China's drug regulator has approved the marketing application for Novo Nordisk's weekly semaglutide injection for long-term weight management, giving the drugmaker access to the world's largest population of patients with obesity.
The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved the treatment, which will be branded NovoCare, for patients with a BMI of at least 30 or for patients with a BMI between 27 and 30 with at least one weight-related comorbidity.
China's large and growing diabetes and obesity market is key for the drugmaker, who recently outlined its plans for investors during a capital markets day event back in March. Ozempic, branded NovoScan, was approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults in China in 2021 and reached sales of $698 million last year.
Novo, anticipating the China approval for Wegovy/NovoCare in weight management, told investors during the March meeting that the launch in China will initially focus on patients paying out-of-pocket for the injectable.
To keep up with demand, Novo Nordisk announced a $556 million investment in a sterile preparations expansion project in its facility in China’s Tianjin city back in March. Earlier this week, the drugmaker revealed plans to invest $4.1 billion to build a second fill-finish facility in Clayton, North Carolina, marking one of the largest manufacturing investments in the company's history.
