Novo moves oral Wegovy closer to the Chinese market, but Lilly remains ahead in the oral GLP-1 race
💊 China’s drug regulator officially accepted Novo Nordisk’s application for oral Wegovy on August 27. This marks the start of the review process, not an approval, and no launch timeline has been announced.
📈 The product uses oral semaglutide for long-term weight management, allowing Novo to target patients who prefer not to use injections. In the U.S., oral Wegovy has surpassed 5 million prescriptions, with more than 80% coming from patients who had not previously used GLP-1 therapies.
⚔️ Eli Lilly, however, remains ahead in China with orforglipron, which was submitted in late 2025 and could reach the market earlier.
🌏 JPMorgan estimates China’s obesity GLP-1 market could grow to around CNY 30 billion within 5–7 years, making the Novo–Lilly competition an increasingly important industry theme.
#NovoNordisk
$NVO
💊 China’s drug regulator officially accepted Novo Nordisk’s application for oral Wegovy on August 27. This marks the start of the review process, not an approval, and no launch timeline has been announced.
📈 The product uses oral semaglutide for long-term weight management, allowing Novo to target patients who prefer not to use injections. In the U.S., oral Wegovy has surpassed 5 million prescriptions, with more than 80% coming from patients who had not previously used GLP-1 therapies.
⚔️ Eli Lilly, however, remains ahead in China with orforglipron, which was submitted in late 2025 and could reach the market earlier.
🌏 JPMorgan estimates China’s obesity GLP-1 market could grow to around CNY 30 billion within 5–7 years, making the Novo–Lilly competition an increasingly important industry theme.
#NovoNordisk
$NVO
