Novo Nordisk: Tackling China's Obesity Challenge Through Chronic Disease Management and Innovative Drug Development

Novo Nordisk: Tackling China's Obesity Challenge Through Chronic Disease Management and Innovative Drug DevelopmentThe rising prevalence of obesity in China poses a significant challenge. Obesity has become a serious chronic disease, substantially increasing the risk of other chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases

Novo Nordisk: Tackling China's Obesity Challenge Through Chronic Disease Management and Innovative Drug Development

• The rising prevalence of obesity in China poses a significant challenge. Obesity has become a serious chronic disease, substantially increasing the risk of other chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This issue has garnered significant national attention. On March 9, 2024, during the third session of the Fourteenth National People's Congress, Lei Haichao, director of the National Health Commission, announced the continued promotion of the "Weight Management Year" initiative. Data from the China National Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status Report (2020) reveals that 16.4% of Chinese adults are obese, with over 50% of adults being overweight or obese; the overweight and obesity rates among children and adolescents aged 6-17 are 11.1% and 7.9%, respectively. These figures represent a vast patient population and a heavy societal burden, demanding a global collaborative effort to address the problem.

Camilla Sylvest, Novo Nordisk's Executive Vice President, Global Business Strategy and Corporate Affairs, noted in an interview that obesity is a complex chronic disease stemming from the interplay of biological, genetic, social, psychological, and environmental factors. It impacts human health comprehensively, with over 200 diseases linked to overweight and obesity. As a leading global company in GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, Novo Nordisk's flagship product, semaglutide, has been approved for obesity treatment for nearly four years. In 2024, Novo Nordisk launched Wegovy (semaglutide injection for long-term weight management) in China, receiving positive market feedback.

Semaglutide holds a crucial position in Novo Nordisk's product portfolio. Currently, Novo Nordisk offers three products based on the semaglutide molecule, indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults and long-term weight management. The launch of these products has enriched Novo Nordisk's product line in the Chinese market and provided patients with more treatment options. Results from the SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial showed that semaglutide 2.4 mg reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by 20% in overweight or obese adults. Sylvest expressed Novo Nordisk's strong appreciation for the Chinese government's focus on health issues and the vision of the "Healthy China 2030" plan, emphasizing that a preventive approach combined with treatment is crucial for achieving universal health. Novo Nordisk aims to contribute to China's healthcare endeavors in areas such as obesity and diabetes.

Chronic Disease Management: A Long-Term Battle for Health

From obesity to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease, these chronic illnesses require long-term management and treatment. Effective chronic disease management not only improves patients' quality of life but also significantly reduces healthcare costs. Building a scientific, efficient, and humane chronic disease management system has become a pressing issue.

Novo Nordisk recognizes that cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MASH), often overlap or coexist in the same patient. These interconnected diseases are termed cardiovascular metabolic diseases. To address these conditions, Novo Nordisk is committed to innovative drug development and health solutions.

The SELECT trial, encompassing approximately 17,500 patients globally, showed that Wegovy can reduce the risk of cardiovascular adverse events in overweight and obese individuals, addressing some key causes of preventable death, and has the potential to extend patients' lives. The FLOW clinical trial on Ozempic demonstrated that semaglutide reduces the risk of heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. "This means that Wegovy or Ozempic can reduce the incidence of these health challenges, which require hospitalization, are costly, and have fatal complications, improving patients' quality of life while reducing the societal healthcare burden," explained Sylvest.

In the face of the immense challenge of chronic disease management, Sylvest highlighted the importance of increasing public awareness of chronic diseases like obesity. Novo Nordisk not only focuses on disease education but also actively engages in scientific innovation that can truly prevent obesity. Novo Nordisk has partnered with UNICEF to research how to promote childhood obesity prevention through school-based healthy dietary interventions and the popularization of healthy foods. Additionally, Novo Nordisk collaborates with the Chinese government and universities to leverage local expertise and conduct educational programs on diabetes and obesity. Sylvest specifically mentioned the significant potential of China's digital solutions in raising disease awareness and management consciousness, stating that Novo Nordisk will leverage digital tools to improve health literacy and strengthen public awareness and management of these diseases in China.

Novo Nordisk's "China Co-creation": A Global Collaborative Model for Innovative Drug Development

In 2020, Novo Nordisk launched the "China Co-creation" project, integrating China fully into its global synchronized R&D system. The aim is to achieve global synchronization from clinical trials to new drug submissions, ensuring that Chinese patients benefit from global innovative drugs simultaneously.

Under the framework of the "China Co-creation" strategy, Novo Nordisk China achieved historical breakthroughs in 2024 across multiple disease areas: three innovative drugs covering diabetes, obesity, and rare diseases were approved within a month. For example, Awiqli (Ico insulin injection), the world's first weekly insulin formulation, was approved in China, ushering in the era of weekly insulin therapy. This is the first tangible result of the "China Co-creation" project, achieving simultaneous R&D, approval, and launch domestically and internationally.

Novo Nordisk is actively introducing more innovative products into China. By the end of 2024, Novo Nordisk had introduced 22 innovative drugs and 11 innovative injection devices into China. The "China Co-creation" project aims to elevate China's position in global innovative drug development. Novo Nordisk collaborates with Chinese hospitals and research institutions to strengthen academic exchanges and jointly enhance the clinical research capabilities of domestic hospitals. This strategic collaborative center model facilitates clinical trials and fosters in-depth cooperation in academic research and innovation.

Novo Nordisk has established a full industrial chain in China, employing nearly 7,000 people and establishing the first R&D center of a multinational pharmaceutical company in China. Novo Nordisk's Tianjin production plant now achieves localized production and supply. As of December 2024, Novo Nordisk's clinical research strategic cooperation centers have expanded to more than 10 medical institutions and over 40 specialized departments. Zhang Kezhou, Novo Nordisk's Vice President of Medicine and Quality, Greater China, stated, "As the reform of drug review and approval system continues to deepen, the 'time lag' between domestic and international approval of innovative drugs is further shortened, allowing Chinese patients to benefit sooner. The significant progress made by the 'China Co-creation' project over the past five years is the best evidence of this."

Novo Nordisk is currently preparing or conducting multiple clinical trials in China in several new therapeutic areas, including obesity, hemophilia, growth disorders, and other serious chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, and Alzheimer's disease. From a clinical trial perspective, Novo Nordisk China is fully engaged in all disease areas covered by Novo Nordisk globally. Zhou Xiaoping, Novo Nordisk's Senior Vice President and President of Greater China, stated, "As a mission-driven company, Novo Nordisk is actively addressing global health challenges and accelerating its presence in multiple disease areas. In the future, we will continue to fulfill our long-term commitment to patients and contribute to building a 'Healthy China.'"

The grim reality of China's rising obesity rate, and the resulting health problems and societal burden, demand greater efforts from all parties. Novo Nordisk's active participation, from drug development and clinical trials to disease awareness campaigns, demonstrates its commitment to the Chinese market and its patients. Its "China Co-creation" project further integrates China into the global synchronized R&D system, providing Chinese patients with earlier access to global innovative drugs and making a positive contribution to the development of China's pharmaceutical industry. How to better integrate resources and strengthen multi-party cooperation to jointly tackle the challenges of obesity and other chronic diseases remains a subject requiring ongoing exploration and effort.

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