Patients in China will be able to purchase the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy for 1,400 yuan, or about $193, just a fraction of the US list price of $1,349, according to media reports.

The first prescription for the drug in China will reportedly be issued at a public hospital in Shanghai this week and will cost about $193 for a one-month supply of the lowest dose.

Novo Nordisk said on Monday 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 financial media outlet Yicai.

State Medicaid programs for low-income families are the single biggest source of coverage, giving 31.6 million people access to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy or Eli Lilly's Zepbound.

Weight-loss drug makers are directly targeting employers in a campaign to expand health insurance coverage of their popular, but pricey, medications.

About 44% of U.S. employers with 500 or more employees cover drugs for weight loss in 2024, up from 41% in 2023, according to a survey from consulting firm Mercer released on Wednesday. Mercer also said 64% of U.

Lilly’s reps presented a slide deck that laid out data on the effectiveness of Lilly’s weight-loss drug Zepbound. The goal of the hourlong meeting with association leaders was to cement one core message: Obesity care is healthcare.

The efforts by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk could be a game-changer for sales, which some analysts say could exceed $100 billion a year.