China’s medicines regulator approved Eli Lilly’s oral obesity treatment orforglipron on November 12, 2026, giving the US company access to one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical markets and strengthening its position against Novo Nordisk.
By Adam Ujazdowski. Originally published in Polish on November 12, 2026, at 08:39:28 UTC.
Orforglipron belongs to the class of GLP-1 receptor agonists used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. Unlike many existing medicines in this class, it is taken orally once a day. Avoiding injections could make treatment more appealing to patients who prefer tablets.
Lilly moves ahead of Novo Nordisk in China
Lilly filed its application for approval in China in late 2025. The decision comes as competition among GLP-1 drugmakers intensifies.
Novo Nordisk, Lilly’s main rival, has applied for approval of an oral version of Wegovy in China. The regulator accepted its submission for review in August 2026, but the treatment has yet to receive marketing approval there.
Companies already active in China’s injectable GLP-1 market include Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and domestic producer Innovent Biologics. Oral therapies extend that competition to a new way of administering the drugs.
Weight-management drug sales could expand sharply
China’s National Health Commission projects that more than 65% of the population could be overweight or obese by 2030. The growing prevalence is increasing demand for drug treatments.
Yang Huang, head of China healthcare research at J.P. Morgan, previously estimated that sales of GLP-1 medicines for weight management could rise from about 3–4 billion yuan to 30 billion yuan over five to seven years. That forecast covers the whole drug category, rather than orforglipron alone.
Lilly pledges $3 billion of investment
In March 2026, Lilly announced plans to invest $3 billion in China over ten years. Some of the funding is intended to expand production capacity linked to orforglipron and develop local manufacturing and supply capabilities for oral medicines.
Orforglipron was previously approved in the United States under the brand name Foundayo. The Chinese decision is a separate regulatory approval and another step in the product’s international expansion.
