Originally reported November 12, 2026.
Eli Lilly said China’s National Medical Products Administration had approved its once-daily oral GLP-1 drug orforglipron for long-term weight management in eligible adults. According to the original report, it was the first oral GLP-1 receptor agonist approved in China for that use, giving Lilly a lead over rival Novo Nordisk in this segment of the Chinese market.
The approval covers use alongside diet and exercise for adults with an initial body mass index (BMI) of at least 30, or a BMI of at least 27 but below 30 with at least one weight-related condition. Lilly said the drug’s separate application for type 2 diabetes was still under review in China.
The approval adds an oral product to Lilly’s weight-loss business, which includes injectable tirzepatide. The report said tirzepatide generated more than $43.7 billion in revenue for Lilly in the first three quarters of 2026. Lilly described orforglipron as a non-peptide, small-molecule drug that can be taken without food or water restrictions. Its US approval for adult weight loss came in April 2026; Lilly reported $281 million in cumulative revenue since its second-quarter launch, including $184 million in the third quarter.
Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide had already been approved in China for blood-sugar control, but its application for long-term weight management was accepted for review in August 2026—not yet approved for that use. Novo reported third-quarter sales of 5.394 billion Danish kroner, approximately $810 million at the exchange rate cited in the original report, for its oral weight-loss semaglutide across markets where it had launched.
These are prescription medicines with defined eligibility criteria. The original report also noted a November 9 FDA notice calling for warnings about a potential increased risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a rare eye condition that can cause permanent vision loss, on GLP-1 drug labels, including those for oral semaglutide and orforglipron.
