Novo Nordisk files for oral weight loss pill approval in China
Cris Tolomia
Thu, August 27, 2026 at 11:16 PM GMT+5:30
1 min read
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Novo Nordisk announced Thursday that Chinese regulators had greenlit a review of its bid to market an oral form of the weight loss drug Wegovy, as the Danish drugmaker seeks to close the gap with rival Eli Lilly in the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market
Novo Nordisk launched the Wegovy pill in the U.S. this year after receiving approval there and in Britain. Novo Nordisk has offered no indication of when Chinese approval might come. “We respect the regulatory review process and therefore we are not able to offer information on potential approval timelines,” the company said in a statement to Reuters
Eli Lilly moved first in China. The U.S. drugmaker submitted a marketing application for its once-daily oral weight loss pill, orforglipron, to the Chinese regulator at the end of 2025. Lilly secured U.S. approval for orforglipron in April, and a company executive said the drug could reach the Chinese market before the end of this year
Both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly belong to a group of competitors — which also includes Pfizer and local firm Innovent Biologics — vying for market share in China’s weight loss drug sector. According to China’s National Health Commission, the share of overweight or obese people in the country could top 65% by 2030, the company said. Both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly believe oral pills could attract patients who are reluctant to use injections
Both oral drugs are GLP-1 therapies, a class that works by replicating the action of a naturally occurring gut hormone, suppressing hunger and helping to keep blood sugar levels in check for people living with diabetes
