11 August 2026
MedPal AI plc
("MedPal", the "Company" or the "Group")
UK First in Europe to Authorise Eli Lilly's Once Daily GLP-1 Weight Loss Pill
Second oral GLP-1 authorised for weight loss in the UK in two months, in a private-only market where MedPal's New Health clinic is already operating
MedPal AI plc (AIM: MPAL; FRA: Z1N), the AI-native digital health and pharmacy group, notes the announcement by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 10 August 2026 that the UK has become the first country in Europe to authorise orforglipron (brand name Foundayo), Eli Lilly's once daily oral GLP-1 tablet.
Orforglipron is authorised for weight loss and weight maintenance in adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of between 27 and 30 with at least one weight-related co-morbidity, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. The authorisation also extends to improving glycaemic control in patients whose type 2 diabetes is insufficiently controlled.
Highlights
• The UK's second oral GLP-1 weight loss authorisation in two months. Orforglipron follows the MHRA's approval of Novo Nordisk's oral semaglutide tablet in June 2026. Two of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies now have once daily weight loss pills authorised in the UK, and the UK is the first country in Europe for both.
• Private-only access at launch. Foundayo is not currently available on the NHS and remains subject to evaluation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Private provision, the market in which the Group's dedicated GLP-1 clinic New Health (new.co.uk) operates, is presently the only route to access.
• New Health is already scaling in this market. As announced on 4 August 2026, New Health generated over £180,000 of private prescription revenue in July 2026 from only three weeks of marketing, an annualised run rate of over £2.2 million, within a Group annualised recurring revenue run rate of approximately £8.6 million.
• MedPal is an approved Eli Lilly purchaser. MedPal Limited, the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, was approved as an authorised purchaser of Eli Lilly pharmaceutical products in the UK in January 2026, and the Group has direct supply agreements with both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk for current GLP-1 medicines.
• Oral formats appear to be expanding the market, not splitting it. As reported in the Company's announcement of 12 June 2026, more than 80 per cent of new prescriptions for the first oral GLP-1 in the US were for patients new to GLP-1 therapy. The Board believes each new oral option brings further first-time patients into the category that New Health was built to serve.
Eli Lilly has indicated that Foundayo is expected to launch in the UK later this month via private prescription but pricing has not yet been announced.. The Company will provide a further update as appropriate.
Chief Executive Officer's Commentary
Jason Drummond, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MedPal, commented:
"Two once daily oral GLP-1 pills for weight management authorised in the UK inside two months, and in both cases the UK is first in Europe. The direction of travel is unmistakable: the GLP-1 market is expanding to include convenient oral treatments that bring in patients who would never have started with an injection, and for now the only way to access them is privately.
"That is exactly the market New Health was built for, and it is already delivering: over £2.2 million of annualised revenue after just three weeks of marketing. With clinician-led prescribing, robotic dispensing and an approved purchasing relationship with Eli Lilly in place, every new authorisation potentially widens our customer funnel."
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 (which forms part of domestic UK law pursuant to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018). The Directors of the Company are responsible for the contents of this announcement.
Enquiries
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MedPal AI plc - Jason Drummond, Chief Executive Officer |
Via Square1 Consulting |
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Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad) - Louise O'Driscoll / Jo Turner |
+44 (0) 20 7213 0880 |
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OAK Securities (a trading name of Merlin Partners LLP) - Tim Dainton / Calvin Man |
+44 (0) 20 3973 3678 |
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Clear Capital Markets Limited - Bob Roberts |
+44 (0) 20 3869 6080 |
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Square1 Consulting - David Bick |
+44 (0) 20 7929 5599 / +44 (0) 7831 381201 |
About MedPal AI plc
MedPal AI plc (AIM: MPAL; FRA: Z1N) is a vertically integrated, AI-native digital health and pharmacy group. The Group operates NHS Distance Selling Pharmacy hubs at Sarus Court, Runcorn (Medpal's largest robotic dispensing facility) and Swaffham, New Health (new.co.uk), a dedicated GLP-1 weight management clinic, a B2B care home pharmacy supply business, eMARx, the Group's electronic medication administration record software for care homes, and Juno, an agentic AI health companion built on Anthropic's Claude. MedPal's ambition is to build the UK's leading Health OS: a single platform connecting prescribing, dispensing, delivery, administration and AI-driven patient support. The Company's LEI is 984500EDP8B0A14CBA61.
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements, which are based on the Company's current expectations, intentions and projections regarding its future performance, anticipated events or trends and other matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by words such as "believes", "expects", "intends", "may", "will", "should", "could", "plans", "targets", "aims" or similar expressions. Such statements are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties and actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by them. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law, the AIM Rules for Companies, the UK Market Abuse Regulation or other applicable regulation.
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