Lilly says one third of new GLP-1 pill patients are choosing Foundayo as it kicks off $6.5B Houston build

Foundayo's early traction

In an exclusive CNBC interview, CEO Dave Ricks said one third of newly prescribed GLP-1 pill patients are taking Foundayo, and that Lilly's share of the oral category is rising week after week. He said the company is "confident long term" about its position in the pill segment, with launches in additional international markets planned over the coming months.

The Houston build and what it will make

Ricks spoke in front of about 240 acres that will house Lilly's next major manufacturing complex at Generation Park in Houston, where the company held a Monday groundbreaking nearly a year after first unveiling the project. The $6.5 billion facility is slated to be operational by 2030. It will produce Foundayo, Lilly's closely watched obesity pill that hit the U.S. market in April, and will also make active ingredients for other small-molecule medicines spanning cardiometabolic conditions, oncology, immunology and neuroscience.

Competition and capacity

The timing landed as Novo shares slipped after its long term plan failed to calm investor worries about competing with Lilly across obesity and diabetes. Novo brought the first pill to market, but in August, Lilly reported that its share was about 61% across the market in Q2. Demand momentum is showing up in numbers: Foundayo generated $98 million in Q2 sales, covering its first three months on sale. New Medicare coverage of obesity treatments that began in July is expected to widen access to both Foundayo and Lilly's weight loss drug Zepbound.

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The broader buildout and why it matters

Over the past year, the Houston site has been folded into a broader U.S. reshoring push. In February 2025, Lilly unveiled an extra $27 billion to fund four new facilities - including the Houston plant - and framed the decision as an effort to bolster goodwill with President Donald Trump. Since 2020, Lilly has pledged more than $50 billion to expand its manufacturing network, betting that capacity plus a strong pipeline will be an edge as demand for obesity and diabetes treatments grows and as future products roll out. For your wallet, the signal is that a category leader is spending for staying power, not a quick pop.

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