Eli Lilly’s recently introduced weight-loss medication Foundayo reached 7,335 prescriptions during its fourth week of availability in the United States, showing a gradual start compared to competing treatments, according to market analysts.
The pharmaceutical company is competing against Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy tablet, which gained an early advantage by launching in January, several months before Foundayo’s April debut.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Trung Huynh noted that although Foundayo’s prescription figures appeared lower than expected, “we’re beginning to see investors looking past initial weekly script tracking metrics as the barometer for Foundayo’s future potential.”
Market watchers believe the emerging generation of oral weight-loss medications could reach millions of patients while helping to reduce cost pressures in the healthcare sector.
Company officials from Lilly reported last week that Foundayo now has more than 8,000 healthcare providers prescribing the medication, with one-third being doctors who had never previously prescribed oral GLP-1 treatments. The company also stated that over 20,000 patients have received treatment with the drug.
Huynh emphasized that Foundayo’s prescription rates must increase quickly “in order to hit (the) consensus (expectation).”
The analyst explained that the medication would require approximately 22,000 weekly prescriptions to reach projected second-quarter revenue of $160 million.
U.S. regulators approved Foundayo on April 1st, with immediate prescription availability through LillyDirect. The company began shipping orders on April 6th, followed by widespread distribution through retail pharmacies and telehealth services starting April 9th.
The prescription data comes from IQVIA, a company that tracks retail pharmacy prescriptions and samples from telehealth platforms, Lilly Direct, and mail-order services.
