Eli Lilly's Foundayo And Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy – A Look At Some Key Highlights

• Novo Nordisk received 3,071 prescriptions in the first four days after its January 5 U.S. debut.
• Eli Lilly said that patients taking Foundayo had a 16% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events than those taking insulin glargine.
• Patients must consume Wegovy with certain restrictions, but Foundayo can be taken without any food restrictions.

Shares of Eli Lilly (LLY) rose over 2% on Friday after the company received 1,390 prescriptions for its newly launched obesity pill, Foundayo, in its debut week in the United States. The company reported these prescriptions for the week ended April 10.

Earlier this year, Novo Nordisk (NOVO) launched its oral obesity pill Wegovy and received 3,071 prescriptions in the first four days after its January 5, 2026, launch, according to a Reuters report.

While Lilly’s 1,390 prescriptions marked a strong start, Novo Nordisk’s pill was prescribed 113,354 times during the same week, a significant jump from the 105,366 prescriptions recorded just seven days earlier.

Eli Lilly Announces Results From Phase 3 ACHIEVE-4 Trial

Lilly just announced positive results from its Phase 3 ACHIEVE-4 trial, boosting confidence in its experimental diabetes pill, Orforglipron, branded Foundayo. The study compared Foundayo with insulin glargine in more than 2,700 adults with Type 2 diabetes who were also overweight or at high cardiovascular risk.

The trial met its primary endpoint, finding Foundayo to be safer than insulin for major cardiovascular events. Eli Lilly said that patients taking Foundayo had a 16% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE-4), including cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke, or hospitalization for unstable and sudden chest pain, compared to insulin glargine.

Through the ORION study, Novo Nordisk showcased that semaglutide, branded as Wegovy, led to about 3 percentage points more weight loss on average. The FDA approved Orforglipron at doses up to 17.2 mg. The approved 17.2 mg tablet is equivalent to the 36 mg capsules used in Phase 3 trials, which were used as the comparator in the ORION study.

The ORION study used a population-adjusted indirect treatment comparison to measure weight loss and tolerability between oral semaglutide 25 mg and orforglipron 36 mg. It was based on data from the Phase 3 OASIS 4 and ATTAIN-1 clinical trials.

In another report, it is stated that patients must take Wegovy under certain conditions, such as taking it on an empty stomach with up to four ounces of water, followed by a 30-minute fasting period. Whereas, Foundayo can be taken without any food restrictions.

How did Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment surrounding the stock has improved from ‘bearish’ to ‘neutral’ while message volumes also rose to ’normal’ from ‘low.’

One user on Stocktwits said that Lilly has a distinctive advantage in growing its revenues and earnings with its ‘blockbuster’ obesity treatments and pipeline.

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