Until now, people who wanted to avoid injections often had to accept less effective treatments. If you wanted access to the newest generation of GLP-1 medications, injections were your only option.
But a new generation of weight loss tablets that work in the same way as the leading injectable medications is on the way to the UK. The Wegovy pill and Foundayo deliver results close to those seen with some weight loss injections without the need for needles.
Here, we’ll explore the needle-free weight loss medications expected to come to the UK in the near future and whether they could provide a long-anticipated alternative to injections.
Please be aware that Orforglipron (Foundayo) has not yet been approved for use in the UK and is awaiting approval by the MHRA. This article is for informational purposes only.
Explore weight loss tablets currently available and pre-order the Wegovy pill.
In this article
Why do some people avoid weight loss injections?
What needle-free weight loss medications are coming to the UK?
But aren’t there already weight loss pills in the UK?
How do Wegovy and Foundayo tablets work?
How effective are the new weight loss tablets?
Do no-needle options really work as well as injections?
Want to learn more about needle-free weight loss medications?
Why do some people avoid weight loss injections?
People may prefer to avoid weight loss injections for several reasons. For many, the problem is needle-phobia. Research suggests that at least 1 in 10 adults has a fear of needles, which makes self-injecting medication feel uncomfortable and overwhelming (1).
Even if they are not scared of needles, some people worry about:
Having to do the injection themselves
Whether or not they’re injecting correctly
Pain or discomfort at the injection site
Travelling with injectable medications
Storing the medicine correctly in the fridge
These concerns are completely understandable and do prevent some people from starting GLP-1 treatment, especially because weight loss medications are long-term commitments. The idea of keeping up an injection routine long-term can feel like a lot.
Fortunately, the next generation of needle-free weight loss treatments are on their way to the UK and may offer another option.
What needle-free weight loss medications are coming to the UK?
You may have heard about them already:
Wegovy tablet: The Wegovy tablet contains Semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Wegovy injections. Oral Semaglutide tablets are already being used to treat diabetes, but depending on MHRA approval, may also start being prescribed for weight loss.
Foundayo (US brand name): Foundayo is a brand-new tablet containing a medicine called Orforglipron. This medicine belongs to the same family of drugs as Semaglutide and Tirzipatide (the active ingredient in Mounjaro injections), but specifically developed to be taken orally.
As of June 2026, Wegovy tablets were approved for use in the UK, following MHRA approval. They are not yet available for purchase but are available for pre-order with online pharmacies like us. Orforglipron (US name: Foundayo), is likely to be approved for UK use by the MHRA by the end of the year.
Both of these weight loss pills offer a prescription-strength treatment without the need for weekly injections. For anyone with a phobia of needles or simply a preference for oral treatment, this opens a door to access treatment that was previously closed.
But aren’t there already weight loss pills in the UK?
Yes, weight loss tablets are already available in the UK. The most well-known is Orlistat. Orlistat works by blocking fat from your diet and can be purchased as lower-strength Orlos and Alli without a prescription (4). Another option is MySimba, a prescription-strength pill that helps to control appetite.
However, while these weight loss tablets are effective for many people, they generally produce less weight loss than newer GLP-1 medicines like Wegovy and Mounjaro. For anyone wanting to use the most effective medicines in the market, injecting was the only option.
That’s why there is so much interest in the next generation of oral weight loss medicines. They work the same way as GLP-1 injections, delivering similar weight loss results — without the needles.
How do Wegovy and Foundayo tablets work?
Semaglutide and Orforglipron, the active ingredients in the Wegovy pill and Foundyo tablet, both mimic a hormone called GLP-1. This hormone is released naturally by the body after you eat to help regulate your appetite by:
Reducing feelings of hunger
Increasing feelings of fullness
Keeping food in the stomach for longer
By mimicking GLP-1, both oral weight loss medications cause the same effects in the body. Many people find that their appetite reduces, they feel satisfied with smaller portions, and they think less about food. This leads to a lower calorie intake and steady weight loss over time.
This is the same pathway used by Wegovy injections and other GLP-1 treatments.
