(Yicai) Sept. 10 -- Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight loss drug, has become the first glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist approved in China to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), an inflammatory form of fatty liver disease.

China’s National Medical Products Administration approved Wegovy to treat non-cirrhotic adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis accompanied by moderate to severe liver fibrosis, expanding the drug’s indications from weight management and cardiovascular health to liver disease, Copenhagen-based Novo Nordisk announced today.

GLP-1 receptor agonists were initially used to treat diabetes but have developed into a popular new class of weight loss drugs worldwide in recent years. Among the best-known are Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, and Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Novo Nordisk has four core semaglutide products on the global market: injectable diabetes drug Ozempic, oral diabetes medicine Rybelsus, and injectable and oral versions of Wegovy. The four products generated about USD17.5 billion in combined sales in the first half of this year, according to the company’s financial report.

The new indication could further boost the commercial performance of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster product, as MASH, which involves fat buildup and inflammation in the liver, is increasingly common in China. About one-third of Chinese adults have fatty liver disease, with the prevalence reaching 82 percent among those who are overweight or obese, Novo Nordisk said.

Drug treatment options for fatty liver disease have long been limited in clinical practice, with lifestyle changes remaining the main treatment approach, while Wegovy’s approval provides patients with a new treatment option, said Jia Jidong, director of the Liver Research Center at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University.

Novo Nordisk faces competition in China not only from Eli Lilly but also from domestic drugmakers including Innovent Biologics and Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, which have joined the race for the GLP-1 receptor agonist market. Novo Nordisk is therefore actively seeking approval for more semaglutide products and indications.

On Aug. 27, Novo Nordisk announced that its application to the NMPA to market oral Wegovy in China for long-term weight management had entered the review process.

Editor: Emmi Laine