Eli Lilly becomes first drugmaker to have a GLP-1 weight-loss pill approved in China

By Andrew Silver

SHANGHAI, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Eli Lilly on Thursday became the first drugmaker to have a GLP-1 weight-loss pill approved in China, giving it an edge over ​Danish rival Novo Nordisk in the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market.

China has ‌until now only approved GLP-1 medications for weight management in the form of injections.

Lilly’s pill, orforglipron, will compete for market share in China with its own once-weekly GLP-1 weight-loss injection and rival injections from Novo, Pfizer and local company ‌Innovent ​Biologics.

The GLP-1 class of drugs mimics a ⁠gut hormone to curb ⁠appetite and regulate blood sugar in patients with diabetes.

Lilly says weight-loss pills could attract patients reluctant to use injections.

Novo has also applied to sell the oral version of its Wegovy injection in ​China, along with other applicants with experimental GLP-1 weight-loss pills including Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals and Huadong Medicine.

Oral therapies account for about ⁠a third of US obesity prescriptions ⁠following the rollout of Novo’s Wegovy pill in ​January this year, according to Novo presentations in September.

China’s National Health ​Commission has said the proportion of overweight or obese people ‌in the country could reach more than 65% by 2030, up from roughly 50% in 2020.

Annual sales of GLP-1 therapies for weight management in China could reach 30 billion yuan ($4.5 billion) in ⁠the next five to seven years, up from an estimated 3 billion yuan to 4 billion yuan at present, Yang Huang, J.P. Morgan’s head ⁠of China healthcare ‌research, has forecast.

Lilly did not immediately respond to ⁠a request for comment on how it will price ​orforglipron ‌in China or when it will be available.

What ​appeared to ⁠be a promotion for the drug was posted on a mobile app from Chinese e-commerce company JD.com on Thursday. A spokesperson for JD.com did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Andrew Silver; additional reporting from Beijing newsroom; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Edwina Gibbs ​and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)