How effective are the new weight loss tablets?
The results from clinical trials have been hugely encouraging. In studies with participants with obesity, the new oral GLP-1 medications showed an average weight loss of around:
12% of starting body weight over 72 weeks for the Foundayo tablet (5)
14% of starting body weight over 64 weeks for the Wegovy tablet (6)
These results are far above the average weight loss seen with traditional weight loss tablets.
However, it’s important to remember that these percentages are trial averages achieved alongside lifestyle changes and, in many cases, the highest maintenance dose. Individual results do vary from person to person.
Do no-needle options really work as well as injections?
The short answer is that some tablets now come surprisingly close to injections, but injections still appear to have a slight edge overall, depending on exactly what you’re comparing:
The highest strength Wegovy tablet produces similar weight loss to the 2.4mg Wegovy injection (7). But people using the 7.2mg Wegovy pen achieve more average weight loss, and there’s no tablet equivalent (8).
Mounjaro appears to deliver the greatest average weight loss of all available GLP-1 tablets and injections (9). This is thought to be because Tirzepatide works on both GLP-1 and GIP receptors rather than GLP-1 alone.
Foundayo produces slightly less average weight loss than oral Semaglutide and the leading injectable treatments. But the gap between them is relatively small compared with traditional weight loss tablets like Orlistat (10).
Weight loss isn’t only about what happens in clinical trials, though. To work correctly, oral Semaglutide must be taken on an empty stomach and has strict instructions around food, water, and other medications (11). Orforglipron doesn’t and can be taken more like a conventional tablet.
Some people have no difficulty following the Wegovy tablet instructions and quickly make it a habit. Others find them harder to fit into everyday life and may achieve better real-world results with Foundayo, despite its slightly lower trial average.
Ultimately, the most effective treatment is often the one you can stick to consistently long-term.
Want to learn more about needle-free weight loss medications?
While injections currently deliver the greatest average weight loss, the gap between tablets and injections is becoming much smaller than it once was.
For people who aren't comfortable with needles, the wait for GLP-1 medications without injections has been a long and frustrating one. Depending on MHRA approval timelines, access to some of the most effective weight loss medications may very soon be as simple as taking a tablet.
At Oxford Online Pharmacy, we can help you explore the weight loss treatments currently available and keep you updated on new options as they become available in the UK.
Explore weight loss tablets currently available or pre-order the wegovy pill.
References
NHS. Needle phobia and overcoming your fear - Overview [Internet]. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. 2020.
Lilly’s oral GLP-1, orforglipron, is successful in third Phase 3 trial, triggering global regulatory submissions this year for the treatment of obesity | Eli Lilly and Company [Internet]. Eli Lilly and Company. 2024.
Dyer O. Pill version of obesity jab is approved in US, with UK decision pending. The BMJ. 2026 Jan 2;392:s2.
NHS. Orlistat [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2026.
Wharton S, Aronne LJ, Stefanski A, Alfaris NF, Ciudin A, Yokote K, et al. Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment. New England Journal of Medicine. 2025 Sep 16;
Wharton S, Ildiko Lingvay, Bogdanski P, Duque R, Jacob S, Karlsson T, et al. Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. New England Journal of Medicine. 2025 Sep 17;393(11):1077–87.
Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine [Internet]. 2021 Feb 10;384(11):989–1002.
Wharton S, Freitas P, Jøran Hjelmesæth, Kabisch M, Kandler K, Ildiko Lingvay, et al. Once-weekly semaglutide 7·2 mg in adults with obesity (STEP UP): a randomised, controlled, phase 3b trial. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology [Internet]. 2025 Sep 1;
Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN, Wharton S, Connery L, Alves B, et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. New England Journal of Medicine [Internet]. 2022 Jun 4;387(3):205–16.
Heck AM, Yanovski JA, Calis KA. Orlistat, a new lipase inhibitor for the management of obesity. Pharmacotherapy [Internet]. 2000;20(3):270–9.
Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information [Internet]. Plainsboro (NJ): Novo Nordisk; [cited 2026 Jun 04].