Hengrui’s Obesity Drug Rivals Zepbound in Late-Stage China Trial

Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. and its US partner said their obesity drug candidate succeeded in a late-stage China study, a key step toward securing approval as domestic biotech firms increasingly challenge foreign rivals.

Chinese patients taking the drug from Hengrui and Kailera Therapeutics lost up to 17.7% of their weight on average, the companies said in a statement this week. When adjusted for the placebo group, the drop in weight came in at 16.3% — a reduction comparable to what Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zepbound once showed in its China trial.