The push for oral alternatives signals a strategic shift for both companies, which currently compete with injectable versions of the drug. By offering a pill, Novo Nordisk aims to capture patients who are otherwise reluctant to undergo weekly injections. This segment of the market is becoming increasingly lucrative as health authorities estimate that over 65% of the Chinese population could be classified as overweight or obese within the next six years.

Eli Lilly maintains a slight head start in this race, having submitted its own marketing application for the oral drug orforglipron to Chinese regulators. While Novo Nordisk has already secured approval for its Wegovy pill in the United States and Britain, the timeline for a Chinese rollout remains unconfirmed. Market analysts at J.P. Morgan project that sales of GLP-1 therapies in China could climb from current levels of 3 billion to 4 billion yuan to as much as 30 billion yuan within the next seven years.