Novo Nordisk has launched its blockbuster Wegovy weight-loss drug in China, adding the world’s second-largest economy to its growing list of markets where appetite for the drugs are rising.The first prescription for Wegovy in China will be issued at a public hospital in Shanghai this week and will cost about 1,

Novo Nordisk has launched its weight-loss drug Wegovy in China after it was approved by local health authorities in June. It is set to intensify competition with rival Eli Lilly, whose popular weight-loss treatment also got the green light months ago but has yet to go on sale in the world's second largest pharmaceutical market.

Novo Nordisk's blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy is now available for use in China, the company confirmed to AFP on Tuesday, as the Asian nation battles high rates of obesity.A Novo Nordisk spokesperson confirmed to AFP on Tuesday that the drug was "now available in China" for the treatment of adults with obesity and those overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity.

Patients in China will be able to purchase the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy for 1,400 yuan, or about $193, just a fraction of the US list price of $1,349, according to media reports.

Novo Nordisk launches its weight-loss drug Wegovy in China after approval by local health authorities in June.

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk announced last weekend that Wegovy, the weight-loss version of the company's high-profile, diabetes-control drug Ozempic, will soon officially hit the Chinese market.

Novo Nordisk gained approval for Wegovy in China in June, and will initially target Chinese patients willing to pay out-of-pocket for the weekly injectable drug

Novo Nordisk has launched Wegovy – its popular weight loss treatment – in China. China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has more than 180 million people living with obesity. The introduction of Wegovy offers a new option for this large group of potential patients.

Wegovy is being made available to Chinese patients five months after its approval in the country. Novo will sell the medicine for about $193.27 for a one-month supply.

Novo Nordisk said on Monday it has launched its popular obesity drug Wegovy in China, the world's second-largest pharmaceuticals market where it estimates more than 180 million people live with obesity.