Meituan's GLP-1 Drug Sales Surpass Traditional Pharma E-commerce Platforms, Monthly Orders Exceed 200,000

Recently, the financial reports of two global pharmaceutical giants, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, were released one after another, intensifying the rivalry between their two GLP-1 drugs for the title of “global best-selling drug.” In China, e-commerce platforms have become a major sales channel for GLP-1 medications.

According to an industry insider, GLP-1 drugs have demonstrated strong sales performance on the Meituan platform. “Since 2023, the order volume for GLP-1 drugs on Meituan has reached 2 million, with the majority of orders originating from its self-operated pharmacy.” Among GLP-1 drugs available on Meituan, Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide has shown the most remarkable performance, with order volume exceeding 500,000 since its launch at the end of last year.

“From what I know, as one of the few express delivery e-commerce businesses on the Meituan platform, Meituan’s sales volume for GLP-1 drugs exceeded 200,000 orders last month, surpassing traditional pharmaceutical e-commerce platforms.” The aforementioned industry insider stated, “Moreover, GLP-1 drugs continue to maintain a high growth rate, with August order volumes increasing by 25% compared to July.”

It is reported that multiple GLP-1 medications have been listed on the Meituan platform, including [Mounjaro] tirzepatide, [Ozempic] semaglutide, and [Xin'ermei] mazdutide, among others, to meet the diverse needs of patients.

The popularity of GLP-1 medications on the Meituan platform is inseparable from innovations in transportation methods. To ensure the quality of GLP-1 medications during transit, Meituan’s self-operated pharmacy has upgraded its transportation equipment. The currently employed proprietary temperature-controlled shipping containers not only shield against external high-temperature radiation but also achieve sustained temperature regulation through novel slow-release ice packs, thereby ensuring quality-preserving transportation throughout the entire supply chain.

Furthermore, for cold-chain pharmaceuticals such as GLP-1 medications, Meituan partners with SF Express to facilitate air freight shipments. The combination of dedicated temperature-controlled transport containers and air transportation ensures the quality of GLP-1 drugs, providing a dual guarantee for pharmaceutical fulfillment.

Not only for cold-chain pharmaceuticals, but also for high-value drugs (such as Xofluza) and seasonally urgent medications for chronic conditions (such as asthma and allergy treatments), Meituan opts for SF Express air freight. Currently, Meituan’s air transport network covers 366 cities, with over 90% of orders achieving “same-day or next-day delivery.”

Insiders revealed that Meituan is also the first platform in the pharmaceutical e-commerce sector to conduct large-scale air freight for drugs and health supplements.

Meituan is further strengthening its air transportation capabilities and will establish China’s first pharmaceutical e-commerce air hub in 2025. Upon completion, the hub will provide users with higher-quality fulfillment services, enhance the reliability of delivery timelines, and comprehensively improve the overall user experience.

Beyond its delivery capacity, Meituan will continue to strengthen its service details. Previously, Meituan launched a “No Weight Loss, No Pay” free service for GLP-1 medications. This service provides scientific health check-up assessments to help users lose weight with designated products such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, offering a refund if the treatment proves ineffective. Currently, the maximum compensation amount has been increased to RMB 1,000.

It is reported that GLP-1 drugs are part of Meituan’s new drug strategy. Since last year, seven new drugs have been launched exclusively on Meituan, including [Meioupin] Xingqi Atropine Sulfate 0.01% Eye Drops, [NovoYing] Semaglutide, [Nuohexin] Semaglutide, [Mufengda] Tirzepatide, [Xinermei] Mazdutide, [Youlesi] Dotinurad, and [Daweike] Lemborexant, covering therapeutic areas such as GLP-1 agonists, myopia, gout, and insomnia.

Taking lemborexant as an example, as the only hypnotic currently available for purchase via online platforms, its price is not low. Some users have only short-term needs for hypnotics, making it uneconomical for them to purchase a full box. To address these users, Meituan offers pill-splitting services, providing small pill organizers and instruction leaflets with the medication. This allows consumers to access lemborexant, an innovative anti-insomnia drug, for under 100 yuan.

“Meituan will continue to strengthen its efforts in new drugs, providing users with newly launched high-quality medications and enhancing the accessibility of innovative drugs,” said a Meituan Medical Health business executive.

▲ Tirzepatide on the Meituan platform | Source: Meituan App