China-based Vincentage Pharma is hot on Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk’s heels after its oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) met its endpoints in a Phase III obesity trial.
At 52 weeks, VCT220 achieved mean body weight reduction of 12.2% and 12.4% in the 120mg and 160mg groups, respectively, both significantly greater than the 1.3% reduction reported in the placebo cohort.
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Across the double-blind treatment period, VCT220 demonstrated favourable overall tolerability, with a safety profile consistent with existing GLP-1RAs. The most common adverse events (AEs) were gastrointestinal-related and generally mild to moderate in severity.
The Phase III trial (NCT06939296), conducted in China, enrolled 840 adults with obesity (BMI ≥28 kg/m²) or overweight (24 kg/m² ≤ BMI <28 kg/m²) with at least one weight-related comorbidity.
Based on the Phase III data, Vincentage plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for the oral GLP-1RA for weight management to China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in the near term.
Professor Ji Linong, director of the department of endocrinology at Peking University People’s Hospital and principal investigator, said: “We are very pleased to see that the Phase III trial of VCT220 successfully met its primary endpoints, demonstrating weight loss comparable to approved oral GLP-1RA therapies and a favourable tolerability profile. I am extremely proud to have been part of the full clinical development journey of this novel, non-peptide GLP-1RA with an entirely new molecular structure, independently developed by a Chinese pharmaceutical company.”
While this study will only allow for approval in China, the company is also investigating the drug in a US trial, where it is called CX11. The oral weight loss pill is in a Phase II trial, which is being managed by Vincentage’s partner Corxel Pharmaceuticals.
The drug is also being investigated in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other obesity-related cardiometabolic conditions.
Lilly is awaiting China approval for orforglipron, which is marketed in the US as Foundayo. The US pharma has pledged $3bn in manufacturing in China as it prepares for commercialisation.
Novo Nordisk has also launched its oral Wegovy (semaglutide) on the US market after gaining US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in December 2025. It is unclear whether Novo Nordisk plans to target the Chinese market.
According to GlobalData’s Obesity: Seven-Market Drug Forecast and Market Analysis – Update, the obesity market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 32.3% until 2031 in the seven major markets (7MM: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US).
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