After receiving approval from regional health authorities in June, Novo Nordisk introduced its weight-loss medication Wegovy in China.
It is expected to increase rivalry with rival Eli Lilly, whose well-liked weight-loss product was approved months ago but hasn’t yet been put on the market in the second-largest pharmaceutical market in the world.
With a population of 1.4 billion, around 180 million people in China suffer from obesity.
A dose of four Wegovy injections will cost 1,400 yuan (£153; $194), which is a small portion of the drug’s price in the US, according to the Chinese business news website Yicai.
According to Yicai’s report, because the medication is not covered by insurance, patients in China will be required to pay the whole cost of the treatment.
