Foundayo pill lowers heart attack, stroke risk: Eli Lilly

HealthMust ReadFoundayo pill lowers heart attack, stroke risk: Eli LillyBy Reuters -Apr 17, 2026Eli Lilly said on Thursday its ​newly approved obesity pill was not inferior to a widely used ‌long-acting insulin at lowering the risk of major heart problems in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the pill, Foundayo, for weight loss earlier this month, ​intensifying Lilly’s competition with Danish rival Novo Nordisk whose oral Wegovy has been on ​the market since January. The late-stage study data also adds to the ⁠obesity drug’s potential in diabetes, boosting Lilly’s position in the multi-billion-dollar market, ​where drugmakers are racing to develop more convenient oral options as an alternative to ​injectables. Lilly said it will seek U.S. approval of Foundayo for type 2 diabetes under the Commissioner’s National Priority Review Voucher, which aims to speed up FDA decisions on drugs deemed critical ​to public health or national security. The company will submit an application by the end ​of the second quarter, it added. The trial of 2,700 patients, who were at increased cardiovascular risk, ‌showed Foundayo ⁠lowered the risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death by 16%, when compared with those on insulin glargine. The drug lowered the risk of death from any cause by 57%. Foundayo also helped improve patients’ A1C levels – which measure average blood sugar levels over the past ​few months – and ​body weight at ⁠52 weeks. Insulin glargine, sold under brands such as Sanofi’s Lantus and Lilly’s Basaglar, is a long-acting, man-made insulin used to ​control blood sugar in type 1 and type 2 diabetes ​patients. The FDA ⁠had asked Lilly for additional post-marketing studies and more data on liver injury for Foundayo. Lilly said the trial also included an analysis of potential liver injury and found no liver safety ⁠concerns, ​consistent with earlier studies. This data should allay fears ​that Foundayo faces uni...