Orforglipron Dosage: Foundayo Label and Trial Doses (2026)

Not dosing advice. This page reports doses that studies and approved labels used, with their sources. It does not recommend a dose, and we do not give mixing, injection or unit-conversion instructions. Gray-market vials often do not contain what their label says. How we report doses.

Every dose studied in people

Study	Who	People	Dose and route	What happened
ATTAIN-1 (Wharton 2025), randomized trial	Adults with obesity, without diabetes	3,127	6, 12 or 36 mg once a day (trial capsules, equivalent to 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg tablets) By mouth · 72 weeks	Weight fell 7.5%, 8.4% and 11.2%, versus 2.1% on placebo; 5.3% to 10.3% stopped because of side effects, versus 2.7%⁴.
ACHIEVE-4 (Klein 2026), randomized trial	Adults with type 2 diabetes, a BMI of 25 or more, and cardiovascular or chronic kidney disease	2,749	Highest tolerated dose, up to 36 mg once a day (capsule, equivalent to the 17.2 mg tablet), versus insulin glargine By mouth · Median follow-up 2 years	Cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke or hospital stay for unstable angina in 4.2% versus 5.0% on insulin glargine, meeting the test of being no worse; digestive side effects in 62.1% versus 14.2%⁵.
ACHIEVE-3 (Rosenstock 2026), randomized trial	Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin, with a BMI of 25 or more	1,698	12 or 36 mg once a day, versus oral semaglutide 7 or 14 mg By mouth · 52 weeks	HbA1c fell 1.71 and 1.91 points, versus 1.23 and 1.47 on oral semaglutide; 9% and 10% stopped because of side effects, versus 4% and 5%⁶.
ATTAIN-2 (Horn 2025), randomized trial	Adults with type 2 diabetes and a BMI of 27 or more	1,613	6, 12 or 36 mg once a day By mouth · 72 weeks	Weight fell 5.1%, 7.0% and 9.6%, versus 2.5% on placebo; 6.1% to 9.9% stopped because of side effects, versus 4.1%⁷.
ACHIEVE-2 (Welch 2026), randomized trial	Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin	962	3, 12 or 36 mg once a day, versus dapagliflozin 10 mg By mouth · 40 weeks	HbA1c fell 1.23, 1.50 and 1.56 points, versus 0.81 on dapagliflozin; digestive side effects in 47%, 46% and 54%, versus 12%⁸.
ACHIEVE-1 (Rosenstock 2025), randomized trial	Adults with early type 2 diabetes treated with diet and exercise alone	559	3, 12 or 36 mg once a day By mouth · 40 weeks	HbA1c fell 1.24, 1.47 and 1.48 points, versus 0.41 on placebo; weight fell 4.5%, 5.8% and 7.6%, versus 1.7%⁹.
ACHIEVE-5 (Giorgino 2026), randomized trial	Adults with type 2 diabetes taking insulin glargine	546	3, 12 or 36 mg once a day, added to insulin glargine By mouth · 40 weeks	HbA1c fell 1.58, 1.88 and 1.82 points, versus 0.79 on placebo; weight fell 2.6%, 4.8% and 5.4%¹⁰.
ACHIEVE-J (Yabe 2026), randomized trial	Japanese adults with type 2 diabetes	401	3, 12 or 36 mg once a day By mouth · 52 weeks	A safety trial with no placebo group: 5%, 8% and 14% stopped because of side effects, most often digestive ones¹¹.
ATTAIN-MAINTAIN (Aronne 2026), randomized trial	Adults who had lost weight on tirzepatide or semaglutide injections	376	36 mg once a day or the highest tolerated dose, starting at 12 mg (capsules; 36 mg is equivalent to the 17.2 mg tablet) By mouth · 52 weeks	Among those whose weight had leveled off before the switch, kept 74.7% of the weight lost on tirzepatide and 79.3% of the weight lost on semaglutide, versus 49.2% and 37.6% on placebo, in a model-based estimate¹².
Phase 2 trial (Wharton 2023), randomized trial	Adults with obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition, without diabetes	272	12, 24, 36 or 45 mg once a day By mouth · 36 weeks	Weight fell 9.4% to 14.7%, versus 2.3% on placebo; digestive side effects, mostly during the step-up, led 10% to 17% to stop¹³.

The approved schedule (Foundayo (FDA label))

The Foundayo label (version 10, revised July 2026) is for weight management, together with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, in “adults with obesity or adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition”¹. It raises the dose in steps to reduce the risk of digestive side effects; the tablet is taken by mouth once a day, with or without food, and never more than one a day¹. The label says it is not recommended together with another GLP-1 receptor agonist¹.

