Lilly launches the Lilly Change the Course Commitment, aiming to address treatment gaps in diabetes and obesity in LMICs

Through this commitment, Lilly aims to expand access to its innovative diabetes and obesity medicines to as many people in resource-limited settings, including low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), as in high-income countries, before 2040

Key highlights:

• Lilly today launched the Lilly Change the Course Commitment, a new global health initiative with a simple, yet ambitious goal: parity in the number of patients treated. This means treating as many people in resource-limited settings, including LMICs¹, as in high-income countries.
• As a medicine company and a leader in diabetes care for over a century, Lilly is stepping up to help close a long-standing access gap in prevention, detection, treatment and care of diabetes and obesity.
• As part of the commitment, Lilly will register its innovative diabetes and obesity medicines in LMICs and work with health systems, regulators, global health organizations, NGOs and other collaborators to help more people in resource-limited settings access the medicines and care they need.
• The commitment follows the completion of the Lilly 30x30 global health initiative, which helped expand access to quality healthcare for 40 million people in resource-limited settings in 2025, surpassing its original goal of helping 30 million people annually by 2030 — five years ahead of schedule.
   

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is launching today the Lilly Change the Course Commitment, a new global health initiative that aims to achieve parity in patients treated with Lilly's innovative diabetes and obesity medicines. This means treating as many people with diabetes and obesity in resource-limited settings, including low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), as in high-income countries before 2040. Today, for every 4 people in high-income countries who have access to Lilly's diabetes and obesity medicines, only 1 person in low- and middle-income countries can reach them. To close this gap, Lilly will focus on three pillars: starting from clinical development of medicines, their registration and access pathways and health systems strengthening.    

The announcement follows the completion of the Lilly 30x30 global health initiative five years ahead of schedule, which expanded access to quality healthcare for 40 million people in resource-limited settings in 2025 – exceeding its original goal of reaching 30 million people annually by 2030.

Why is Lilly launching a new commitment now?
4 in 5 adults with diabetes and 7 in 10 adults with obesity live in LMICs, ^2-4 and prevalence continues to rise. Historically, people in resource-limited settings have waited decades to access innovative medicines, long after their availability in high-income countries. As a result, the therapies capable of changing the trajectory of diabetes and obesity are still not reaching the people who need them. 

For more than a century, Lilly has been developing innovative medicines for people living with diabetes and obesity. As a leader in this field, Lilly aims to ensure that access to medicines keeps pace with scientific innovation.

David A. Ricks, Lilly chair and CEO: "For 150 years, Lilly has addressed some of humanity's most pressing health challenges by turning science into medicines that improve lives. That same commitment to scientific progress has transformed how we understand and treat diabetes and obesity, conditions that affect more than a billion people worldwide. But innovation only matters when it reaches the people who need it. That is why, as a medicine company that puts health above all, we are now going further. With the Lilly Change the Course Commitment, we aim to treat as many people in resource-limited settings as we do in high-income countries with our diabetes and obesity medicines. Innovative medicines like Foundayo (orforglipron), an oral treatment that can be stored at room temperature, will help us distribute and scale access across more LMICs."

How will Lilly close the gap?
Barriers in resource-limited settings extend beyond the availability of treatment and include fragmented health systems, limited healthcare infrastructure and persistent access gaps. To address them, the Lilly Change the Course Commitment is organized around three focus areas:

• Developing medicines for people who need them: Lilly is working to ensure its diabetes and obesity medicines are suitable for people living in resource-limited settings from the earliest stages of clinical development, focusing on clinical trials, medical presentations and cold chain storage.
• Registering and expanding access to medicines to reach people sooner: Lilly intends to register its innovative diabetes and obesity medicines, including GLP-1s, in more low- and middle- income countries, working with regulatory agencies and local health systems to expand access sooner, with a focus on Africa, Latin America and Asia. 
• Helping strengthen health systems: Lilly aims to collaborate with global health organizations to help strengthen primary health systems by training community health workers, leveraging technology and digital tools, and improving disease awareness, prevention, diagnosis, and care in resource-limited settings.

