Short answer: Yes - there's now a real oral GLP-1 for weight loss (as of January 2026).
Oral Wegovy (semaglutide) is FDA-approved for weight loss. It was approved on December 22, 2025, and became available in early January 2026. It's the first oral GLP-1 actually approved for weight loss, not just diabetes.
The results are solid: in the OASIS 4 trial, people who stuck with it lost about 16.6% of their body weight at 64 weeks (about 13.6% on average when you count everyone who started). That's close to what you see with injectable Wegovy. The dose is 25mg once daily, and the introductory price is $149/month.
The downside: you still have to take it on an empty stomach and wait 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything. Same routine as Rybelsus. If you were hoping for a pill you could just pop with breakfast, this isn't quite it yet.
What about Rybelsus? It's still around, but it's only approved for diabetes, not weight loss. And now that oral Wegovy exists, there's really no reason to mess with Rybelsus for weight loss anymore.
What about oral tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound)? Eli Lilly is not developing an oral version of tirzepatide. Any company selling "oral" or "sublingual" tirzepatide is selling a compounded product that's not FDA-approved. Personally, I would avoid it.
What's coming next: Eli Lilly has a different drug called orforglipron that's expected to get FDA approval in Q2 2026 (around April-June) after receiving a priority review voucher. The Phase 3 ATTAIN trials showed about 11% weight loss at the highest dose (36mg).
The appeal of orforglipron: you can take it any time, no empty stomach requirement, no waiting period. Take it with your morning coffee or with dinner. That's a real convenience advantage over oral Wegovy or Rybelsus.
The tradeoff is it's not quite as powerful as the injectable GLP-1s. But the ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial showed it can help maintain weight loss after switching from injectables. So one option is using a shot to lose the weight, then switching to orforglipron to maintain it without the needles.
What about Pfizer's danuglipron? They discontinued it in April 2025 due to liver toxicity concerns.
Bottom line: If you want an oral GLP-1 right now and you're okay with the empty stomach routine, oral Wegovy is your best bet - it actually works and it's FDA-approved for weight loss. If you can wait until mid-2026, orforglipron might give you something even better: a pill with no food restrictions that you can take whenever. And if you want the absolute best results regardless of how you take it? The injections are still king. But the pill options are finally getting interesting.
Stay tuned, we'll keep this article updated as things develop!