First China Weight Loss Drug Rival to Novo, Lilly Emerges

Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly & Co, the pharmaceutical giants dominating the global obesity drug market, now face their first serious rival in China.

Suzhou-based Innovent Biologics Inc. secured approval last week for its treatment mazdutide, a turning point in China’s efforts to combat rising obesity and diabetes rates with local innovation. With over 600 million Chinese adults projected to be overweight by 2050, the emergence of a viable local alternative to Novo and Lilly’s blockbuster GLP-1 treatments could make weight loss drugs more accessible in the world’s second-largest economy.