Eli Lilly first drugmaker to have a GLP-1 weight-loss pill approved in China
Until now, Chinese regulators had approved GLP-1 medications for weight management only in injectable form.
Eli Lilly has become the first pharmaceutical company to receive regulatory approval in China for a GLP-1 weight-loss pill, positioning itself advantageously in the nation's second-largest pharmaceutical market. Prior to this, Chinese authorities had only sanctioned GLP-1 medications for weight management in injectable form. The GLP-1 class of drugs, including Lilly's orforglipron pill sold as Foundayo in the US, work by emulating a gut hormone to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar in diabetic patients.
Eli Lilly's shares experienced a 1.2% increase in US premarket trading following the approval news, while Novo Nordisk's Danish shares rose over 2%. Lilly aims to supply the drug to authorized healthcare and pharmaceutical institutions in China, though specifics on pricing were not disclosed. The approval paves the way for competition with Lilly's proprietary once-weekly GLP-1 obesity injection, as well as similar shots from Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and local firm Innovent Biologics.
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- Eli Lilly first drugmaker to have a GLP-1 weight-loss pill approved in China freemalaysiatoday.com
- US pharmaceutical company: China approves weight loss pill from Eli Lilly handelsblatt.com
