Novo Nordisk's Semaglutide Injection Secures Nod in China for Liver Disease

05:32 AM EDT, 09/10/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B.CO) said Thursday that China's National Medical Products Administration approved its semaglutide injection for the treatment of metabolic-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH. The drug is indicated for adults with MASH and moderate-to-severe liver fibrosis, and moderate to severe liver fibrosis, making it the first and only GLP-1 receptor agonist approved in China for the treatment of MASH. The marketing approval is based on the primary results from the first part of the phase three Essence trial, in which 63% of patients treated with semaglutide achieved MASH remission with no worsening of liver fibrosis, while 37% experienced an improvement in liver fibrosis with no worsening of MASH.