Metabolic becomes first Middle East provider to deploy oral Foundayo for weight maintenance

UAE—Eli Lilly’s new oral GLP-1 medication for obesity, Foundayo, has been incorporated into the weight loss protocols at the UAE-based healthcare provider Metabolic following the recent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The move makes Metabolic one of the earliest healthcare providers globally, and the first in the region, to offer patients access to this therapy.

Foundayo (orforglipron) is the first once-daily oral GLP-1 approved for weight management with no restrictions on food, water, or timing.

Unlike injectable GLP-1 therapies, it eliminates needle-related hesitation and injection fatigue, fitting more easily into patients’ daily routines and travel schedules.

For many patients, this lower-burden format may improve treatment adherence and support more consistent, sustained metabolic outcomes over time.

Addressing the weight rebound problem

At Metabolic, the medication is expected to play a particularly important role in long-term maintenance care, especially for patients transitioning off injectable treatments.

Dr. Ihsan Almarzooqi, Co-Founder and Managing Director, explained that obesity is a chronic, multifaceted disease where meaningful outcomes require more than initial weight loss.

He pointed to real-world evidence showing that up to 70% of patients regain weight after stopping GLP-1 injectable therapy—a challenge that structured maintenance programmes are designed to prevent.

Dr. Almarzooqi noted that Metabolic has already developed microdosing and down-titration protocols, based on its own published research, to help patients avoid weight rebound.

He described Foundayo as providing a structured “off-ramp” after the intensive treatment phase, enabling patients to transition into maintenance without losing the progress they have made.

Its availability, he added, gives clinicians another evidence-based tool to make long-term weight loss genuinely sustainable.

Rewriting the clinical playbook

Following Foundayo’s approval, Metabolic has updated its obesity medicine protocols to incorporate six doses of the medication into its clinical pathways.

These updated protocols sit alongside a continuous engagement model that includes biomarker tracking, behavioural support, and lifestyle optimisation.

Outcomes rooted in evidence

Metabolic’s approach treats obesity as a complex metabolic disease rather than a cosmetic or willpower issue.

The 2025 Outcomes Report says that 52.2% of patients lost more than 10% of their body weight in a year.

It also says that structured care is better at keeping muscle mass than prescription-only methods.

The provider’s model has more than 15 patient touchpoints per quarter in nutrition, behavioral, and clinical care.

A study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology found that this level of engagement is linked to the best patient outcomes.

As an ICHOM-certified provider, Metabolic adheres to globally recognised outcome measurement standards, ensuring its care remains both clinically rigorous and patient-focused.