Sales of weight-loss drugs in the West have soared in recent years, driven by the approval of a new class of more effective medication, the rapid growth in obese populations owing to poor diet and lack of exercise, and endorsements by celebrities and social media influencers.
In China, over 60 late-stage drugs are undergoing clinical trials. In the coming years, these may compete with the products of incumbents such as Denmark’s Novo Nordisk and US-based Eli Lilly, Boston-based global consultancy L.E.K. Consulting said in a report in May.
Innovent Biologics, based in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, was the first domestic firm to win approval to market a weight loss drug in the country.
Here are some questions answered about this nascent, but fast-growing drug market.
What are GLP-1 weight-loss drugs?
