Novo Nordisk’s Victoza launched in China
pharmafile | October 10, 2011 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Byetta, China, Victoza, diabetes
Novo Nordisk’s Victoza is now available in China, one of the fastest growing diabetes markets in the world.
Victoza (liraglutide injection) has been launched as an add-on therapy for type II diabetics who can no longer keep their blood sugar levels down with metformin or sulphonylurea.
It is a glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) analogue that stimulates the natural release of insulin, whilst also helping patients lose weight.
Novo will be competing with Lilly’s twice-daily GLP-1 drug Byetta, which received Chinese approval in 2009.
The rate of diabetes in China is rising fast as its middle class continues to grow, leading to an increasing prevalence of traditionally Western problems such as diabetes and obesity.
The population of China reached 1.33 billion in 2009, and a 2008 New England Journal of Medicine report estimated that around 10% of the population had diabetes – a proportion that is expected to continue to rise as the population ages.
This all makes China a major emerging market for pharma in diabetes, but problems with access and payers make the country as problematic as it is lucrative.
It currently takes around two years for new drugs to receive approval in China and the government can also order sudden price cuts, making the market unpredictable.
The healthcare system also lacks appropriate funding, with a 2006 report showing that the government spent around 1% of its GDP (gross domestic product) on healthcare. During a similar period the English government that spent 7.3% of its GDP on the NHS.
Ben Adams
Related Content
MetP Pharma releases positive data on intranasal semaglutide administration
MetP Pharma has released new data highlighting the advantages of its MetP technology in delivering …
CARBOGEN AMCIS manufacturing license advances services in China
Swiss pharma manufacturing company, CARBOGEN AMCIS, has announced that its facility in Shanghai, China, has …
AOTI diabetic foot care therapy to be used by NHS
Effective from September 2025, AOTI’s Topical Wound Oxygen (TWO2) therapy has been awarded inclusion in …
