Orforglipron, Eli Lilly’s oral obesity drug, is under FDA review with a decision expected in April. The pharma has also filed for marketing authorization for the pill in China.
Eli Lilly will pour $3 billion into its China operations over the next 10 years as the pharma races toward a potential approval for its oral obesity drug orforglipron.
The investment, announced in a Chinese-language statement on WeChat on Wednesday and reported by Reuters, will help Lilly beef up its manufacturing capacity as well as prepare a local production chain for the weight loss pill. The money will also significantly boost drug supply in China to meet domestic demands while simultaneously contributing to employment and the development of the local biotech industry, according to an automated translation of the announcement.
As part of its domestic push, the pharma will leverage the “talent advantages” at its Suzhou plant and cooperate with external local production partners, Lilly added.
Wednesday’s China investment adds to Lilly’s already extensive preparations for the potential approval and subsequent launch of orforglipron. In the U.S., the weight loss pill is currently under FDA review, with a target action date of April 10.
Ahead of the verdict, Lilly has begun stockpiling batches of orforglipron. In its annual report, the pharma revealed that as of Dec. 31, 2025, it had $1.5 billion worth of the drug ready to deploy—ensuring a strong launch if approved. In fact, Lilly has been preparing for orforglipron since early 2024, announcing at the time that it was ramping up manufacturing capacity for the drug. The pill wasn’t yet in Phase 3 testing at the time.
Lilly also filed a regulatory application for orforglipron in China at the end of 2025, according to the Wednesday announcement. It remains unclear when a decision is expected.
Aside from Lilly, several other big Western pharmas have recently pumped serious money into China. In January, for instance, AstraZeneca promised to invest $15 billion into the Asian giant through the end of the decade, a move the pharma said would “significantly enhance” its capabilities in cell therapies and radioconjugates.
AstraZeneca at the time also paid $1.2 billion upfront to Hong Kong-based CSPC Pharmaceutical, gaining access to its long-acting dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist for obesity. As part of this agreement, the pharma pledged up to $3.5 billion in R&D milestones and $13.8 billion in sales-based payments.
Other Big Pharmas that have made Chinese investments in recent weeks include Pfizer, which inked an obesity pact with Sciwind Biosciences for $495 million, and Sanofi, which put up to $1.53 billion on the line in a pact with Hong Kong’s Sino Biopharmaceutical for its anti-inflammatory drug.
