▲ApprovalChina27 Jun 20251 min read
China approves mazdutide as the first glucagon dual agonist on any market
China’s drug regulator clears Innovent’s weekly injection for chronic weight management, ahead of every Western glucagon co-agonist.
Filed → Approved The molecule is closer to patients than before.
The readThe first approval for a GLP-1/glucagon molecule did not come from the US or Europe. China is now a place where incretin drugs reach patients first, not last.
The approval
China’s National Medical Products Administration approved mazdutide for long-term weight management in adults with obesity, or with overweight plus at least one weight-related condition. Innovent developed it in China under a licence from Eli Lilly, which discovered the molecule.
Why glucagon
Most obesity drugs on the market act on GLP-1, sometimes together with GIP. Mazdutide adds glucagon instead. Glucagon raises energy use and pushes the liver to burn fat; GLP-1 keeps appetite and blood sugar under control so the glucagon effect does not raise glucose. Several companies are testing the same pair, including Boehringer Ingelheim with survodutide and Altimmune with pemvidutide.
The evidence base
Approval rests mainly on the GLORY-1 phase 3 trial in Chinese adults, which showed double-digit average weight loss over 48 weeks at the higher dose, with gastrointestinal side effects as the main issue. Liver fat fell sharply in subgroups that were measured. Check dose-by-dose numbers in the trial publication before quoting them.
- First approval anywhere for a GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist.
- Board stage moves from filed to approved (China only).
Type 2 diabetes label in China, pricing, and whether Lilly moves mazdutide forward outside China.
Primary sourceInnovent press release and NMPA notice, June 2025
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