But you can't just use it if you want to lose weight.
On the 25th, Novo Nordisk China announced that the National Medical Products Administration approved the application for marketing approval in China for NovoWin, developed and produced by Novo Nordisk.
It has finally come out after much anticipation, but the outside world is most concerned about issues such as how the product will be priced and whether it can be included in the medical insurance system.
Previously, semaglutide injection and oral medication were only approved for diabetes indications in China. This approval means that semaglutide can be used for weight management in the future.
In the United States, the price of Novo Nordisk's weight loss version of semaglutide is $1,350 per month. Regarding the domestic pricing issue, Novo Nordisk told China News Service that since the date of Novowin's approval, the company has officially started the relevant process of drug supply as planned and will bring this blockbuster product to the Chinese market as soon as possible. The price of Novowin will be announced when it is commercially launched.
Semaglutide injection, which was previously used to treat type 2 diabetes in adults, has been included in the national medical insurance catalog. Will Novowin be included in the medical insurance?
Novo Nordisk reportedly said earlier that the drug will be supplied in limited quantities in China in the early stages of its launch, focusing on self-paying patients.
While semaglutide is seizing the market in China, the outside world is most concerned about the issue of drug abuse control.
Earlier, industry experts emphasized to China News Service Health reporters that the use of any currently approved weight-loss drugs must be based on a healthy diet and exercise. In addition, the use of weight-loss drugs also has strict restrictions, and applicable patients should meet the criteria for being overweight or obese.
China News Service Health noted that the news released by Novo Nordisk China also clearly mentioned that the approval of this innovative drug will provide a healthy weight management solution for overweight and obese patients.
This means that not everyone who thinks they need to lose weight can use this drug.
Novo Nordisk also told China News Service that the approved NovoScan for long-term weight management in adults and the NovoScan for type 2 diabetes in adults that has been launched in China are both prescription drugs. These two drugs are used to treat two different diseases and cannot replace each other.
In addition, prescription drugs have a strict approval process. Any indication must be based on rigorous clinical trials and approved by the State Drug Administration before it can be marketed. It must be regulated or approved by the national health administrative department, and purchased with a prescription written by a physician or other medical professional with prescription rights, and used reasonably under the guidance of a physician, pharmacist or other qualified medical professional. Patients must strictly follow the doctor's prescription and purchase drugs through formal authorized channels to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the drugs.
"In China, Novo Nordisk sells prescription drugs in strict accordance with the requirements of laws and regulations and only cooperates with contracted distributors with pharmaceutical business qualifications," Novo Nordisk emphasized.
It is worth noting that as the best-selling product in the GLP-1 field, semaglutide has performed particularly well in the market.
According to Novo Nordisk's financial report data, in the first quarter of 2024, Novo Nordisk's three semaglutide products with different indications and dosage forms achieved a total revenue of approximately Danish kroner 42.2 billion, accounting for about 65% of total revenue.
However, the product also faces competition from competing products in the market.
In May this year, Eli Lilly China announced that Mufengda was approved by the National Medical Products Administration, which is also one of the products that pose the greatest threat to semaglutide.
In addition, in April this year, the official website of the Drug Review Center of the China National Medical Products Administration showed that Jiuyuan Gene's application for marketing approval of the semaglutide injection biosimilar was accepted.
Therefore, it is generally believed in the industry that "price war" is inevitable in the future.
However, recently, Novo Nordisk announced that it would invest $4.1 billion to expand the company's manufacturing capacity in the United States. Among them, Novo Nordisk plans to build a second filling and finishing manufacturing plant in Clayton, North Carolina, to enhance its ability to produce semaglutide-related drugs Vigwei and Novotec.
