If you’re on a weight loss journey, you now have an arsenal of medications at your disposal. And while injectable drugs have dominated the field for years, GLP-1 weight loss pills are now on the table. Starting this week, you can choose between Wegovy (semaglutide) or Foundayo (orforglipron).
If you know you want to try a weight loss drug, but you can’t stick a needle behind it, you should narrow down the field to these two options. How can you choose? It is important to know the ins and outs of each before making a decision with the help of a healthcare professional. Doctors recommend navigating as follows.
What is Wegovy tablet?
THE Wego tabletsmanufactured by Novo Nordisk, the FDA-approved oral drug semaglutide is overweight or obese. obesity. It is a sister drug to the injectable form of Wegovy, which is also used for weight loss. Like the injectable form, the Wegovy tablet is designed to be taken in smaller doses before increasing to a larger dose.
“Semaglutide has the longest track record in the real world GLP-1 agent” Tony Yang, DSc, MPHprofessor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health and associate dean for health policy and population sciences at George Washington University, tells SELF. “Physicians have years of experience managing side effects, drug interactions, and dosage nuances.”
Wegovy tablets mimic a protein in the body called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). It reduces hunger and slows the passage of food through the intestinal tract, so you can feel fuller for longer. The Wegovy tablet is designed should be taken once daily in the morning on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of water. After taking Wegovy tablets, users should wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking other oral medications.
What is Foundayo?
Foundayo, also known as orforglipron, is also a GLP-1 drug – manufactured by Lilly. Patients are also started on a lower dose before being increased to higher doses of the drug. “Orforglipron mimics GLP-1, a hormone that’s naturally released in the gut after you eat—the one that tells your brain, ‘okay, we’re done,'” says Dr. Yang.
“What makes it really novel is the chemistry: a small molecule, not a peptide,” he continues. “This distinction matters a great deal.” Peptide-based GLP-1s such as semaglutide—again, the active ingredient in Wegovy—are broken down by stomach acid, so historically the pill form required injections or very strict fasting to survive digestion, Dr. Yang explains.
