I took the new Mounjaro pill… there was one unexpected downside,
A new weight-loss pill has helped one woman shed over three-and-a-half-stone in just two years.
The once-daily GLP-1 tablet called Foundayo, which has been informally dubbed the ‘Mounjaro pill’ online, has sparked huge interest in obesity treatments following encouraging clinical trial results.
Clinical trial participant Maggie Linton, a US-based volunteer who took part in a MedStar Health study in to Foundayo’s effects, said she began noticing changes within weeks of starting the medication.
‘It made a big difference almost immediately,’ she said.
‘I could see my weight, as well as my cholesterol and everything else, going down all at the same time.’
Over the course of the trial, she lost around 3.6 stone in two years, dropping from 16.7 stone to around 13.2 stone.
She said side effects were relatively mild, describing only brief constipation at the start of treatment.
Unlike Mounjaro – a widely used injectable drug – the oral medication works in a similar way by targeting hormones that regulate appetite, helping users feel fuller for longer and reducing food intake.
The pill is part of a new generation of GLP-1-based treatments, which have already transformed weight-loss care through drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, but until now have largely required injections.
‘But I learned how to eat better, move a little bit more, and that kind of went away,’ she added.
Ms Linton said lifestyle changes were also key to her results, including walking, tai chi and Pilates, which she credits with helping her maintain her progress.
Researchers say the appeal of oral GLP-1 drugs lies in their convenience compared with injections, with once-daily tablets potentially making treatment more accessible if approved more widely.
However, experts continue to warn that such medications can carry side effects, including nausea, digestive issues and, in rare cases, more serious complications, and stress they are most effective when combined with diet and lifestyle changes.
The pill has been developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly after it was cleared for use in the United States.
The drug’s US clearance is expected to drive further global interest as obesity treatments continue to shift towards easier-to-administer oral options rather than injections.
In January, a pill version of blockbuster slimming drug Wegovy was launched in America.
Its makers, Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, previously confirmed to the Daily Mail that they are working towards bringing the pill to the UK, with a regulatory submission planned for 2026.
‘Regarding the UK, we are working towards a submission for Wegovy in a pill in 2026,’ a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk UK said, adding they could not yet give any further detail on timelines.
The US decision was taken by the Food and Drug Administration, following large clinical trials of the once–daily Wegovy pill which found it was as effective as the injectable form.
The tablet contains 25mg of semaglutide – the same active ingredient used in injectable Wegovy and the diabetes drug Ozempic.
While Ozempic is licensed to treat type 2 diabetes and is often prescribed off–label for weight loss, Wegovy was developed and approved specifically for obesity.
In trials involving around 1,300 participants, people taking the Wegovy pill lost an average of 16.6 per cent of their body weight after just over a year, according to Novo Nordisk.
