INDIANAPOLIS, April 24, 2026, 13:05 (EDT)
Prescriptions for Eli Lilly and Company’s new oral weight-loss drug Foundayo reached 3,707 in the U.S. during its second week, according to IQVIA data cited by analysts. That’s behind the early numbers seen for Novo Nordisk’s competing Wegovy pill and has weighed on Lilly shares. In its launch week, Foundayo saw 1,390 prescriptions.
This figure is key: investors are watching the launch closely to gauge if Lilly can push past injectables like Zepbound and stay ahead in the obesity drug race. Pills may bring in patients who’d rather skip injections, though Novo already enjoys a head start—time on shelves, brand muscle, momentum.
Lilly shares slipped roughly 4% to $880.57 in recent trade. Novo Nordisk’s U.S.-listed stock, on the other hand, gained about 5.7%, reaching $40.72. For Lilly, the drop wasn’t massive, but it highlights just how little leeway the company has when it comes to any sluggishness in obesity—its main growth engine.
Novo’s oral Wegovy saw prescriptions jump to 18,410 in its second week on the market, Reuters reported, up sharply from just 3,071 in week one. “While we believe comparisons early into launch should be considered immaterial, Foundayo’s uptake this week is likely to be received negatively,” RBC Capital’s Trung Huynh wrote. Reuters
J.P. Morgan analyst Chris Schott described the ramp as slower than what oral Wegovy saw, pointing to Wegovy’s head start and name recognition, Reuters reported. That’s Lilly’s central challenge now: its drug isn’t simply facing scrutiny as a therapy—it’s being measured as a commercial rollout up against a competitor that’s already gained traction.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration signed off on Foundayo—the branded version of orforglipron—on April 1, clearing it for use in adults battling obesity or those overweight with related medical conditions. Lilly started accepting prescriptions right away via LillyDirect, kicked off shipments April 6, and then pushed the drug to a wider market through pharmacies and telehealth channels soon after.
This GLP-1 drug works by targeting the same hormone pathway that controls appetite and blood sugar. According to Lilly, Foundayo is designed as a once-daily pill, and there’s no need to time it around food or drinks—a detail the company is highlighting to set it apart from competing therapies.
Lilly’s ATTAIN-1 trial showed patients on the highest dose who stuck with treatment shed an average of 27.3 pounds—12.4% of their body weight. Placebo group? Just 2.2 pounds, or 0.9%. “Today, fewer than 1 in 10 people who could benefit from a GLP-1 are taking one,” CEO David Ricks said after the approval. Eli Lilly and Company
But there’s a catch. Early weekly prescription numbers tend to jump around—noisy stuff, especially while distribution ramps up. Lilly has already cautioned that these initial counts might miss some pharmacy partners, so what shows up now isn’t the whole picture. Better to watch trends develop over several weeks, rather than latch onto one set of numbers. Still, the market didn’t wait.
Safety questions aren’t fading. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the FDA wants Lilly to conduct post-marketing studies and collect further data on liver injury. A Lilly spokesperson countered, saying late-stage trials turned up no evidence of liver damage linked to the drug. BMO Capital Markets’ Evan Seigerman called the new studies “notable,” but doesn’t see them having “any meaningful impact” on Foundayo’s competitive standing. Reuters
Lilly, aiming to address those worries, pointed to new clinical results. Last week, the company reported that Foundayo matched insulin glargine on major cardiovascular outcomes in a late-stage study involving over 2,700 people with type 2 diabetes and either obesity or overweight. Now Lilly is targeting U.S. approval for Foundayo in type 2 diabetes before the second quarter wraps up.
The next official update isn’t far off. Lilly will report its first-quarter 2026 numbers on April 30, and management is set to field investor questions about Foundayo’s debut, the rollout for its obesity drug, and what early prescription figures really signal. The conference call starts at 10 a.m. Eastern.
