The number of oral weight-loss / diabetes drug treatments is expanding, increasing demand for the reduction of side effects
KELOWNA, BC / ACCESS Newswire / April 7, 2026 / Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (Nasdaq:LEXX), (the "Company" or "Lexaria"), a global innovator in drug delivery platforms is pleased to recognize that the US Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has approved Eli Lilly and Company's Foundayo glucagon-like peptide-1 ("GLP-1") agonist (orforglipron) oral tablet for adult use in controlling obesity and weight-related medical conditions.
"This latest approval from the FDA expands choices for Americans searching for the right weight control drug that best suits their needs," said Richard Christopher, CEO of Lexaria Bioscience Corp. "Expanded choices within the historically limited oral weight-loss drug category increases opportunities for Lexaria to partner with the leading companies in the pharmaceutical industry to implement DehydraTECH technology to improve patient experiences including through the potential for reduced side effects."
The recent FDA approval of Foundayo follows both the December 2025 approval of Wegovy tablets for weight loss and the September 2019 approval of Rybelsus tablets for diabetes, bringing the total number of FDA approved GLP-1 oral brand offerings to 3. In 2025, worldwide revenues of the sole oral offering within the GLP-1 category (Rybelsus) totaled $3.5B. This represented less than 5% of the 2025 worldwide GLP-1 revenue total, highlighting the tremendous upside growth potential that oral options have within the GLP-1 marketplace.
As Lexaria recently announced, its forward-looking strategic plans for the GLP-1 sector continue to be centered around improving the patient experience while using these drugs for indications including but not limited to diabetes and weight loss, primarily through the reduction of unwanted side effects.
In Eli Lilly's clinical trial, patients taking Foundayo (orforglipron) for the full study duration of 72-weeks lost an average of 27.3 pounds (12.4%). One of Foundayo's biggest advantages over Novo Nordisk's existing Wegovy (semaglutide) oral medication is that Foundayo can be taken at any time of day regardless of eating habits, whereas Wegovy tablets must be taken only on an empty stomach 30 minutes before breakfast. Notwithstanding this and as reported by Scientific American, "Orforglipron showed higher rates of adverse side effects such as nausea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal issues compared with semaglutide. More people discontinued orforglipron during the trial than those who stopped taking semaglutide, too".
According to Eli Lilly, "The most common side effects of Foundayo include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, stomach (abdominal) pain, headache, swollen belly, feeling tired, belching, heartburn, gas, and hair loss. These are not all the possible side effects of Foundayo."
In various studies performed during the past ~2 years, DehydraTECH has already been evaluated orally with semaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide and has successfully reduced side effects with each drug. For example, in Study GLP-1-H24-4, Lexaria reported a 47.9% reduction in the total quantity of adverse events derived from oral DehydraTECH-semaglutide vs. Rybelsus.
Lexaria has also announced plans to conduct DehyrdaTECH-processed GLP-1 testing in 2026 with additional GLP-1 drugs not previously evaluated, including retatrutide and amycretin, and is considering testing DehydraTECH-processed orforglipron as well. Lexaria believes that reducing adverse events in the GLP-1 drug sector is a significant competitive advantage enjoyed by DehydraTECH technology, which is now backed by 65 issued patents around the world.
About Lexaria Bioscience Corp. & DehydraTECH
DehydraTECH is Lexaria's patented drug delivery formulation and processing platform technology which improves the way a wide variety of drugs enter the bloodstream, always through oral delivery. DehydraTECH has repeatedly evidenced the ability to increase bio-absorption, reduce side-effects, and deliver some drugs more effectively across the blood brain barrier. Lexaria operates a licensed in-house research laboratory and holds a robust intellectual property portfolio with 65 patents granted and additional patents pending worldwide. For more information, please visit www.lexariabioscience.com.
CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements. Statements as such term is defined under applicable securities laws. These statements may be identified by words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements by the Company relating to the intended use of proceeds from the offering and relating to the Company's ability to carry out research initiatives, receive regulatory approvals or grants or experience positive effects or results from any research or study. Such forward-looking statements are estimates reflecting the Company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that the Company will actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements. As such, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the Company include, but are not limited to, market and other conditions, government regulation and regulatory approvals, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition, scientific discovery, the patent application and approval process, potential adverse effects arising from the testing or use of products utilizing the DehydraTECH technology, the Company's ability to maintain existing collaborations and realize the benefits thereof, delays or cancellations of planned R&D that could occur related to pandemics or for other reasons, and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements and periodic filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR. The Company provides links to third-party websites only as a courtesy to readers and disclaims any responsibility for the thoroughness, accuracy or timeliness of information at third-party websites. There is no assurance that any of Lexaria's postulated uses, benefits, or advantages for the patented and patent-pending technology will in fact be realized in any manner or in any part. No statement herein has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Lexaria-associated products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or links to third-party websites contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
George Jurcic - Head of Investor Relations
ir@lexariabioscience.com
Phone: 250-765-6424, ext 202
SOURCE: Lexaria Bioscience Corp.
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/lexaria-applauds-eli-lillys-foundayotm-drug-approval-1155392