When	Dose on the label	Note
First 30 days (at least)	0.8 mg once a day	Starting dose
After at least 30 days on 0.8 mg	2.5 mg once a day
After at least 30 days on 2.5 mg	5.5 mg once a day
After at least 30 days on each dose, if needed	9 mg, then 14.5 mg, then 17.2 mg once a day	Based on response and tolerability
Maximum	17.2 mg once a day
Maximum with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor	9 mg once a day	CYP3A4 is the liver enzyme that mainly breaks down orforglipron

Studies, animals and users: kept apart

Doses below are what studies used or what a label says. They are not advice, and gray-market products may not contain what their label says.

In human studies

Foundayo label (weight management): start at 0.8 mg by mouth once daily; after at least 30 days, increase to 2.5 mg, and after at least 30 days on 2.5 mg, to 5.5 mg. The dose may then be raised to 9, 14.5 or 17.2 mg once daily, each step after at least 30 days on the current dose, based on response and tolerability. The maximum is 17.2 mg once daily, or 9 mg with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor¹. The label says to take it with or without food and to swallow the tablet whole¹. The Phase 3 trials used an earlier capsule formulation: 6, 12 or 36 mg daily for 72 weeks in the weight trials⁴⁷ and doses of 3 to 36 mg daily for 40 to 52 weeks in the diabetes trials⁶⁸⁹¹⁰. Capsule doses of 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 mg correspond to tablets of 0.8, 2.5, 5.5, 9, 14.5 and 17.2 mg¹², and the label reports the weight trials under the tablet doses¹. The Phase 2 weight trial used 12, 24, 36 or 45 mg daily for 36 weeks¹³.

In animal studies

From the Foundayo label: in a 2-year rat study, oral doses of 5, 30 and 200 mg/kg/day (about 3, 9 and 26 times human exposure at the maximum dose) caused no tumors, and a 26-week study in Tg.RasH2 transgenic mice at the same doses also found none. Orforglipron is not active in rats or mice, so these studies could not show GLP-1-driven thyroid tumors¹. Rat fertility was unaffected at up to 200 mg/kg/day¹. In pregnant monkeys, 0.15 and 0.7 mg/kg/day (exposure below the human maximum) had no effect on the fetus; higher doses could not be given because of effects on the mothers’ body weight¹. In a rabbit dose-finding study at 2, 20 and 200 mg/kg/day, the top dose (about 14 times human exposure) lowered fetal and placental weights, and 2 fetuses from 2 mothers had external malformations; a definitive rabbit study at 4, 40 and 200 mg/kg/day (up to about 6 times human exposure) found no effects on the fetus. Orforglipron is not active in rabbits either¹. These are animal safety-study doses, not human doses.

What users report

No community dosing page was cited for this compound.

Half-life and how it is taken

Half-life: About 29 to 49 hours¹After an oral dose (Foundayo label, clinical pharmacology section). Blood levels peak 4 to 8 hours after a dose, and steady levels are reached after about 1 week of daily dosing. About 77% of a 0.8 mg dose reaches the bloodstream, food has no clinically relevant effect on absorption, and more than 99% is bound to blood proteins. It is broken down mainly by the liver enzyme CYP3A4.
Routes: By mouth, once daily: Foundayo tablets (approved) and the earlier capsule formulation used in the Phase 3 trials (human data)

Why the dose goes up slowly

The label raises the dose in steps of at least 30 days to reduce the risk of digestive side effects¹. In the two weight trials behind it, digestive side effects affected 60%, 68% and 69% of people on 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg, versus 37% on placebo, and nausea, vomiting and diarrhea were more common during the step-up period¹. In those trials, 8% of people on Foundayo stopped because of side effects (6%, 9% and 10% on the three doses), versus 3% on placebo¹.

The label ties birth control to the same steps¹. Because orforglipron may make birth-control pills less effective, it advises people using them to switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and for 30 days after each dose increase¹.

Trials have tested a faster start¹². In ATTAIN-MAINTAIN, people switching from tirzepatide or semaglutide injections started directly at 12 mg (equivalent to the 9 mg tablet) instead of the 1 mg capsule start used in the main trials, and none needed a lower dose in the first 4 weeks¹². The label starts everyone at 0.8 mg¹.

What happens if you miss a dose (per the label)

The label says to take a missed dose as soon as possible, but not to double the next dose¹. If 7 or more doses in a row are missed, it says to restart the step-up at a lower dose, to reduce the risk of digestive side effects¹.

