On Mar. 5, 2026, China has approved Pfizer’s GLP-1 treatment ​Xianweiying for long-term weight management in overweight or ‌obese adults, the U.S. drugmaker said, on WeChat, boosting competition in a market analysts expect to be worth billions of dollars.

The injection belongs to ​the class of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs sold ​locally by drugmakers such as Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, ⁠and Innovent Biologics. “This marks a breakthrough in the field of weight ​management,” Pfizer’s licensing partner Sciwind Biosciences said on its website.

In February, Pfizer licensed the ​mainland China commercialisation rights for Xianweiying, also known as ecnoglutide, from Sciwind, based in the eastern city of Hangzhou. That deal was “an important first step ​to advance Pfizer’s global strategy in the metabolic field ​in China”, Sciwind said in a previous statement.

The approval in China for long-term ​weight management props ​up Pfizer’s ⁠footing in the booming weight-loss drug market. It has also recently acquired the obesity drug ​developer Metsera, as well as another experimental GLP-1 ​drug ⁠from another developer.

A Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters that Xianweiying was a once-a-week injection. They declined to ⁠comment ​about pricing and a China launch ​date. Ecnoglutide is also approved in China as a treatment for Type 2I diabetes.