Biocon Halts China Launch of Semaglutide Drugs as Wegovy Eyes India

Biocon, an Indian biotech giant, has opted to withdraw plans to launch weight-loss drugs in China, reversing course as global growth for semaglutide-based weight-loss drugs builds.

This decision comes as Novo Nordisk is also doubling down on its commitment to expansion in India with a nationwide launch of Wegovy, a best-selling anti-obesity drug.

Biocon had previously been ready to launch generic versions of semaglutide drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic in China, after developing a protocol for a clinical trial of over 500 patients. However, because of intense competition from more than a dozen local pharmaceutical firms and prohibitively expensive clinical trials, Biocon has backed away after realizing they do not have a strong local partner for this endeavor in China.

In contrast with Biocon's return to investment decisions, Novo Nordisk’s growing market for weight-loss and diabetes management solution. With obesity rates rising and patient awareness increasing, India is emerging as a key market for GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies.

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Biocon appears to cautiously pull back its plans in China while remaining focused on expanding in regulated markets like the US, UK, and South Korea where it has active biosimilar and generic drug programs. The divergent strategies highlight how India’s pharmaceutical sector is becoming central to the evolving global weight-loss drug market.