Two new weight-loss tablets have launched in the UK this summer as an alternative to injectable "fat jabs" – Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill in early July and Eli Lilly's Foundayo, which followed in late August. The tablets are being closely watched because they promise similar appetite-suppressing effects to jabs like Ozempic and Mounjaro but with greater convenience, lower cost and no need for injections, making them appealing to the millions of people put off by needles or seeking to maintain weight already lost.

Two writers who tried the pills reported very different experiences: one, who had previously lost four stone on Mounjaro injections, switched to the Wegovy pill but stopped after developing nausea, stomach cramps and intense hunger, before trying Foundayo instead. Foundayo, officially launched on 24 August, is not available on the NHS but can be bought through online pharmacies such as Boots, Asda and Cloud; both pills cost around £90 a month at the starting dose, rising to £110–£170 at higher doses, making them £20–£170 cheaper than equivalent injections. Unlike the Wegovy pill, which must be taken on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, Foundayo can reportedly be taken at any time, adding to its convenience.