China approved Eli Lilly and Company‘s orforglipron tablet on Friday outpacing rival Novo Nordisk A/S in the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market.
The China National Medical Products Administration granted clearance for the oral medication to treat adults with excess weight or obesity who have at least one weight-related medical issue, RTV SLO reported. The medication will be marketed under the commercial name Muyouda on the Chinese market, according to Dnevnik.
Reuters reported that the decision gives Eli Lilly an advantage over Novo Nordisk. Novo Nordisk has its oral version of Wegovy awaiting approval in the country. Options on the Chinese market are limited to GLP-1 injection treatments supplied by Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and local manufacturer Innovent Biologics, Inc.
Net sales for Novo Nordisk A/S are distributed geographically across Europe and Canada at 21.4%, the United States at 56%, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa at 9.9%, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at 6%, and the Asia-Pacific region at 6.7%, based on Marketscreener data.
Product sales break down into diabetes and obesity treatment products at 93.7%. Rare disease treatment products intended for conditions such as haemophilia, blood disorders, and hormonal disorders account for 6.3%.
A study published in The Lancet estimated that up to millions of adults in China could face excess weight or obesity by 2050, City Magazine said. Chinese authorities separately projected that overweight and obese people could exceed 65% of the population by 2030, according to Marketscreener.
Oral GLP-1 medications mimic a natural gut hormone that curbs appetite and manages blood sugar levels. Eli Lilly secured US approval for the pill in April under the trade name Foundayo, as reported by RTV SLO.
Eli Lilly leads the injection segment in China. Novo Nordisk holds a stronger position in oral treatments globally.
Data from September showed that oral pills accounted for about one-third of all obesity prescriptions in the US. Novo Nordisk captured over 80 percent of new tablet prescriptions.
Soren Lontoft Hansen, an analyst at Sydbank, told Reuters that Novo Nordisk’s pill is expected to eventually surpass Eli Lilly’s product in China following regulatory clearance. This expectation stems from higher efficacy in clinical weight reduction trials.
The oral version of Wegovy is based on the active ingredient semaglutid. It caused a reduction in body weight in separate clinical trials over 64 weeks.
The Foundayo tablet achieved about an 11-percent reduction in 72 weeks.
Who is eligible for the Muyouda tablet in China?
The medication is cleared for adults with excess weight or obesity who present with at least one related health complication, such as hypertension, metabolic disorders, or cardiovascular risks, according to City Magazine.
When will the drug enter distribution on the Chinese market?
Eli Lilly plans to supply the tablets to authorized medical and pharmaceutical institutions in the coming months, as RTV SLO noted.
