Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy diet pill is rapidly growing in popularity.
Noor Photo | Getty Images
Novo Nordisk The company said on Tuesday its Wegovy weight-loss treatment has been approved in China for long-term weight management, kicking off sales of the blockbuster drug in the world’s second-largest economy.
Novo Nordisk says China’s National Medical Products Administration “recently” approved weekly injectable drug Press release on the Chinese version of its website, according to Google Translate.
The drug will initially be suitable for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30kg/m22 threshold for obesity and at least one weight-related comorbidity, it added. Weight-related comorbidities are other health conditions that obese people may develop due to their weight.
Novo Nordisk did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for more information on the drug’s proposed pricing and rollout timeline. Danish pharmaceutical giant March says It will initially focus on out-of-pocket patients, according to Reuters.
Novo Nordisk shares were up 1.8% as of 9:18 a.m. London time.
The approval comes as the Chinese patent for the drug’s active ingredient, semaglutide, expires in 2026 and competition in the market intensifies from domestic drugmakers.
According to statistics, more than half of China’s 1.4 billion population are overweight or obese 2020 report From the National Health Commission.
Meanwhile, clinical trial records show that China is currently developing about 15 generic versions of Ozempic and Wegovy, Reuters reports last month.
The company’s Ozempic diabetes drug was approved in 2021 and sales in Greater China doubled last year.
Novo Nordisk and its competitors Eli Lilly and Company Efforts have been made to meet the growing demand for obesity treatment.
On Monday, Novo Nordisk announced that it will invest $4.1 billion to expand its production scale in the United States, with additional capacity at a new manufacturing facility in Clayton, North Carolina expected to be completed from 2027 to 2029.
About The Author
