E-commerce Giants Like JD.com Vie for Users and Services in the Race for 'Weight-Loss Wonder Drug' Market

On November 17, Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss formulation of semaglutide injection (Wegovy) was launched in the Chinese market. As the world’s first and currently only weekly GLP-1RA (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) preparation, Wegovy has rapidly attracted significant attention from obesity patients and the medical community due to its unique weight-loss mechanism. Sales have been robust, with prices continuing to rise, reaching a peak of RMB 1,700 per pen. According to data from JD.com, nearly 1,000 units were sold in recent days.

VCBeat has noted that multiple e-commerce platforms, including JD.com, have launched online reservation services for this drug, greatly facilitating patient access to medication.

The reporter searched for “NovoPen” on the JD.com app and navigated to the “Convenient Medicine Search” page. This page displays offline institutions in the user’s city that offer the service. The reporter selected the nearest medical facility and booked Package A (Basic Version) priced at 1,388 yuan. After successful payment, a “pending use” verification code was generated on the mobile phone. With this code, the patient can visit the booked offline medical institution to complete registration and consultation, followed by medication pickup and injection services.

Furthermore, major platforms offer a variety of health services to patients. Taking the JD.com platform as an example, alongside the purchase of Wegovy (semaglutide), patients are provided with pre-treatment blood tests assessing the function of 12 organs, comprehensive medication guidance from weight-loss physicians and nutritionists, and related supplies such as probiotics.

Reporters learned from relevant medical staff that Wegovy is a prescription medication. Patients should seek evaluation and diagnosis at accredited medical institutions and strictly adhere to their physicians’ instructions when taking the drug. Self-medication is not recommended, as it may lead to adverse outcomes.

It is reported that semaglutide exerts its therapeutic effect by binding to and activating the GLP-1 receptor. GLP-1 receptors are present in several brain regions associated with appetite regulation. In patients with obesity, Wegovy helps reduce hunger, decrease food cravings, and lower caloric intake, thereby promoting weight loss. Furthermore, through recombinant DNA technology, Wegovy maintains up to 94% homology with human GLP-1 while extending its half-life to seven days, enabling once-weekly dosing.