Lexaria notes FDA approval of Eli Lilly's oral weight-loss drug Foundayo
The FDA has approved Eli Lilly and Company's Foundayo glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist oral tablet for adult use in controlling obesity and weight-related medical conditions, according to a statement from Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (NASDAQ: LEXX).
The approval brings the total number of FDA-approved GLP-1 oral brand offerings to three, following the December 2025 approval of Wegovy tablets for weight loss and the September 2019 approval of Rybelsus tablets for diabetes. In 2025, worldwide revenues of Rybelsus totaled $3.5 billion, representing less than 5% of total worldwide GLP-1 revenue.
In Eli Lilly's clinical trial, patients taking Foundayo for 72 weeks lost an average of 27.3 pounds. The drug can be taken at any time of day regardless of eating habits, unlike Wegovy tablets which must be taken on an empty stomach 30 minutes before breakfast.
According to Scientific American, orforglipron showed higher rates of adverse side effects such as nausea, vomiting and gastrointestinal issues compared with semaglutide. More patients discontinued orforglipron during the trial than those who stopped taking semaglutide.
Eli Lilly states the most common side effects of Foundayo include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, stomach pain, headache, swollen belly, fatigue, belching, heartburn, gas, and hair loss.
Lexaria reported that its DehydraTECH technology has been evaluated with semaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide in studies over the past two years. In one study, the company reported a 47.9% reduction in total adverse events from oral DehydraTECH-semaglutide versus Rybelsus.
The company announced plans to conduct DehydraTECH-processed GLP-1 testing in 2026 with additional drugs including retatrutide and amycretin, and is considering testing with orforglipron. Lexaria holds 65 issued patents worldwide for its drug delivery platform technology.
