Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly cut Wegovy and Mounjaro prices in China

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are cutting prices for their top-selling obesity drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro in China, according to the Danish drugmaker and Chinese drug suppliers ^[1].

Novo did not give details on the new prices ^[1]. The Chinese media outlet Yicai reported earlier that list prices for the two highest Wegovy dosages were cut by 48%, to 987 yuan ($141) and 1,284 yuan per month, respectively, in some Chinese provinces ^[1]. Yicai, citing local procurement authorities, said the cuts would be made in Yunnan and Sichuan, in southwestern China ^[1].

"We can confirm that we are adjusting our prices of Wegovy in China," Novo told Reuters in a statement. "We believe this pricing adjustment in China will further help alleviate the treatment burden for patients and improve their quality of life" ^[1].

Lilly did not immediately respond to a request for comment ^[1]. A WeChat account for a hospital in the eastern city of Nanjing posted late last week that Mounjaro prices would also decrease starting Jan. 1, but did not say by how much ^[1]. Meituan, a platform for China's leading food delivery group, listed a 10mg Mounjaro injector pen at a projected cost of around 445 yuan ($63), down from 2,180 yuan ^[1].

Competition from Chinese drugmakers

Both companies are competing with rivals including Innovent Biologics, and they face the prospect of further competition after Novo's patent on Wegovy's active ingredient, semaglutide, expires in 2026 in China and some other important markets ^[1]. Chinese drugmakers including CSPC Pharmaceutical Group and Hangzhou Jiuyuan Genetic Biopharmaceutical are developing their own versions of the drug ^[1].

More than 65% of China's population of around 1.4 billion could be overweight or obese by 2030, making it a rapidly growing market for weight-loss drugs ^[1].

The China cuts follow similar moves elsewhere. Novo cut Wegovy prices by up to 37% in India in November, and both companies agreed to cut U.S. prices that same month ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The price changes reported here apply to China, not the United States. The report does not say whether the Chinese cuts change what U.S. patients pay, and it does not give the size or terms of the U.S. price agreement the two companies reached in November ^[1].

What the report does show is a pattern. Novo and Lilly are discounting in emerging markets while both shift toward cash-paying consumers ^[1]. For U.S. patients who pay out of pocket, that direction is one to watch, though this report does not detail U.S. list prices for either drug ^[1].

Another factor is patent timing. Novo's semaglutide patent expires in 2026 in China and some other important markets, which could open the door to competing versions there ^[1]. The report does not name the other markets, and it does not say when U.S. patents on semaglutide expire or whether lower-cost copies could reach the U.S. market ^[1]. Whether Chinese price cuts affect prices in other countries has not been reported ^[1].

What happens next

Lilly's Mounjaro price cut was reported to take effect Jan. 1 ^[1]. Novo has not disclosed its new Chinese list prices beyond the figures Yicai reported for Yunnan and Sichuan ^[1]. The size of Lilly's cut has not been reported ^[1].