Novo Nordisk Targets China’s Weight-Loss Market

The company is racing to introduce oral alternatives to injectable treatments, a shift that could reshape obesity care for millions of patients. While Novo prepares its submission, the landscape has grown crowded. Pfizer and local players such as Innovent Biologics are moving quickly to challenge the market leaders, forcing Novo to pivot before the patent landscape shifts.

Following the expiration of the semaglutide patent in China this past March, generic manufacturers are expected to enter the fray by the second quarter of next year. Eli Lilly is already mounting a significant defense, having submitted its own marketing application for the drug orforglipron. The commercial stakes are high; sales of GLP-1 medications through major Chinese e-commerce platforms surged to 1.4 billion yuan—roughly $207 million—during the first quarter alone.