Wegovy now available for weight reduction in China

Wegovy now available for weight reduction in China

Novo Nordisk announced on Monday that it introduced its popular obesity medication in Wegovy in China, the second largest pharmaceutical market in the world, where an estimated more than 180 million people suffer from obesity.

intensive competition with Eli Lilly

With this introduction, Novo Nordisk increases the competition with Eli Lilly, who received approval for his weight loss medication in China in July, but has not yet been launched. Both companies increase their production capacities to benefit from a weight reduction market, which, according to analysts, will probably grow over $ 150 billion by the beginning of the next decade.

price information and target group

A spokesman for the Danish pharmaceutical company confirmed the news of Reuters after she was first reported by the Yicai financial medium based in China. Wegovy's list price in the United States is around $ 1,349 for a monthly recipe. The Novo spokesman did not provide any information about the price in China.

market launch and market position

Novos Wegovy was approved in China in June and will initially address patients who are willing to bear the costs for the weekly injectable medication themselves. Novo Nordisk had first introduced Wegovy in the United States in 2021. Strong sales figures there and in the 15 other countries, in which Wegovy has now come onto the market, the shares of Novo drove to record heights. The company has a market capitalization of around $ 449 billion.

No reimbursement of health insurance

Wegovy is not reimbursed by China's national health insurance, which offers the majority of the country's 1.4 billion people in the country.