China approves Pfizer GLP-1 drug for weight loss

By Andrew Silver

SHANGHAI, March 6 (Reuters) - China has approved Pfizer's GLP-1 treatment Xianweiying for long-term weight management in overweight or obese adults, the U.S. drugmaker said on WeChat on Friday, boosting competition in a market analysts expect to be worth billions of dollars.

The injection belongs to the class of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs sold locally by drugmakers such as Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO, Eli Lilly LLY.N, and Innovent Biologics 1801.HK.

"This marks a breakthrough in the field of weight management," Pfizer's licensing partner Sciwind Biosciences said on its website.

In February, Pfizer PFE.N licensed the mainland China commercialisation rights for Xianweiying, also known as ecnoglutide, from Sciwind, based in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

That deal was "an important first step to advance Pfizer's global strategy in the metabolic field in China", Sciwind said in a previous statement.

Sales of Novo's Wegovy on Alibaba’s 9988.HK Tmall e-commerce platform and JD.com 9618.HK were 260 million yuan ($38 million) in 2025, against 416 million ($61 million) for Innovent's Xinermei, investment bank Jefferies said in a note.

The approval in China for long-term weight management props up Pfizer's footing in the booming weight-loss drug market.

It has also recently acquired the obesity drug developer Metsera, as well as another experimental GLP-1 drug from another developer.

A Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters that Xianweiying was a once-a-week injection. They declined to comment about pricing and a China launch date.

Ecnoglutide is also approved in China as a treatment for Type 2I diabetes.