If you’re on a weight loss journey, you now have an arsenal of medications at your disposal. While injectable medications have dominated the field for years, GLP-1 weight loss pills are now on the table. As of this week, you have a choice between two: Wegovy (semaglutide) or Foundayo (orforglipron).
If you know you want to try a weight-loss medication, but you can’t stomach the idea of pricking yourself with a needle, it makes sense to narrow down these two options. How do you choose? It is important to know the ins and outs of each before making a decision with the help of a healthcare professional. Here’s how doctors recommend navigating this.
What are Wijovi pills?
the Wego pillsmanufactured by Novo Nordisk, is an FDA-approved oral semaglutide medication for adults who are overweight or obesity. It is the sister medication to the injectable form of Wegovy, which is also used for weight loss. Like the injectable form, Wegovy pills are designed to be taken in smaller doses, before increasing the dose to a larger dose.
“Semaglutide has the longest real-world track record ever GLP-1 agent“,” Tony Yang, DSc, MPHa professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management and associate dean for health policy and population sciences at George Washington University. “Doctors have years of experience managing its side effects, drug interactions, and dosing nuances.”
Wegovy pills work by mimicking a protein in your body called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). It helps reduce feelings of hunger and slows the passage of food into your intestines to help you feel full longer. Wegovy pills are Designed Take once daily in the morning on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of water. Users need to wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other oral medications after taking Wegovy pills.
What is fundaio?
Foundayo, also known as orforglipron, is also a GLP-1 drug, made by Lilly. Patients also start on a lower dose before increasing to higher doses of the drug. “Orforglipron mimics GLP-1, which is the hormone your gut naturally secretes after you eat, which is the hormone that tells your brain, ‘OK, we’re done here,'” says Dr. Yang.
“What makes it really new is its chemistry: it is a small molecule, not a peptide,” he continues. “This distinction is very important.” Peptide-based GLP-1s like semaglutide — again, the active ingredient in Wegovy — are broken down by stomach acid, which is why they’ve historically required injections or very strict fasting protocols in pill form to survive digestion, Dr. Yang explains.