No US dose for type 2 diabetes yet

As of 6 October 2026, the US label covers weight management only, so it sets no dose for type 2 diabetes¹². Lilly listed a US submission for type 2 diabetes in its results of 5 August 2026¹⁴. In the UK, the medicines regulator (MHRA) authorized orforglipron for both weight management and type 2 diabetes on 10 August 2026¹⁵.

Oral semaglutide doses do not carry over

Rybelsus and Wegovy tablets contain semaglutide, a different molecule with its own doses, such as 7 or 14 mg a day for Rybelsus and 25 mg a day for Wegovy tablets; those doses do not carry over to orforglipron⁶¹⁶¹⁷. Semaglutide’s doses are on the semaglutide dose page.

Questions people ask

How much orforglipron should I take?

For the approved medicine, the Foundayo label starts at 0.8 mg once a day and steps up, at least 30 days apart, to 2.5 mg and 5.5 mg, and then if needed to 9, 14.5 or 17.2 mg once a day¹. As of 6 October 2026, it is approved in the US for weight management in adults only¹². Ask your prescriber which dose, if any, fits you.

What is the maximum dose of Foundayo?

17.2 mg once a day¹. The label lowers the maximum to 9 mg once a day for people who also take a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor, a medicine that blocks the liver enzyme that mainly breaks down orforglipron¹.

How long do you stay on each Foundayo dose?

At least 30 days: the label raises the dose only after at least 30 days on the current one¹. Above 5.5 mg, each further step also depends on response and tolerability¹.

Can you switch from a GLP-1 injection to orforglipron?

The Foundayo label gives no directions for switching and starts everyone at 0.8 mg once a day¹. In the ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial, adults who had lost weight on tirzepatide or semaglutide injections switched straight to a 12 mg orforglipron capsule, equivalent to the 9 mg tablet¹². Any switch is a decision for a prescriber.

Go deeper

Sources

1FOUNDAYO (orforglipron) tablets: prescribing information (SPL version 10) Eli Lilly and Company via DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 13 Aug 2026. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
2Drugs@FDA: applications containing orforglipron (NDA 220934) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (openFDA), 6 Oct 2026. api.fda.gov · data query
3Orforglipron: safety testing results and vendor ratings (no published tests) Finnrick, accessed 7 Oct 2026. finnrick.com
4Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment New England Journal of Medicine, 6 Nov 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5Cardiovascular safety of orforglipron versus insulin glargine in adults with type 2 diabetes at increased cardiovascular risk (ACHIEVE-4): a phase 3, event-driven, randomised, open-label, non-inferiority, active comparator trial The Lancet, 30 Sep 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6Efficacy and safety of once-daily oral orforglipron compared with oral semaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes (ACHIEVE-3): a multinational, multicentre, non-inferiority, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial The Lancet, 21 Mar 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, for the treatment of obesity in people with type 2 diabetes (ATTAIN-2): a phase 3, double-blind, randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial The Lancet, 20 Nov 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8Orforglipron compared with dapagliflozin in adults with type 2 diabetes and inadequate glycaemic control with metformin (ACHIEVE-2): a multicentre, randomised, non-inferiority, open-label, phase 3 trial The Lancet, 11 Jul 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
9Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, in Early Type 2 Diabetes New England Journal of Medicine, 18 Sep 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10Orforglipron Added to Titrated Insulin Glargine in Type 2 Diabetes: The ACHIEVE-5 Randomized Clinical Trial JAMA, 4 Aug 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
11Long-term safety of oral orforglipron in Japanese participants with type 2 diabetes (ACHIEVE-J): a multicentre, randomised, open-label, parallel-group phase 3 trial The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Oct 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
12Orforglipron for maintenance of body weight reduction: the double-blind, randomized phase 3b ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial Nature Medicine, Jul 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
13Daily Oral GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Orforglipron for Adults with Obesity New England Journal of Medicine, 7 Sep 2023. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
14Lilly reports second-quarter 2026 financial results, raises full-year guidance, and highlights continued growth and pipeline progress Eli Lilly and Company (PR Newswire), 5 Aug 2026. prnewswire.com
15UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (GOV.UK), 10 Aug 2026. gov.uk
16WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and tablets: prescribing information (SPL version 19) Novo Nordisk via DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 30 Jun 2026. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
17RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC (semaglutide) tablets: prescribing information (SPL version 14) Novo Nordisk via DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 19 Aug 2026. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov

Not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before using any drug. Report an error.