A dose of four Wegovy injections will cost 1,400 yuan ($194), a fraction of the drug’s U.S. price, according to the Chinese website Yicai. However, patients in China will have to pay out of pocket for the treatment, as it is not yet covered by the national healthcare insurance, João da Silva of BBC reported.

Novo Nordisk has launched its blockbuster Wegovy weight-loss drug in China, adding the world’s second-largest economy to its growing list of markets where appetite for the drugs are rising.The first prescription for Wegovy in China will be issued at a public hospital in Shanghai this week and will cost about 1,

Novo Nordisk A/S is launching its top-selling Wegovy obesity drug in China at a fraction of the US price, a key step in unlocking a big, fast-growing market for its blockbuster franchise.

Patients in China will be able to purchase the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy for 1,400 yuan, or about $193, just a fraction of the US list price of $1,349, according to media reports.

Novo Nordisk's blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy is now available for use in China, the company confirmed to AFP on Tuesday, as the Asian nation battles high rates of obesity.A Novo Nordisk spokesperson confirmed to AFP on Tuesday that the drug was "now available in China" for the treatment of adults with obesity and those overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity.

Wegovy is being made available to Chinese patients five months after its approval in the country. Novo will sell the medicine for about $193.27 for a one-month supply.

The move intensifies the competition with Eli Lilly, which secured approval for its weight loss drug in China in July but has yet to launch it.