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Lilly CEO: Foundayo now accounts for 1 in 3 new oral weight loss drug starts in US
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Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks stated on Monday that Foundayo, the company's oral weight loss pill, now accounts for one in three new oral weight loss drug starts in the United States, with its market share growing weekly. Ricks expressed long-term confidence in Lilly's position in the pill segment and announced planned rollouts in additional countries later this year. The comments coincided with Lilly breaking ground on a $6.5 billion manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, expected to be operational by 2030, which will produce Foundayo and other drug components. Foundayo entered the US market in April and generated $98 million in second-quarter revenue. The start of Medicare obesity drug coverage in July is seen as a catalyst for further uptake. Lilly's oral drug competes with a pill from Novo Nordisk, and Lilly held about a 61% share of the overall weight loss and diabetes market in the second quarter. Foundayo launched in the UK in August, priced between £100 and £120 per month. Shares of Novo Nordisk fell on Monday after its long-term strategy failed to reassure investors about competition with Lilly.
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Cris Tolomia Mon, September 21, 2026 at 10:29 AM PDT 2 min read
Eli Lilly (LLY)
Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks said Monday that Foundayo now accounts for one in three new oral weight loss drug starts in the United States, with the pill capturing a larger slice of that market each week. Ricks made the remarks in an exclusive interview with CNBC.
"We're confident long term" about Lilly's place in the pill segment, Ricks told CNBC, noting that Foundayo rollouts in additional countries are planned for later this year.
New Manufacturing Facility in Houston
The comments came as Lilly broke ground on a $6.5 billion manufacturing facility at Generation Park in Houston, Texas — nearly a year after first announcing the project. The plant is expected to be operational by 2030, the company said. In addition to Foundayo, it will manufacture the core chemical components used in Lilly's treatments spanning cardiometabolic health, oncology, immunology, and neuroscience.
Foundayo Market Performance
Foundayo entered the U.S. market in April and posted $98 million in second-quarter revenue, the company said. The start of Medicare obesity drug coverage in July is seen as a catalyst for further uptake of the pill, the company said.
Broader Manufacturing Investment
The Houston plant is part of a broader manufacturing push by Lilly. Early last year, Lilly pledged an additional $27 billion toward four new production sites, bringing its total manufacturing investment since 2020 to more than $50 billion, the company said.
Competitive Landscape
Lilly's oral drug competes against a pill from Danish rival Novo Nordisk. Lilly said in August that it held about a 61% share of the overall weight loss and diabetes market in the second quarter.
Foundayo launched in the United Kingdom in August, making Britain the first country in Europe to offer the treatment. The pill is available there through private prescription, priced between £100 and £120 per month — lower than Lilly's injectable Mounjaro, which costs £330 per month through private providers. The European Union had not yet completed its assessment of Foundayo at the time of the U.K. launch.
Shares of Novo Nordisk dropped Monday after the Danish drugmaker's long-term strategy did little to reassure investors who are worried about how it will stack up against Lilly in the obesity and diabetes space, according to CNBC.
Source
Yahoo FinanceWestern
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Eli Lilly’s Foundayo captures one-third of new US oral weight-loss pill starts