A GLP-1 you swallow.
No needle, no fridge.
Orforglipron is the first small molecule to activate the GLP-1 receptor well enough to matter. It is not a peptide, which is the whole point — peptides are why every other drug in this class needs an injection. This one is a tablet-stable molecule that survives the gut, keeps at room temperature, and does not care whether you have eaten.
It is named for the part people notice on day one. The weight comes later; the hunger going quiet is what makes anyone stick with it.
We are going to be straight about the trade: this is the weakest of the three main options by published weight loss. It is also the only oral one that reaches therapeutic effect at all. If you will not inject, that is not a small thing.
Where it actually sits against the injectables
Published trial results, not our numbers. Orforglipron reached roughly 11–12% weight loss at 72 weeks in Lilly's ATTAIN Phase 3 programme. Tirzepatide has reported around 22.5% at 72 weeks, and retatrutide 28–30% at 80–104 weeks. These are separate trials with different populations and protocols — not head-to-head comparisons — so treat the gap as directional rather than exact.
One receptor versus two versus three. That is the whole explanation, and it is why we will not pretend the oral one matches an injection.
Why "oral GLP-1" usually means nothing
There are grey-market products sold as oral tirzepatide or oral semaglutide. Those are peptides suspended in an oral vehicle, and peptides are digested — that is what the gut is for. Whatever survives is a small and unpredictable fraction, which is why oral semaglutide requires strict fasting and a dedicated absorption enhancer just to reach a usable dose.
Orforglipron is a different kind of molecule entirely. Published pharmacology puts its absolute oral bioavailability at 77%, with a half-life long enough that once daily is genuinely once daily, and no clinically relevant food effect across the approved dose range. You take it and get on with your day.
The part that is actually hard
That 77% figure belongs to an optimised film-coated tablet with a formulation programme behind it. Put the same molecule into a hand-filled powder capsule and it does not behave the same way. Orforglipron is highly lipophilic and very heavily protein-bound, and lipophilic small molecules in plain powder capsules typically land well short of their tablet counterparts. A capsule that gets a fraction of the dose across is not a cheaper version of the drug. It is a different dose, and you do not know which one.
So the formulation work here is not the active — the active is a known quantity with an approved label. The work is closing that gap. Our capsule carries a delivery system that does two separate things: it solubilises the molecule in the gut so it is available to be absorbed at all, and it blocks the efflux pumps at the intestinal wall that would otherwise push a portion of what was absorbed straight back out.
We are not going to tell you what it is
That system is the reason this capsule is worth having rather than being a powder in a shell, and it is the one part of the formulation that is ours. We publish actives, pH, osmolality, dosing and the reasoning behind all of it. We do not publish vehicles, buffer systems or delivery chemistry, on this product or any other. If a competitor wants that, they can do the development work.
What we will say is that the efflux side matters more for some people than others. Efflux pump expression varies a lot between individuals, and people who express it heavily tend to be the ones who quietly underrespond to oral medication generally and never find out why.
Titration schedule
One strength, three doses. Every capsule is 5 mg, so the dose is the number of capsules — no separate SKU per step, and no waiting on a new bottle to move up or down.
| Stage | Take | Daily dose | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–4 | 1 capsule | 5 mg | First therapeutic dose. Assess tolerance before moving up. Nausea, if it comes, peaks here. |
| Weeks 5–8 | 2 capsules | 10 mg | Standard maintenance for most people. Only step up if week 4 was comfortable. |
| Week 9 onward | 3 capsules | 15 mg | Upper maintenance, if more is wanted and tolerance has held. |
The approved label starts lower than this, at sub-therapeutic steps built purely for tolerance. Most people skip those and start at the first dose that does anything, which is where this begins. If you already know you are sensitive to this class, open a capsule and take part of it for the first week rather than starting lower than we can package.
What is in it
| Ingredient | Per capsule | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|
| Orforglipron | 5 mg | Small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist — the active |
| Ginger extract, 5% gingerols | 100 mg | Nausea — 5-HT₃ antagonism, the ondansetron class |
| L-Carnitine L-tartrate | 200 mg | Fatty acid transport into mitochondria — functional, not inert bulk |
| Bioavailability system | — | Ours. Solubilisation plus efflux blockade at the gut wall |
| Flow agent | — | The only genuinely inert ingredient |
| Total fill weight | 385 mg | Size 00 HPMC capsule, ~735 mg capacity |
The ginger is not garnish. Nausea is the single most common reason people abandon this class, it peaks during exactly the weeks the drug has not yet earned its keep, and standardised gingerols act on the same receptor class as the prescription antiemetics. The carnitine is doing the job an inert filler would otherwise do, except it also transports fatty acids into the mitochondria — which is the step that has to happen for mobilised fat to be used rather than re-esterified. We would rather the bulk of a capsule did something.
The side effect that gets discussed least
GLP-1 appetite suppression runs through reward signalling, and some people find that drive, libido and the ability to enjoy things go quiet along with the hunger. This one acts at a single receptor rather than two or three, so it tends to be reported less than with the injectables — but less is not none.
LoveLife — daily, for baseline drive → SexyTime — acute → SuperCLIMAX — anorgasmia specifically →
Boxed warning — thyroid C-cell tumours
Do not take this if either applies to you
Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Rodent studies of GLP-1 receptor–active compounds showed C-cell tumours at clinically relevant exposures. Orforglipron itself is not pharmacologically active in rodents, and the human relevance of the class effect has not been settled either way — which is precisely why the warning stands. This is the approved label's boxed warning and we carry it unchanged.
Also contraindicated
- Prior serious hypersensitivity to orforglipron or any GLP-1 agonist — angioedema or anaphylaxis
- Type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding — embryo-fetal risk in animal studies
- History of pancreatitis
- Severe gastroparesis — the gastric emptying delay is additive
Interactions worth knowing
- CYP3A4 — strong inhibitors raise exposure, strong inducers lower it.
- Insulin or sulfonylureas — additive glucose lowering. Concurrent doses usually need reducing.
- Warfarin — delayed gastric emptying shifts absorption timing. Monitor INR.
- Oral contraceptives — absorption may be reduced while gastric emptying is changing. Use backup during the first four weeks of any new dose.
What the trials reported
- Nausea in up to 40% during titration, usually settling by week eight
- Diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation, 10–20% each
- Reduced appetite and early satiety — the intended effect
- Fatigue, 5–10%
- Gallbladder disease, 1% against 0.7% on placebo — elevated by rapid weight loss generally, not specific to the drug
- Transient worsening of existing diabetic retinopathy, from rapid improvement in glucose control
What this is, formally
A compounded pharmaceutical, not a dietary supplement, and not in the same category as our supplement line. It requires a prescription for legal dispensing in most jurisdictions. Orforglipron was approved by the FDA in April 2026 as Foundayo for chronic weight management; this is a compounded preparation of the same active, and it is not the brand product, not affiliated with the manufacturer, and not an approved generic. For reference, Foundayo's published cash pricing runs roughly $149–349 a month.