How much is Foundayo in the UAE?
Foundayo (orforglipron) costs AED 773 for 30 tablets of 0.8 mg or 2.5 mg in the UAE, AED 1,115 at 5.5 mg, AED 1,412 at 9 mg and AED 1,599 at 14.5 mg or 17.2 mg, on Abu Dhabi’s official drug list from 2 October 2026. One pack lasts 30 days. Most people pay for it themselves.
- GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the UAE and should only be used under medical supervision.1
- Prices here are official prices to the public, from Abu Dhabi’s drug list. We don’t name, link or rank sellers, and nothing here is for sale.
- Nothing here promises any result. The risks are in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
What does each Foundayo strength cost?
The price rises with the dose, from AED 773 for the two starting strengths to AED 1,599 for the two highest, per pack of 30 tablets.2
| Strength | 30 tablets | A year at that dose |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8 mg or 2.5 mg | AED 773 | AED 9,379 |
| 5.5 mg | AED 1,115 | AED 13,529 |
| 9 mg | AED 1,412 | AED 17,132 |
| 14.5 mg or 17.2 mg | AED 1,599 | AED 19,401 |
Official prices to the public on Abu Dhabi’s drug list, effective 2 Oct 2026, checked 12 Oct 2026.2 A year is 364 days, as in our cost calculator; our arithmetic.
You take one tablet a day, so a pack lasts 30 days.3 The UK label starts at 0.8 mg, then 2.5 mg, then 5.5 mg, at least 30 days on each. Higher doses are added only if needed.3 So the first two months cost AED 773 each.2,3
Does insurance or a programme pay for Foundayo?
Abu Dhabi’s health department says Foundayo is covered for adults eligible for its Personalised Weight Management Programme. Otherwise, most people pay themselves.4
Dubai’s basic insurance plan excludes “pharmacological weight reduction regimens”.5 Daman, the Abu Dhabi insurer, covers obesity medicines only for members enrolled in the Thiqa obesity programme.6 Doctor visits and tests are extra. Cover rules are in our insurance post.
What do you get for that price?
Foundayo (orforglipron) is a daily weight-loss tablet from Eli Lilly. The UAE approved it in April 2026, second after the US.7
In the 72-week ATTAIN-1 trial, people on the top dose lost 12.4% of their weight on average, against 0.9% on dummy tablets. Lower doses gave less.3 You can take it at any time of day, with no food or water rules.3 How it compares with the Wegovy pill is in Wegovy pill vs Foundayo.
- Stomach effects lead the list. In its weight trials (ATTAIN-1 and ATTAIN-2), stomach side effects hit 60 to 69 in 100 people on Foundayo, depending on dose, against 36 in 100 on dummy tablets.3
- Label warnings on the UK label include pancreatitis (uncommon, 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000), gallstones (common, 1 in 10 to 1 in 100) and dehydration.3
- The contraceptive pill may work less well: the label advises a non-oral method or condoms for 30 days after starting and after each dose rise.3
Read the full picture
Related questions
Sources
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 March 2026: alert on counterfeit weight-loss products that falsely claim to contain GLP‑1 medicines, relaying an Australian (TGA) advisory; GLP‑1 medicines “are prescription-only medicines and should only be used under medical supervision”; the products are not registered with the Emirates Drug Establishment but are sold online and on social media; products bought online may be fake, contain undisclosed ingredients or give no medical benefit; report to [email protected]. Summarised, not reproduced, as the circular asks. doh.gov.ae (PDF)
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Shafafiya drug price list (Drugs.xlsx), released 26 September 2026, effective 2 October 2026: official “Package Price to Public” for each pack named here, each listed as a prescription-only medicine (“POM”). Downloaded and checked 12 October 2026. shafafiyaportal.doh.gov.ae (XLSX)
- Eli Lilly. Foundayo (orforglipron) film-coated tablets: UK summary of product characteristics, electronic Medicines Compendium, last updated 14 August 2026, sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.5, 4.6, 4.8, 5.1 (Table 2 tablet and capsule doses; ATTAIN-1, Table 3) and 6.4. UK label: the UAE leaflet is not published online. medicines.org.uk
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi expands access to innovative daily oral obesity treatment (Foundayo “covered for adults eligible for the Personalised Weight Management Programme”). News release, 24 April 2026. doh.gov.ae
- Cigna. Essential Benefits Plan (Dubai Health Authority basic plan), table of benefits: exclusion 9 includes “pharmacological weight reduction regimens”; medicines “As per DHA formulary” with a maximum benefit of AED 2,500. cigna-me.com (PDF)
- Daman (National Health Insurance Company). Adjudication guideline: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP‑1) Receptor Agonist, version 5, effective 15 January 2023, revised 19 April 2026: section 3.1.2 (obesity medicines covered under Thiqa for patients enrolled in the Thiqa obesity programme); section 3.3 (obesity medicines “not covered for members who are not enrolled in the Thiqa Obesity Program”); Table 1 (Saxenda/Fitura and Wegovy for obesity; Rybelsus and Ozempic for type 2 diabetes). damaninsurance.ae (PDF)
- The National. UAE-approved daily weight loss pill to be made available next month (orforglipron, sold as Foundayo, authorised by the Emirates Drug Establishment; the second country after the US). 4 April 2026. thenationalnews.com
Last checked 14 Oct 2026 · Next review due 14 Apr 2027 · Report an error
How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above, all checked on 14 Oct 2026. Prices are official prices to the public from Abu Dhabi's drug list, never a discount, and we don't name, link or rank sellers. Figures marked as our arithmetic are worked out from those sources. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a UAE-licensed doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write