Drugmakers Intensify Competition for China’s Weight Loss Market
Monday, 24 August 2026, 21:37
A marketing push built around obesity awareness is reaching commuters, gym members, and football fans—raising questions about where education ends and promotion begins
Manufacturers of weight-loss drugs are stepping up their battle for the Chinese market, promoting awareness of obesity through advertising in subways, fitness studios, and football stadiums. This approach allows companies to draw attention to the problem of excess weight without violating the ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs
According to a forecast by China’s National Health Commission, the share of people who are overweight or obese in the country could exceed 65% by 2030
Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and China’s Innovent Biologics are competing for a share of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical markets. The companies offer weekly injectable GLP-1 drugs for weight management. In the second quarter, Eli Lilly led sales of such drugs on the Tmall and JD.com platforms
How drugmakers work around advertising restrictions
Chinese law does not allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise prescription drugs directly to the public. However, businesses may discuss the risks of specific diseases and encourage people to see doctors. Such campaigns cannot name medications, but they can prompt potential patients to seek medical care
At one subway station in Shanghai’s central Jing’an district, passengers could see a banner bearing the Lilly logo that urged them not to ignore their father’s snoring and to visit a respiratory medicine department or sleep center in time. Snoring is often associated with sleep apnea, a condition closely linked to excess weight. In clinical trials, Lilly’s drug Mounjaro demonstrated the ability to alle
In the same subway system, Innovent Biologics and the Meituan service displayed messages stating that “scientific weight management” could help reverse fatty liver disease. During a football match in Suzhou in July, advertisements were also shown repeating Innovent Biologics’ slogan about “remarkable” weight loss
The Supermonkey gym chain promoted a partnership with Pfizer and a series of events called the “Healthy Weight-Loss Party” on Xiaohongshu in June and July. At one such event in Shanghai, a Pfizer representative spoke about the company’s aim to help participants build a lasting healthy lifestyle. A trainer then led a weightlifting session
Jia Hepeng, a professor of science communication at Soochow University in Suzhou, believes that the activity of weight-management drug manufacturers differs significantly from communication campaigns for other prescription medicines
I rarely see pharmaceutical companies promoting prescription drugs for hypertension, tumors, and other diseases in public places, or even through indirect advertising
– Jia Hepeng
Patients are increasingly asking for specific drugs
Promotion on social media, along with advice from friends and relatives, is already influencing patients’ visits to hospitals. Staff at medical institutions in Shanghai and Guangzhou said people have begun more frequently requesting prescriptions for specific weight-loss medications
According to Zhao Xiaolong, an endocrinologist at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, patients initially mostly asked about Novo’s semaglutide, known as Wegovy. More recently, there have been more inquiries about Lilly’s tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro, as well as Innovent’s mazdutide, known as Xinermei
At the end of 2024, Novo Nordisk became the first to launch a weekly GLP-1 drug for weight management on the Chinese market. Lilly joined the competition in January 2025, followed by Innovent in July of the same year. The first prescriptions for Pfizer’s Xianweiying drug in China were issued in April 2026
Yang Huang, head of research for China’s healthcare sector at J.P. Morgan, forecasts that sales of GLP-1 therapies for weight management could grow to 30 billion yuan, or about $4 billion, over the next five to seven years. The segment is currently estimated at 3–4 billion yuan
Competition for clear communication
Cai Yan, who became president of Novo Nordisk in Greater China in March, said that shortly after taking the position, she heard comments from Chinese doctors about the company’s weaker communication compared with its competitors. According to her, some rivals are bolder and explain the benefits of their drugs more directly
I am very focused on what we need to do, what is right, and what we can learn from our competitors. If you feel that a competitor communicates with the public much better in clear language, then we need to change our approach to communication from a medical education perspective
– Cai Yan
She noted that Novo Nordisk is changing its approach: the company aims not only to work with doctors at medical institutions, but also to deliver information about obesity to patients through various media channels. The manufacturer also wants to make public materials more accessible to a wider audience
In July, Novo Nordisk and state broadcaster CCTV organized a street health exhibition in Beijing that featured group dancing. Event materials stated that certain types of GLP-1 therapy had demonstrated effectiveness in numerous large-scale clinical trials
Where the line lies between information and advertising
Medical and legal experts point out that some weight-management campaigns may be approaching the line beyond which educational outreach becomes drug advertising. Chen Zhenggang, a partner at DeHeng Law Offices in Beijing, believes that Innovent and Meituan billboards in the subway could create an association in consumers’ minds with a specific prescription weight-loss drug
The posters did not directly name Xinermei or mazdutide, but they featured a character called “Madudu,” whose name sounds similar to that of the drug
On the one hand, they are certainly trying to comply with the requirements… on the other hand, you have a drug and you want to sell it
– Yang Huang
Yang Huang was referring to Chinese educational programs and obesity awareness campaigns. Similar risks have arisen in other countries: earlier this year, Lilly suspended a local campaign in India after attracting the attention of a regulator, which noted that it coincided with Mounjaro’s launch on the Indian market
Lilly said its educational activities do not promote specific medications and are aligned with Chinese healthcare strategies. Pfizer, Innovent Biologics, Meituan, and China’s market regulator did not comment or declined to do so. At the same time, the active promotion of obesity awareness suggests that the battle for China’s weight-loss drug market will only intensify
Useful reading:
- Eli Lilly raised its 2026 outlook after Mounjaro and Zepbound sales exceeded expectations, strengthening its position against Novo Nordisk in the fast-growing GLP-1 market.
- Novo Nordisk has asked a US court for an emergency injunction to block Eli Lilly’s weight-loss advertising, alleging misleading comparisons that could reshape the obesity drug market.
- Donald Trump proposes reducing GLP-1 drug prices to $150/month, aiming to improve access to weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy in the US.
