By Andrew Silver
SHANGHAI, July 9 (Reuters) - China will add a second GLP-1 drug, used to treat diabetes, to a list of essential drugs all public hospitals are required to prioritise having in their formulary, a government statement said on Thursday.
China, the world's second-biggest pharmaceutical market, has the highest number of adults with diabetes in the world, according to estimates from the International Diabetes Federation.
Justin ***** , a partner at global strategy consultancy L.E.K. Consulting in Shanghai, told Reuters the essential listing would mean the drug, semaglutide, should be available even in remote rural hospitals.
So far only the Ozempic brand version has approval, but ***** said the inclusion of semaglutide in the National Essential Drug List would also "pave the way for generics to be broadly listed" once they are approved in China.
SHANGHAI, July 9 (Reuters) - China will add a second GLP-1 drug, used to treat diabetes, to a list of essential drugs all public hospitals are required to prioritise having in their formulary, a government statement said on Thursday.
China, the world's second-biggest pharmaceutical market, has the highest number of adults with diabetes in the world, according to estimates from the International Diabetes Federation.
Justin ***** , a partner at global strategy consultancy L.E.K. Consulting in Shanghai, told Reuters the essential listing would mean the drug, semaglutide, should be available even in remote rural hospitals.
So far only the Ozempic brand version has approval, but ***** said the inclusion of semaglutide in the National Essential Drug List would also "pave the way for generics to be broadly listed" once they are approved in China.
2 months ago
