Key facts
- China's drug regulator accepted Novo Nordisk's application for the oral version of its GLP-1 weight-loss drug Wegovy.
- Novo Nordisk is seeking to compete in China's pharmaceutical market.
- The rate of overweight or obese people in China could reach over 65% by 2030.
- Eli Lilly submitted a marketing application for its oral GLP-1 drug, orforglipron, in China.
- Sales of GLP-1 therapies for weight management in China are projected to reach 30 billion yuan in five to seven years.
China's drug regulator has accepted Novo Nordisk's application to sell the oral version of its GLP-1 weight-loss drug Wegovy, signaling the Danish company's intent to capture market share in the world's second-largest pharmaceutical market. Novo Nordisk is vying with rivals like Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Innovent Biologics in a market where obesity rates are projected to exceed 65% by 2030.
Both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly believe that oral weight-loss pills could appeal to patients hesitant about using injections. Novo Nordisk has already received early approval for its Wegovy pill in the U.S. and Britain and launched it in the U.S. this year. Eli Lilly also secured U.S. approval for its oral GLP-1 drug, orforglipron, in April and submitted a marketing application for it in China at the end of 2025, with a potential launch as early as this year.
Analysts project that sales of GLP-1 therapies for weight management in China could reach 30 billion yuan ($4.46 billion) within the next five to seven years, a significant increase from the current estimated 3 billion to 4 billion yuan.