China has approved Eli Lilly’s once-daily oral GLP-1 drug, orforglipron calcium tablets, for long-term weight management in eligible adults. Lilly China announced the approval on November 12, 2026. According to the report, it is the first oral GLP-1 receptor agonist approved in China for adult weight management.
The approval covers use alongside diet and exercise for adults with an initial body mass index (BMI) of at least 30, or a BMI of at least 27 but below 30 with at least one weight-related condition. The drug is available by prescription, not for unrestricted weight-loss use.
The approval gives Lilly an early position in China’s oral GLP-1 weight-management market. Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide had previously been approved in China for blood-sugar control; its application for long-term weight management was accepted for review in August 2026. Unlike semaglutide, which is a peptide drug, orforglipron is a small-molecule, non-peptide drug. Lilly says it can be taken without food or water restrictions.
Lilly reported that, in its ATTAIN-1 trial, participants receiving the highest dose for 72 weeks lost an average of 12.4 kg. It said about 40% lost more than 15% of their body weight. Approval does not remove the need to weigh potential risks: the report says the US Food and Drug Administration announced on November 9 that GLP-1 medicines may be associated with an increased risk of a rare eye condition that can cause permanent vision loss, and required risk warnings for affected drugs, including orforglipron.