Together, these efforts aim to help more people extend their lifespan and enhance their quality of life by managing their diabetes and obesity earlier, reducing long-term complications, and, over time, preventing new cases of diabetes and obesity.

How will Lilly measure and report progress?
Lilly will report progress in treatment reach against the Lilly Change the Course Commitment through its annual Sustainability Report and at key global health forums.

About Foundayo™ (orforglipron) 
Foundayo™ (orforglipron) is FDA-approved for adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Foundayo is a once-daily small molecule (non-peptide) oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist that can be taken any time of the day with no planning around food or drink.² Orforglipron was discovered by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and licensed by Lilly in 2018. In addition to chronic weight management, orfoglipron is being studied as a potential treatment for type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis knee pain, hypertension, peripheral artery disease and stress urinary incontinence.   

INDICATION AND SAFETY SUMMARY WITH WARNINGS
Foundayo™ (fown-DAY-oh) is a prescription medicine used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off.  

• Foundayo should not be used with other GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines. 
• It is not known if Foundayo is safe and effective for use in children.  

Warnings — Foundayo may cause tumors in the thyroid, including thyroid cancer. Watch for possible symptoms, such as a lump or swelling in the neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. If you have any of these symptoms, tell your healthcare provider. 

• Do not use Foundayo if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). 
• Do not use Foundayo if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). 
• Do not use Foundayo if you have had a serious allergic reaction to orforglipron or any of the ingredients in Foundayo.  

Foundayo may cause serious side effects, including: 

Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop taking Foundayo and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without nausea or vomiting. Sometimes you may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back.  

Severe stomach problems. Stomach problems, sometimes severe, have been reported in people who use Foundayo. Tell your healthcare provider if you have stomach problems that are severe or will not go away. 

Dehydration leading to kidney problems. Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea that does not go away. 

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Your risk for getting low blood sugar may be higher if you use Foundayo with medicines that can cause low blood sugar, such as an insulin or sulfonylurea. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, sweating, confusion or drowsiness, headache, blurred vision, slurred speech, shakiness, fast heartbeat, anxiety, irritability, mood changes, hunger, weakness, or feeling jittery.  

Serious allergic reactions. Stop using Foundayo and get medical help right away if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat, problems breathing or swallowing, severe rash or itching, fainting or feeling dizzy, or very rapid heartbeat. 

Changes in vision in patients with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with Foundayo. 

Gallbladder problems. Gallbladder problems have happened in some people who use Foundayo. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get symptoms of gallbladder problems, which may include pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay-colored stools. 

Food or liquid getting into the lungs during surgery or other procedures that use anesthesia or deep sleepiness (deep sedation). Foundayo may increase the chance of food getting into your lungs during surgery or other procedures. Tell your healthcare providers that you are taking Foundayo before you are scheduled to have surgery or other procedures.  

Common side effects
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. Talk to your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or doesn't go away. 

Tell your doctor if you have any side effects. You can report side effects at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 

Before taking Foundayo 

• Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take. Foundayo may affect the way some medicines work, and some medicines may affect the way Foundayo works. 
• Pregnancy Exposure Registry: There will be a pregnancy exposure registry for women who have taken Foundayo during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry, or you may contact Eli Lilly and Company at 1-800-LillyRx (1-800-545-5979). 
• If you take birth control pills by mouth, talk to your healthcare provider before you take Foundayo. Birth control pills may not work as well while taking Foundayo. Your healthcare provider may recommend another type of birth control for 30 days after starting Foundayo and for 30 days after each dose increase of Foundayo. 
• Talk to your healthcare provider about low blood sugar and how to manage it. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking medicines to treat diabetes including an insulin or sulfonylurea. 

