In an attempt to overtake rival Eli Lilly (LLY.N) in the second-largest pharmaceutical market in the world, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab, announced on Thursday that China’s drug regulator had approved its application to sell the oral version of its GLP-1 weight-loss medication Wegovy.
With their versions of once-weekly GLP-1 weight-loss injections, Novo, Lilly, Pfizer (PFE.N) and local company Innovent Biologics (1801.HK) are vying for market share in China, where the National Health Commission has predicted that the percentage of overweight or obese individuals could rise to over 65% by 2030.Novo and Lilly think that patients who are unwilling to use injections would be drawn to weight-loss pills.
Novo’s Wegovy medication was introduced in the United States this year after receiving early approval in both the United States and Britain. Lilly swiftly followed, obtaining U.S. approval in April for its oral orforglipron, which is likewise a member of the GLP-1 class of medications that imitate a gut hormone to control blood sugar and reduce hunger in diabetics.
Lilly was the first to move to China. According to the business, it filed a marketing application for once-daily orforglipron with the Chinese regulator at the end of 2025 in March. According to a U.S. pharmaceutical executive who spoke to Reuters, it might debut in China as early as this year.
When asked how long it might take for China to approve the Wegovy pill, Novo did not immediately reply outside of business hours.
Yang Huang, J.P. Morgan’s head of China healthcare research, recently told Reuters that sales of GLP-1 medicines for weight management might increase from an expected ∼3 billion to 4 billion yuan to 30 billion yuan ($4.46 billion) in the next five to seven years.
