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Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk is gearing up to launch its popular weight loss drug Wegovy in China, but it plans to restrict initial sales of the medication in order to not deplete supply for the rest of the world.
The Chinese National Medical Products Administration recently approved the blockbuster drug, Novo Nordisk announced in a press release on Tuesday. This opens up one of the world’s largest weight-loss markets to the Danish pharma giant.
But with ongoing shortages, Novo Nordisk says it’s planning a careful launch.
Novo Nordisk’s head of international operations, Maziar Mike Doustdar, told Bloomberg that the company will initially restrict access to Wegovy in China to ensure patients who start the treatment will have a steady supply.
“It’s no secret that the demand is enormously larger than the current supply,” Doustdar told the outlet. “We cannot completely open this up on day one to all centers and all doctors and then have a situation where let’s say on Monday we launch the product and by Wednesday or Thursday there’s not enough for those who started it back on Monday.”
Skyrocketing sales of Wegovy in the United States have made it hard for Novo Nordisk to keep up with demand. Shortages have persisted since 2022.
On Monday, the company announced it’s investing $4.1 billion for a new manufacturing facility in North Carolina to address shortages of the medication.
The weekly injectable has been approved in China for overweight and obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 27kg/m2 and at least one weight-related comorbidity — a medical condition that was developed due to a person’s weight. Weight-related comorbidities can include high blood pressure, heart disease and sleep apnea.
Over half of China’s adult population is overweight or obese, according to a 2020 report from the country’s National Health Commission.
Wegovy is the first and only GLP-1 treatment approved in China for longterm weight management, however, Novo Nordisk’s exclusivity in the country won’t last long.
The company’s Chinese patent on semaglutide — the active ingredient in Wegovy and its diabetes medication Ozempic — is set to expire in 2026. Once it expires, cheaper generics and biosimilars of the drug will be allowed in China, driving down prices.