Weight-Loss Sensation Wegovy to Enter Asian Market as Novo Nordisk Launches in Japan on February 22

Source: Cailian Press

On Thursday local time (November 23), Danish pharmaceutical giantNovo NordiskAnnounced that it will launch its popular weight-loss drug Wegovy in Japan on February 22 next year. This will be Novo Nordisk's first launch of Wegovy in the Asian market.

As Wegovy faces a supply shortage, Novo Nordisk has chosen Japan as the sixth country to launch Wegovy. So far, Novo Nordisk has only launched Wegovy in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, and its home market, Denmark.

Novo Nordisk stated that the majority of patients in Japan will pay 30% of the medical costs for Wegovy, consistent with the reimbursement for other drugs. The company is lobbying some governments to cover the costs of Wegovy for patients with the most severe overweight conditions.

Wegovy comes in five different doses, ranging from low to high: 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg.

According to Novo Nordisk, the monthly cost of using 0.25 mg of Wegovy is 7,504 yen (approximately $50.17), and the monthly cost of using 2.4 mg of Wegovy is 42,960 yen (approximately $287.23).

Japan is one of the countries with the lowest obesity rates in the world. According to data from the Global Obesity Observatory, in 2019, about 4.5% of adults in Japan met the obesity standard, that is, reaching a BMI of 30 or above.

The World Health Organization uses the Body Mass Index (BMI) to assess the degree of "obesity." A BMI over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is considered obese. It should be noted that the BMI standards are primarily based on data from Europeans and Americans and cannot be entirely applied to East Asians.

Novo Nordisk's Wegovy andEli LillyMounjaro is one of the hottest weight-loss drugs currently on the market, and it belongs to a new class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Due to strong market demand, Wegovy is facing a supply shortage, leading Novo Nordisk to limit the number of countries where it is launched and the number of patients who can begin treatment.

In August this year, Novo Nordisk stated that supply constraints would likely persist until 2024. Analysts have warned that the supply limitations of Wegovy might allow competitor Eli Lilly's Mounjaro to gain an early advantage in the weight-loss drug market.

Editor: Li Tong