Novo Nordisk has launched its blockbuster Wegovy weight-loss drug in China, adding the world’s second-largest economy to its growing list of markets where appetite for the drugs are rising.The first prescription for Wegovy in China will be issued at a public hospital in Shanghai this week and will cost about 1,

Novo Nordisk has launched its weight-loss drug Wegovy in China after it was approved by local health authorities in June. It is set to intensify competition with rival Eli Lilly, whose popular weight-loss treatment also got the green light months ago but has yet to go on sale in the world's second largest pharmaceutical market.

Wegovy is being made available to Chinese patients five months after its approval in the country. Novo will sell the medicine for about $193.27 for a one-month supply.

Patients in China will be able to purchase the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy for 1,400 yuan, or about $193, just a fraction of the US list price of $1,349, according to media reports.

Novo Nordisk launches its weight-loss drug Wegovy in China after approval by local health authorities in June.

About 44% of U.S. employers with 500 or more employees cover drugs for weight loss in 2024, up from 41% in 2023, according to a survey from consulting firm Mercer released on Wednesday. Mercer also said 64% of U.

State Medicaid programs for low-income families are the single biggest source of coverage, giving 31.6 million people access to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy or Eli Lilly's Zepbound.

Lilly’s reps presented a slide deck that laid out data on the effectiveness of Lilly’s weight-loss drug Zepbound. The goal of the hourlong meeting with association leaders was to cement one core message: Obesity care is healthcare.

The efforts by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk could be a game-changer for sales, which some analysts say could exceed $100 billion a year.

The weight loss drug boom is here, and even retailers like Walmart are starting to feel the pressure to compete.