After Copycat Boom, China's Drugmakers Target Global Generics

China-based drugmakers that once fueled a surge of copycat weight-loss treatments in the U.S. are now pivoting to generics of Novo Nordisk‘s (NYSE:NVO) Wegovy and Eli Lilly's (NYSE:LLY) Zepbound as regulators tighten rules on compounded medicines.

After unprecedented demand strained branded supplies, at least eight Chinese firms—including Jiangsu Sinopep-Allsino and Hybio Pharmaceutical—supplied raw ingredients that helped produce more than a billion makeshift doses in 2024, according to FDA shipping data cited by Reuters.

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