The price for a month’s supply of the starter dose of Wegovy will be 1,400 yuan
Novo Nordisk said on Monday (Nov 18) it has launched its popular obesity drug Wegovy in China, the world’s second-largest pharmaceuticals market.
A spokesperson for the Danish drugmaker confirmed the news to Reuters after it was first reported by China-based financial media outlet Yicai.
The price for a month’s supply of the starter dose of Wegovy will be 1,400 yuan (S$259), Yicai reported. The list price of Wegovy in the US is about US$1,349 for a month’s supply.
The Novo spokesperson did not comment on the price.
Novo launched Wegovy in the US in 2021. Strong sales there, and in the 15 other countries where Wegovy has since launched, have propelled Novo’s shares to record highs. The company has a market capitalisation of about US$449 billion.
Chinese authorities approved the medicine nearly five months ago.
Wegovy will not be reimbursed by China’s national healthcare insurance, which provides basic coverage for most of the country’s 1.4 billion people. Novo is looking for ways to make the medicine more affordable, such as through commercial insurance, an executive was quoted as saying in the Yicai report.
Novo said in a statement it posted to its WeChat account that about 180 million adults in China are obese. The company is launching a “digital patient service platform” for patients taking the medicine, it said. REUTERS
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