News » Clinical guidance news, MHRA » Eli Lilly achieves UK first with tablet GLP1
August 11th 2026
The UK has become the first country in Europe to authorise Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes.
While this tablet is approved for use in the UK, it is not available currently via the NHS.
Orforglipron is authorised for weight loss and weight maintenance in adults in the UK with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of between 27 and 30, and at least one weight-related comorbidity and alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. It is also authorised to improve glycaemic control for patients with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes.
The orforglipron tablet is taken once daily and can be taken at any time of day with no food or water restrictions. Treatment begins at 0.8 mg, escalating through 2.5 mg, 5.5 mg, 9 mg, 14.5 mg, and 17.2 mg, with a minimum of one month at each dose level.
The most common side effects for those taking orforglipron are nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, dyspepsia (indigestion), and abdominal pain.
