COPENHAGEN, June 26, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Novo Nordisk's flagship weight-loss drug Wegovy has been approved for use in China, the Danish pharmaceutical giant said.

The company -- Europe's largest by market capitalisation -- confirmed to AFP on Tuesday that Beijing had given the green light for the breakthrough treatment in people who are overweight or obese with at least one weight-related comorbidity.

It was not clear when Wegovy would be formally launched in China, where Novo Nordisk's sales rose by 11 percent last year at constant exchange rates.

Its patent in the world's second-most populous nation expires in 2026.

Based on the semaglutide molecule, Wegovy is seen as spearheading a revolution in the treatment of obesity, a major cause of ill-health across the developed world.

In the United States -- the group's largest such market -- Wegovy has also been approved to treat heart disease in adults who are overweight or obese.