China approves Wegovy for long-term weight management

China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved Novo Nordisk's obesity drug Wegovy on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, for adults with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30, or between 27 and 30 with at least one weight-related risk factor ^[1]. The drug will be sold in China under the name NovoCare and contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient in Ozempic ^[1].

In approving the drug, the NMPA cited its ability to produce an average weight loss of 17% and the health benefits associated with that loss ^[1]. Novo Nordisk's share price rose 3% after the decision ^[1].

A very large market, with a short runway

China has more people with type 2 diabetes and obesity than any other country, and in 2022 more than half of Chinese adults were overweight or obese ^[1]. "Up to now, there is still a lack of effective clinical drug treatments for obese patients in China, and there is a huge medical need to be met," said Chen Wei of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, adding that very few obesity drugs have been approved there in the past 20 years ^[1].

The commercial picture in China differs sharply from the US. Novo's semaglutide patent in China is set to expire in about two years — or sooner, if a pending court ruling goes against the company ^[1]. At least 15 GLP-1 biosimilar candidates are in development there, according to reporting cited by FiercePharma ^[1]. By contrast, Novo holds exclusive rights to semaglutide in Europe until 2031 and in the United States until 2032 ^[1].

Novo has also been building capacity to serve the region. Three months before the approval, the company disclosed a 4 billion yuan ($556 million) investment in its 30-year-old manufacturing site in Tianjin, with upgrades due to be completed in 2027 ^[1]. Last year, Novo more than doubled its China sales of Ozempic, to 4.82 billion Danish kroner (about $693 million) ^[1].

Novo is not alone. In May 2024, the NMPA approved Eli Lilly's dual GLP-1/GIP drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for diabetes, marketed in China as MuFengDa ^[1]. Ozempic has been on the Chinese market for three years ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

For people in the US, this approval does not change anything about how Wegovy is prescribed, priced or covered here. US labeling, insurance rules and pharmacy availability are set by American regulators and payers, not the NMPA.

The indirect effects are about supply and competition. Semaglutide supply has been a recurring issue for US patients, and a newly approved market of China's size adds to global demand for the same molecule. Novo's Tianjin expansion is one sign the company is trying to keep up, though the source does not say how much of that output is earmarked for China versus other markets, or whether it will affect US availability ^[1].

The patent timeline is the other point worth noting. Cheaper copies of semaglutide could reach Chinese patients within roughly two years, while US patients face a 2032 exclusivity date for semaglutide ^[1]. That gap means the arrival of low-cost semaglutide abroad will not translate into lower US prices any time soon, and medicines approved or sold in other countries are not the same as FDA-approved products sold here.

It is also worth being precise about names. The Chinese brand NovoCare refers to semaglutide 2.4 mg for weight management ^[1]; in the US, that product is Wegovy, while Ozempic and Rybelsus are semaglutide approved for type 2 diabetes. Mounjaro and Zepbound are tirzepatide.

What happens next

• A court ruling on Novo's Chinese semaglutide patent could move the expiration date earlier than the expected two-year horizon; the timing and outcome are not yet known ^[1].
• Novo's Tianjin manufacturing upgrades are scheduled to be finished in 2027 ^[1].
• The sources do not say when NovoCare will actually reach Chinese pharmacies, what it will cost, or whether it will be added to China's national reimbursement list. Those details are not yet known.