Review these questions with your healthcare provider: 

• Do you have other medical conditions, including problems with your pancreas or kidneys, or severe problems with your liver, severe problems with your stomach, such as slowed emptying of your stomach (gastroparesis) or problems digesting food? 
• Do you have a history of diabetic retinopathy? 
• Are you scheduled to have surgery or other procedures that use anesthesia or deep sleepiness (deep sedation)? 
• Are you pregnant or plan to become pregnant? Foundayo may harm your unborn baby. 
• Are you breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed? Breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment with Foundayo. 
• Do you take any other prescriptions or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements? 

How to take 

• Take Foundayo exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to. 
• Use Foundayo with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. 
• Take Foundayo by mouth 1 time each day, with or without food. 
• Swallow tablets whole. Do not break, crush, or chew the tablet.  
• If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible. Do not take 2 doses of Foundayo in the same day. 
• Do not take more than 1 tablet per day. 
• If you miss taking Foundayo for 7 or more days in a row, call your healthcare provider to talk about how to restart your treatment. 
• If you take too much Foundayo, call your healthcare provider or Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.  

Learn more 

Foundayo is a prescription medicine available in 0.8 mg, 2.5 mg, 5.5 mg, 9 mg, 14.5 mg, or 17.2 mg oral tablets. For more information, call 1-800-545-5979 or go to foundayo.lilly.com.  

This summary provides basic information about Foundayo but does not include all information known about this medicine. Read the information that comes with your prescription each time your prescription is filled. This information does not take the place of talking with your doctor. Be sure to talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider about Foundayo and how to take it. Your doctor is the best person to help you decide if Foundayo is right for you.

OG CON BS APR2026
Foundayo^™ is a trademark of Eli Lilly and Company.

Endnotes
Ma X, Liu R, Pratt EJ, Benson CT, Bhattachar SN, Sloop KW. Effect of Food Consumption on the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of Once-Daily Orally Administered Orforglipron (LY3502970), a Non-peptide GLP-1 Receptor Agonist. Diabetes Ther. 2024 Apr;15(4):819-832. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-024-01554-1. Epub 2024 Feb 24. PMID: 38402332; PMCID: PMC10951152.  

About Lilly
Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for 150 years, and today our medicines help tens of millions of people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/news, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. I-LLY

Trademarks and trade names
Trademarks and trade names in this release are the property of Lilly or their respective owners. The ® and ™ symbols are omitted for convenience only and do not waive any party's rights. Use of other companies' marks does not imply their endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about the Lilly Change the Course Commitment and reflects Lilly's current beliefs and expectations. However, there can be no assurance that the Lilly Change the Course Commitment will achieve Lilly's objectives or that Lilly will execute its strategy as planned. For further discussion of risks and uncertainties relevant to Lilly's business that could cause actual results to differ from Lilly's expectations, see Lilly's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.

Endnotes and references
1. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are defined by the World Bank based on gross national income (GNI) per capita. For the current fiscal year, low-income economies are those with 2025 GNI per capita of $1,175 or less; lower-middle-income, $1,176–$4,635; upper-middle-income, $4,636–$14,375; high-income, above $14,375.
World Bank Country and Lending Groups. Accessed Sept. 2026. https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups

2. International Diabetes Federation. Global Diabetes Report 2000–2050. IDF Diabetes Atlas. Accessed Sept. 1, 2026. https://diabetesatlas.org/data-by-location/global/ 

3. Ahmed SK, Mohammed RA. Obesity: prevalence, causes, consequences, management, preventive strategies and future research directions. Metabol Open. 2025;27:100375. doi:10.1016/j.metop.2025.100375

4. Phelps NH, Singleton RK, Zhou B, et al. Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults. The Lancet. 2024;403(10431):1027-1050. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02750-2

Refer to:     
Karine Mendelek; [email protected] (Media)
Michael Czapar; [email protected] (Investors)

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company