Eli Lilly beats Novo Nordisk to China approval for first oral GLP-1 weight-loss drug

China has approved US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly’s weight-loss pill orforglipron, making it the country’s first available oral GLP-1 treatment for obesity as global drug makers seek to tap the country’s massive weight-management market.

China’s National Medical Products Administration announced the approval on Thursday, saying that the once-daily pill, marketed as Foundayo, could be used for chronic weight management by obese or overweight adults.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are synthetic versions of GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, a naturally occurring hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar. In recent years, they have become some of the world’s bestselling drugs.

Eli Lilly’s pill will compete with GLP-1 injections that have already gained traction in China, including Danish giant Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster semaglutide, sold as Wegovy, Chinese firm Innovent Biologics’ mazdutide, and Eli Lilly’s own tirzepatide.

In a recent clinical study, patients receiving the highest dose of orforglipron for 72 weeks achieved an average weight loss of 12.4kg, with about 40 per cent losing more than 15 per cent of their body weight.

The pill offered a new option for Chinese patients who preferred an alternative to injections, Eli Lilly said in a statement on Thursday. Novo’s application to sell an oral version in China is pending approval.

China has been grappling with a growing obesity challenge, with government forecasts predicting that 65 per cent of the population would be overweight by 2030.

The Chinese market for GLP-1 drugs, used to treat diabetes in addition to obesity, was expected to hit 100 billion yuan (US$15 billion) by 2030, consulting firm L.E.K. said in a report last year.

Eli Lilly has ramped up its presence in China, a growing biotech innovation hub and the world’s second-largest healthcare market. In March, it pledged to invest US$3 billion in the country over the next decade to boost its local supply chain and manufacturing capabilities.

The US company has also recently established innovation incubators in Beijing and Shanghai to support local biotech start-ups.