Chinese Company Seeks Approval for Weight-Loss Drug Copy as Patent Expires

A Chinese pharmaceutical company has requested regulatory approval to market its version of the popular weight-loss medication Wegovy in China. The application comes as the patent for the drug's key ingredient is set to expire in March, opening the door for generic alternatives.

A pharmaceutical company based in China has submitted an application to regulators seeking permission to market its own version of the widely-used weight-loss medication Wegovy, according to a Wednesday announcement from the firm.

Jiuyuan Genetic Biopharmaceutical, headquartered in Hangzhou, made the disclosure as a crucial patent protection is about to expire in China, which represents the globe’s second-largest market for pharmaceuticals.

According to documents filed with the Hong Kong stock exchange, the company is requesting authorization to market Jikeqin as a weight management treatment for individuals who are obese or overweight.

These types of medications, known as biosimilars, are essentially near-identical copies of existing biological treatments.

The company reported that its Phase III clinical study involving obese participants demonstrated that Jikeqin was “clinically equivalent” to the original medication in terms of safety and effectiveness, measuring the percentage of weight reduction from starting point after 44 weeks of treatment.

The clinical trial included 370 participants, according to Jiuyuan’s 2024 annual report. A company representative confirmed to Reuters that Wegovy served as the comparison drug in the study.

Jiuyuan joins several other Chinese pharmaceutical companies working to develop similar versions of Wegovy or Novo Nordisk’s diabetes medication Ozempic, racing to prepare for the March expiration of patent protection on both drugs’ active component in China.

The company is simultaneously pursuing approval for its experimental version of Ozempic in the Chinese market.

Sales data from major Chinese e-commerce platforms Alibaba’s Tmall and JD.com showed Wegovy generated 260 million yuan ($38 million) in revenue during 2025, while a competing product called Xinermei from Innovent Biologics achieved higher sales of 416 million yuan ($61 million), according to recent analysis from investment firm Jefferies.