- As of November 2026, three daily GLP-1 pills are FDA approved: the Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg) and Foundayo (orforglipron) for weight management, and Rybelsus / Ozempic tablets for type 2 diabetes.1,2
- In their main trials in adults without diabetes, average weight loss was 13.6% on the Wegovy pill (OASIS 4, 64 weeks) and 11.2% on the top orforglipron dose (ATTAIN-1, 72 weeks), vs about 2% on placebo.3,4
- There is no tirzepatide pill. Mounjaro and Zepbound are injections only.8 The semaglutide pills need an empty stomach and a 30-minute wait; Foundayo does not.1
Which GLP-1 pills are FDA approved?
A GLP-1 receptor agonist is a medicine that copies a gut hormone that lowers appetite and blood sugar. Most are injections. These are the ones you can swallow, as listed in the current US labels (checked November 2026):
| Pill | Approved uses (US) | Dose steps on the label | How the label says to take it | Headline trial result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy tablets oral semaglutide, Novo Nordisk approved Dec 22, 2025 | Weight reduction and long-term maintenance in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition; lowering risk of heart attack, stroke and CV death in adults with heart disease and obesity or overweight | 1.5 mg daily for days 1–30, 4 mg for days 31–60, 9 mg for days 61–90, then 25 mg daily (maintenance) | Morning, empty stomach, with up to 4 oz of plain water. Wait at least 30 minutes before food, drinks or other oral medicines. Swallow whole. | OASIS 4: −13.6% vs −2.2% placebo at 64 weeks (adults without diabetes) |
| Foundayo orforglipron, Eli Lilly approved Apr 1, 2026 | Weight reduction and long-term maintenance in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition | 0.8 mg daily, then 2.5 mg, then 5.5 mg, each for at least 30 days; may go up to 9, 14.5 or 17.2 mg (maximum 17.2 mg) | Once daily, with or without food. Swallow whole. Some medicines that affect the liver enzyme CYP3A4 change the dose limits. | ATTAIN-1: −11.2% vs −2.1% placebo at 72 weeks on the top dose (adults without diabetes) |
| Rybelsus and Ozempic tablets oral semaglutide, Novo Nordisk Rybelsus approved Sep 20, 2019 | Blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes; lowering risk of heart attack, stroke and CV death in adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk. Not approved for weight management. | Rybelsus: 3 mg for 30 days, then 7 mg, then 14 mg if needed. Ozempic tablets: 1.5 mg, then 4 mg, then 9 mg if needed. Not interchangeable mg for mg. | Same as the Wegovy pill: morning, empty stomach, up to 4 oz of water, wait 30 minutes. | Label Trial 1: HbA1c −1.4 points on 14 mg vs −0.3 on placebo at 26 weeks. SOUL: 14% lower risk of major heart events |
All three labels carry the same boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors as the injections, and all say not to combine them with another GLP-1 medicine.1 See GLP-1s and thyroid cancer.
The Wegovy pill: how much weight did people lose?
The Wegovy pill is the same molecule as the Wegovy shot, semaglutide, in a daily tablet. Its approval rests on OASIS 4, which enrolled 307 adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, and without diabetes. Two in three took 25 mg a day and one in three took a placebo, alongside diet and activity advice.3
In the label's version of the same data, 47% of people on the pill lost 15% or more of their weight, vs 5.5% on placebo. Stomach and gut side effects were reported by 74.0% vs 42.2%, and 6.8% vs 5.9% stopped because of side effects.1,3 A higher 50 mg dose was tested in OASIS 1 (15.1% average loss at 68 weeks), but 25 mg is the approved maintenance dose.7,1 More detail: oral semaglutide weight loss.
The label adds a caveat for people with type 2 diabetes: the Wegovy pill has not been studied for weight reduction in that group, and blood levels of semaglutide were lower than with the 2.4 mg shot.1
Foundayo (orforglipron): the pill without fasting rules
Orforglipron is not a peptide like semaglutide. It is a small molecule, closer to an ordinary pill, which is why the label allows it with or without food.1 In ATTAIN-1, 3,127 adults with obesity and without diabetes were followed for 72 weeks.4
The trial used an investigational tablet; the label presents the 6, 12 and 36 mg results as Foundayo 5.5, 9 and 17.2 mg. In ATTAIN-2, in 1,613 adults with type 2 diabetes, the top dose led to −9.6% vs −2.5% on placebo.5 In the label's pooled data, nausea affected 26% to 35% on Foundayo vs 10% on placebo, and 6% to 10% stopped because of side effects vs 3%.1 Full results: orforglipron (Foundayo) weight loss.
Is there an Ozempic pill?
Yes, in a sense. Ozempic itself is a weekly injection for type 2 diabetes. The daily tablet form of semaglutide for diabetes is Rybelsus, and the same US label now also covers Ozempic tablets, a separate set of strengths (1.5, 4 and 9 mg) that are not swapped mg for mg with Rybelsus.1 Both are approved for blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. The SOUL trial, in 9,650 adults with type 2 diabetes and heart or kidney disease, found major heart events in 12.0% on oral semaglutide vs 13.8% on placebo over about four years (hazard ratio 0.86).6
Neither Rybelsus nor Ozempic tablets is approved for weight management. The pill approved for weight is the Wegovy pill. For how the brands relate, see Ozempic vs Wegovy vs Mounjaro vs Zepbound.
