Novo Nordisk to seek approval for Wegovy pill in China soon

Novo Nordisk plans to seek Chinese regulatory approval for its Wegovy weight-loss pill "very soon," CEO Mike Doustdar said, as the company races to compete with rival Eli Lilly in the world's second-largest pharmaceutical market.

Doustdar, on his first visit to China since becoming CEO in August, told reporters the submission for oral Wegovy would be "a few months" away. Both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly believe weight-loss pills could attract patients reluctant to use injections, and they are vying to expand use of these transformative obesity treatments.

Competition in China has intensified, with Pfizer and local firms like Innovent Biologics already in the market. Doustdar anticipates competition from generic drugmakers starting in the second quarter of next year, as the patent for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, expired in China in March, though Novo Nordisk has regulatory data protection until early next year.

Novo Nordisk has received early approval for its Wegovy pill in the U.S. and Britain, launching it in the U.S. this year. Eli Lilly followed quickly, securing U.S. approval in April for its oral drug orforglipron and submitting a marketing application for it to Chinese regulators at the end of 2025.

Sales of GLP-1 treatments in China through major e-commerce platforms totalled about 1.4 billion yuan ($207 million) in the first quarter, according to Jefferies. The market share for weight-loss drugs in China is not transparent, with companies like Innovent and Lilly not disclosing sales figures.