MedPal AI eyes private GLP-1 market after UK authorises Eli Lilly weight-loss pill
Fiona Craig
Tue, 11 August 2026 at 6:31 pm GMT+5:30
4 min read
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MedPal AI plc (LSE:MPAL) highlighted a potential expansion of the UK private weight-management market after regulators authorised Eli Lilly’s once-daily oral GLP-1 treatment orforglipron, which will be sold under the Foundayo brand
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency authorised the drug on August 10, making the UK the first European country to approve the treatment. Eli Lilly has indicated that Foundayo is expected to become available through private prescription later this month, although pricing has yet to be announced
For MedPal, the regulatory decision is significant because its New Health business operates a private GLP-1 weight-management clinic and the group already has an approved purchasing relationship with Eli Lilly
Foundayo initially limited to private prescriptions
Orforglipron has been authorised for weight loss and weight maintenance in adults with a body mass index of at least 30, or between 27 and 30 where patients have at least one weight-related co-morbidity
Treatment is intended to be used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. The authorisation also covers improved glycaemic control for patients whose type 2 diabetes is insufficiently controlled
Foundayo is not currently available through the NHS and remains subject to an assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
That leaves private prescriptions as the initial route to the treatment, directly overlapping with the market targeted by MedPal’s New Health clinic
The approval follows the MHRA’s authorisation of Novo Nordisk‘s oral semaglutide weight-loss tablet in June, meaning the UK has approved two once-daily oral GLP-1 weight-management treatments within two months
New Health reaches £2.2 million annualised prescription revenue run rate
MedPal said New Health generated more than £180,000 of private prescription revenue during July following only three weeks of marketing
That represents an annualised run rate above £2.2 million, while the wider group was operating at an annualised recurring revenue run rate of approximately £8.6 million
MedPal Limited, the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, was approved as an authorised purchaser of Eli Lilly pharmaceutical products in the UK in January 2026. The group also has direct supply agreements with both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk for existing GLP-1 medicines
This existing infrastructure could put MedPal in a position to participate in the market for newly authorised oral treatments as they become commercially available, although the company has not announced specific Foundayo sales expectations
