Foundayo (orforglipron) vs Phentermine (generic)
Verdict
Neither comes out ahead on the axes compared here. Foundayo scores higher on the published halfrx formula, 6.3 against 3.1; the formula takes in more than this table does.
Computed from the stored fields, so it moves when a price does. Nothing here is written by hand or by a model.
Foundayo (orforglipron) or Phentermine (generic): which one has a price?
Only Foundayo (orforglipron) has an all-in figure here: $149–$349 a month, read from its own page on 2026-09-12. No price is published here for Phentermine (generic), so price cannot decide between them. Every axis below is computed from stored fields rather than written by hand, so the comparison moves when a price does. Neither carries an FTC action, a state action, a BBB F grade or an FDA warning letter. One is branded and the other generic, and they are different drugs, so the gap is the molecule as well as the price. The published formula scores them 6.3 and 3.1 out of 10, arithmetic over the same stored fields rather than an editor's preference. Cost here is scored on what a patient pays once titrated, never on the entry price, because an introductory rate covers the months before anybody has reached the dose they stay on.
Head to head
| What decides it | Foundayo $149–$349/mo | Phentermine price unverified |
|---|---|---|
| Entry priceNot comparable — Phentermine (generic) publishes no verified all-in price. | not comparable | not comparable |
| Regulatory and complaint riskNeither carries a lawsuit, an FDA warning letter or a supply-risk flag. | tied | tied |
What the trials, the titration and a year actually say
| Axis | Foundayo | Phentermine |
|---|---|---|
| The trial that figure comes from | ATTAIN-1, Trial 1 on the label, 72 weeks: 11.1% mean weight loss at 17.2 mg against 2.1% on placebo, intention-to-treat. | The label does not carry a modern trial figure; it states in its own words that the usefulness of this class 'should be measured against possible risk factors', and it is not recommended for long-term use. |
| Maintenance dose | 5.5 mg, 9 mg, 14.5 mg or 17.2 mg daily | 37.5 mg once daily, in the morning |
| Earliest week you reach it | week 9 | — |
| Year one at the published price of every step | $3,188 | No titration prices recorded |
The year-one figures walk each titration step at its published price and count the twelve 30-day bottles a year holds. The full arithmetic is published.
What separates these two, price aside
- These are different molecules — orforglipron against phentermine — so this is a comparison of two treatments, not of two prices for one.
Eli Lilly
Foundayo (orforglipron)6.3
$149–$349/mo all-in
verified 2026-09-12
Newly approvedPrice conditional on refill timingBoxed warning
Multiple generic manufacturers
Phentermine (generic)3.1
Price unverified
Controlled substanceWeaker moleculeNo published priceStrict dosing rules
Foundayo (orforglipron)
Pros
- +A daily pill with no injection, no needles and no refrigeration — unlike semaglutide pills it is a small molecule, so there are no food-and-water timing rules to follow.[3]
- +$149 a month at the entry dose through LillyDirect — the lowest self-pay price for a branded GLP-1 on this site, matched only by the Wegovy pill's first month.[4]
- +11.1% mean weight loss over 72 weeks in ATTAIN-1, intention-to-treat — below the Wegovy tablet's 13.6%, and well above the older oral options.[2]
- +Being a small molecule, it is manufactured chemically rather than biologically — supply scales in a way peptide injectables cannot.[3]
- +Commercially insured with coverage, Lilly's card can bring it to as little as $25 a month.[1]
Cons
- −Approved 1 April 2026, so real-world safety data outside trials is still thin compared with semaglutide's years of use.[2]
- −$649 list price if you have no coverage and do not use the LillyDirect self-pay channel.[4]
- −Weight loss trails tirzepatide injection, which reaches roughly 20%+ in its pivotal trials.[2]
- −Maintenance doses hold their $299 price only while you refill within 45 days; lapse and they are $349.[1]
Phentermine (generic)
Pros
- +Pharmacies acquire it at $0.068 a tablet, about $2 for a 30-day supply, under the federal NADAC survey. That is what a pharmacy pays, not what it charges you.[2]
- +Covered by more Medicaid programs than any GLP-1 — seven states cover an older weight-loss agent while covering no GLP-1 at all.[3]
- +One tablet each morning, no injection, no titration schedule beyond a possible half dose.[1]
Cons
- −Approved for a few weeks only. Every monthly subscription selling it as ongoing therapy is using it off the label's own duration.[1]
- −Schedule IV controlled substance, chemically related to the amphetamines, with the dependence warnings that follow from that.[1]
- −Stopping after prolonged high dosing brings extreme fatigue and depression, per the label — which is a hard exit from a subscription that sold it as maintenance.[1]
- −No cardiovascular outcome data of the kind the GLP-1s now carry, and contraindicated where blood pressure is uncontrolled.[1]
Comparisons are computed from the fields on each card, not written by hand or by a model, so they change when the data does. Information only, not medical advice. halfrx may earn a commission from some links, which never changes what a comparison says.
Everything on Foundayo
- Foundayo price and terms →
- What is Foundayo? →
- Foundayo cost without insurance →
- Alternatives to Foundayo →
- Foundayo coupons and savings cards →
- Foundayo Self Pay Journey Program →
- Foundayo side effects →
- Does Foundayo make you feel sick? →
- Does Foundayo make you tired? →
- Does Foundayo cause constipation? →
- Does Foundayo cause diarrhea? →
- Does Foundayo make you throw up? →
- Does Foundayo cause hair loss? →
- Does Foundayo cause stomach pain? →
- Does Foundayo cause indigestion? →
- Does Foundayo cause acid reflux? →
- Does Foundayo make you burp? →
- Does Foundayo cause bloating? →
- Does Foundayo cause headaches? →
- Foundayo dose schedule →
- Can you stay on a lower dose of Foundayo? →
- How to take Foundayo →
- How long Foundayo takes to work →
- Which labels record what happens when you stop →
- Hair loss: which of the labels name it →
- Alcohol: what the labels say, and what they do not →
- orforglipron at LillyDirect: the price →
- orforglipron: every product and price →
- LillyDirect: the seller →
Everything on Phentermine
- Phentermine price and terms →
- What is Phentermine? →
- Phentermine cost without insurance →
- Alternatives to Phentermine →
- Phentermine side effects →
- Does Phentermine cause constipation? →
- Does Phentermine cause diarrhea? →
- Does Phentermine make you dizzy? →
- Does Phentermine cause headaches? →
- Does Phentermine keep you awake? →
- Does Phentermine cause dry mouth? →
- Phentermine dose schedule →
- How to take Phentermine →
- Which labels record what happens when you stop →
- Hair loss: which of the labels name it →
- Alcohol: what the labels say, and what they do not →
- phentermine: every product and price →
- Qsymia: the drug →
Foundayo against Phentermine, answered
- Is Foundayo or Phentermine better for weight loss?
- Only Foundayo has a trial figure recorded here: 11.1% average weight loss, from its own label trial. Phentermine has none on this site, so the two cannot be compared on effect and this page does not pick one on it.
- Which is cheaper, Foundayo or Phentermine?
- Phentermine publishes no all-in monthly price that could be verified, so this page carries no comparison rather than an estimate — and an unpublished price is itself worth weighing.
- Can you switch between Foundayo and Phentermine?
- They are different molecules, so this is a change of medication rather than of brand, and the one you move to is started on its own dosing schedule.