Novo Nordisk has cut the price of its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy in China as it braces for intensified competition ahead of the expiry of its semaglutide patent in 2026. According to local Yicai, list prices for the two highest Wegovy dose strengths have been reduced by 48% in parts of the country, bringing monthly costs down to 987 yuan and 1,284 yuan in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. The Danish drugmaker has not disclosed official pricing details but said the reduction is aimed at improving accessibility and easing the treatment burden for patients.
China is emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing weight-loss drug markets, with health experts estimating that more than 65% of the country’s 1.4 billion population could be overweight or obese by 2030. Novo Nordisk is facing mounting pressure from domestic pharmaceutical companies such as CSPC Pharmaceutical Group and Hangzhou Jiuyuan Genetic Biopharmaceutical, both of which are developing or marketing semaglutide-based treatments.
The China price cut follows similar moves in other key markets. Last month, Novo Nordisk reduced Wegovy prices by up to 37% in India and reached an agreement with Eli Lilly to lower prices in the United States. The latest pricing strategy is intended to help the company defend market share as it approaches a patent cliff and prepares for the expected entry of lower-cost competitors in China’s rapidly expanding obesity drug market.
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