating healthy, I’m eating less and, for the first time in a long time, I’m seeing the weight come off. “I’m really excited to see what happens over the next few weeks.”