GLP-1 pills: the shortlist

Every provider here sells a GLP-1 you swallow or let dissolve, not one you inject. That covers three different products, and a card's price doesn't always say which one it's for.

Wegovy tablets are brand semaglutide from Novo Nordisk, taken once a day. FDA approved them on December 22, 2025 for long-term weight reduction and for lowering heart risk in adults.

Foundayo is orforglipron, a once-daily pill from Eli Lilly. FDA approved it on April 1, 2026 to reduce weight and keep it off in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition.

Compounded oral GLP-1s are tablets, dissolving tablets and drops that a pharmacy mixes to a prescription. They aren't FDA-approved. One gap to know: no tirzepatide pill has FDA approval, so every tirzepatide tablet listed here is compounded.

Both labels carry a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors. Thyroid C-cell tumors showed up in rodents, and neither pill is for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2.

Foundayo isn't approved for type 2 diabetes, and its label advises against pairing it with another GLP-1 drug. Wegovy tablets contain the same molecule as the Wegovy pen, with a separate approval for the daily pill.

Foundayo's approval rests on ATTAIN-1, a 72-week trial in 3,127 adults with obesity and no diabetes. At the highest dose tested, people lost 11.2% of their weight on average, against 2.1% on placebo. The trial used an investigational version of the tablet. The semaglutide explainer covers what the Wegovy label lists for side effects and warnings.

FDA doesn't review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they're dispensed. None of the trials behind Wegovy tablets or Foundayo tested a compounded tablet or drop.

The rules got tighter once the shortages ended. FDA declared the semaglutide shortage over on February 21, 2025, and pharmacies may no longer make routine copies of an approved drug. FDA also says salt forms such as semaglutide sodium and semaglutide acetate have no known lawful basis for compounding.

Some compounded tablets add a vitamin, such as B6 or B12. FDA's own example says adding B12 doesn't automatically clear the copy test, so ask what the added ingredient is for.

There are two price models on this list, and they print differently. A compounded plan shows one program price on the card. A few bill every four weeks, which is a fixed 28-day charge interval, and verified fixed-day charges use a 365-day annualized monthly comparison.

Brand pills usually work another way. The program charges a consult, care or membership fee, and the drug maker's own pharmacy bills the medicine. That's why several cards here read price on request.

To get the real monthly figure for a brand pill, add the program's fee to the maker's price. Novo Nordisk lists Wegovy tablets at $149 to $299 a month self-pay, rising with the dose. Lilly lists Foundayo from $149 a month at the lower strengths, and $299 at the higher ones.

For a compounded pill, confirm whether the total includes membership, assessment and shipping. Pill-versus-shot pricing varies by formulation and selected plan. A public starting figure or a price for another medication cannot establish the continuing price of your tablet.

A pill is daily and a shot is weekly, so think about which habit you'll keep. If needles are the sticking point, a pill is a fair thing to ask for.

The trial numbers aren't the same either. In STEP 1, the Wegovy injection took off 14.9% of body weight in 68 weeks. Foundayo's top dose reached 11.2% in 72 weeks, in a different trial population and protocol. Separate trials can't settle which is stronger, so ask your prescriber. Tirzepatide injections have their own numbers.

Switching is a real use case. In ATTAIN-MAINTAIN, adults who moved from weekly tirzepatide or semaglutide shots to orforglipron kept more of their lost weight than those moved to placebo.

1. Which product is it? Wegovy tablets, Foundayo, or a compounded tablet or drop. The answer changes the price, the label and the legal footing.

2. Who makes it? For a compounded product, ask which pharmacy fills it and whether it's semaglutide base or a salt form.

3. Who bills the drug? For a brand pill, ask what the program charges on top of the maker's price, and whether that fee repeats every month.

4. Does the price climb with the dose? Get the month-three figure in writing before you pay.

5. Can I move to a shot later? Ask whether switching forms means a new plan or a new fee. Not sure a pill fits your goal? Take the quiz or go back to the full metabolic list.