Is there a tirzepatide pill?
No. As of November 2026, tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) is approved only as a weekly injection under the skin. Lilly's medical information page states plainly that tirzepatide is not available in pill form.8 FDA records list only injectable forms for both brands.2 Lilly's approved GLP-1 pill is orforglipron (Foundayo), a different medicine. Tablets, drops or "oral tirzepatide" sold online are not FDA-approved products. See compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide.
GLP-1 pills vs shots: which works better?
No trial has put a GLP-1 pill and a GLP-1 shot head to head for weight loss. Separate trials in adults without diabetes give a rough sense of scale:
| Trial | Medicine | Length | Average weight change | Placebo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SURMOUNT-1 | Tirzepatide 15 mg weekly shot | 72 weeks | −20.9% | −3.1% |
| STEP 1 | Semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly shot | 68 weeks | −14.9% | −2.4% |
| OASIS 4 | Wegovy pill 25 mg daily | 64 weeks | −13.6% | −2.2% |
| ATTAIN-1 | Orforglipron 36 mg daily (Foundayo 17.2 mg) | 72 weeks | −11.2% | −2.1% |
A pill and a shot differ in daily life too. The pills are daily, and the semaglutide pills come with a morning fasting routine. The shots are weekly and can be taken with or without food. The labels say a missed Wegovy or Rybelsus tablet is simply skipped, while a missed Foundayo dose is taken as soon as possible, and 7 or more missed days in a row means restarting at a lower dose.1
Are GLP-1 supplements the same as GLP-1 pills?
No. Products sold as "GLP-1 supplements" or "GLP-1 boosters" (for example fiber, berberine or probiotic blends) do not contain a GLP-1 medicine and are not FDA-approved drugs. None of the trial results on this page apply to them. We cover what is known in GLP-1 supplements.
Whether a pill, a weekly shot or neither suits you depends on your health, other medicines, cost and coverage. That is a decision to make with your prescriber.
Common questions
Is there a Wegovy pill?
Yes. The FDA approved Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide 25 mg once daily) on December 22, 2025, for weight management and heart risk reduction in adults. In the OASIS 4 trial of 307 adults with obesity or overweight and without diabetes, people on the pill lost 13.6% of their body weight on average over 64 weeks, vs 2.2% on placebo.
Is there a tirzepatide pill?
No. As of November 2026, tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) is only approved as a weekly injection, and Lilly's medical information page states that tirzepatide is not available in pill form. Lilly's approved GLP-1 pill is a different medicine, orforglipron (Foundayo).
What is the Ozempic pill?
When people say Ozempic pill they usually mean oral semaglutide for type 2 diabetes, sold as Rybelsus (3, 7 and 14 mg) and, under the same US label, as Ozempic tablets (1.5, 4 and 9 mg). These are approved for blood sugar control and heart risk reduction in adults with type 2 diabetes, not for weight management.
Do GLP-1 pills work as well as the shots?
In separate trials of adults without diabetes, the Wegovy pill led to 13.6% average weight loss at 64 weeks in OASIS 4 and Foundayo to 11.2% at 72 weeks in ATTAIN-1, while weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg injections led to 14.9% at 68 weeks in STEP 1. No trial has compared the pills and the shots head to head for weight loss.
Do you have to take GLP-1 pills on an empty stomach?
It depends on the pill. The US labels for the Wegovy pill and Rybelsus say to take it in the morning on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of plain water, then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other oral medicines. The Foundayo label says it can be taken with or without food.
Sources
- US prescribing information on DailyMed: WEGOVY injection and tablets (June 2026), RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets (January 2026), FOUNDAYO (July 2026); checked November 2026.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Drugs@FDA: WEGOVY tablets, NDA 218316 (approved December 22, 2025); FOUNDAYO, NDA 220934 (approved April 1, 2026); RYBELSUS and OZEMPIC tablets, NDA 213051 (approved September 20, 2019); ZEPBOUND NDA 217806 and MOUNJARO NDA 215866 (injection only).
- Wharton S, Lingvay I, Bogdanski P, et al. Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (OASIS 4). N Engl J Med. 2025;393(11):1077-1087. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2500969 · PubMed
- Wharton S, Aronne LJ, Stefanski A, et al. Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment (ATTAIN-1). N Engl J Med. 2025;393(18):1796-1806. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2511774 · PubMed
- Horn DB, Ryan DH, Kis SG, et al. Orforglipron, 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. Lancet. 2026;406(10522):2927-2944. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(25)02165-8 · PubMed
- McGuire DK, Marx N, Mulvagh SL, et al. Oral Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in High-Risk Type 2 Diabetes (SOUL). N Engl J Med. 2025;392(20):2001-2012. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2501006 · PubMed
- Knop FK, Aroda VR, do Vale RD, et al. Oral semaglutide 50 mg taken once per day in adults with overweight or obesity (OASIS 1): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2023;402(10403):705-719. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01185-6 · PubMed
- Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Medical. Is Zepbound (tirzepatide) available as an oral formulation? Last reviewed September 23, 2025; checked November 2026.
- Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, et al. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1). N Engl J Med. 2021;384(11):989-1002. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2032183 · PubMed
- Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN, et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity (SURMOUNT-1). N Engl J Med. 2022;387(3):205-216. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038 · PubMed
