China’s National Medical Products Administration approved Pfizer’s ecnoglutide for chronic weight management in adults with overweight or obesity, the first cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist designed for sustained weight reduction. Hangzhou Sciwind Biosciences holds exclusive commercialization rights in Mainland China and is eligible for up to $495 million in upfront, regulatory, and sales milestone payments.

The Phase 3 SLIMMER trial demonstrated a 15.4% average weight reduction at the 2.4 mg dose after 48 weeks, with 92.8% of participants losing at least 5% of body weight and 63.5% losing 15% or more. Patients also saw reductions in waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid levels, HbA1c, fasting glucose, insulin levels, HOMA-IR, uric acid by up to 54.3 µmol/L, and liver fat content by 53.1% among those with baseline levels above 8%.

Approval arrives just before Wegovy’s patent expiry later this month, which may pave the way for lower-cost generics and intensify competition in China’s fast-growing GLP-1 market led by Novo Nordisk. Pfizer’s entry, backed by Sciwind’s launch capabilities, could pressure Novo Nordisk on pricing and market share.