How drugmakers sidestep ad bans in China’s obesity awareness push

Weight loss drugmakers , vying to tighten the belts of Chinese consumers, are promoting obesity awareness in metro stations, exercise studios and soccer stadiums as local restrictions prevent the direct advertising of prescription medicines in the world’s second-largest drug market.

China’s rate of overweight or obese people could reach more than 65% by 2030, the country’s National Health Commission has said.

Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Pfizer and local firm Innovent Biologics are competing for market share with their versions of once-weekly GLP-1 weight loss injections in China. Lilly led the once-weekly GLP-1 sales on Alibaba’s Tmall e-commerce platform and JD.com in the second quarter, according to Jefferies.

China does not allow drug companies to advertise prescription medicines directly to consumers. They can provide information to the public about the risks of specific diseases and recommend that they engage with doctors. Campaigns cannot mention product names, but might indirectly encourage people to seek help.

“Don’t forget to pay attention to Dad’s snoring and promptly visit a respiratory department or sleep centre,” a banner with a Lilly logo advised commuters recently at a metro station in Shanghai’s central Jingan district. Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnoea, which is strongly linked to being overweight. Lilly’s GLP-1 drug Mounjaro has been shown in clinical trials to alleviate the condition.

Ads from Innovent and e-commerce giant Meituan displayed on a wall in the same station last month said “scientific weight management” can reverse fatty liver disease. Another ad at a soccer stadium in Suzhou during a July match said “Innovent Biologics weight loss amazing!” repeatedly, a stream on the Weibo social media platform showed.

Gym chain Supermonkey touted via social media platform Xiaohongshu has a partnership with Pfizer to launch a “healthy weight loss party” in June and July. A Pfizer employee told a crowd at one such party in Shanghai that the company hoped to help them build a lasting, healthy way of life. Afterwards, a trainer led a weightlifting session for attendees, a post by the drugmaker on Xiaohongshu — which was later deleted — showed.

The communication efforts of drugmakers go well beyond campaigns related to other medicines, said Jia Hepeng, a professor of science communication at Soochow University in Suzhou.

“I rarely see pharmaceutical companies promoting prescription drugs for hypertension, tumours and other diseases in public settings, or even through indirect advertising,” Jia said.

Social media promotions, along with recommendations from friends and family, have led some patients to seek specific weight loss medicines by name, employees at hospitals in Shanghai and Guangzhou told Reuters. At first, patients asked for Novo’s semaglutide, also known as Wegovy, but recently Lilly’s tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro, and Innovent’s mazdutide, also known as Xinermei, have been requested more frequently, said Zhao Xiaolong, an endocrinologist at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre.

Novo launched the first once-weekly GLP-1 for weight management in China in late 2024.