(Yicai) June 25 -- Novo Nordisk has been given the greenlight by Chinese regulators to sell its Semaglutide injection in China for long-term weight loss, granting the Danish insulin producer access to the country’s highly lucrative slimming drug field.

The diet drug, which is the world’s first and the only weekly glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist for long-term weight management, has been approved for use on overweight people with a body mass index of at least 30 kilograms per square meter and who suffer from at least one weight-related complication, Novo Nordisk said on its Wechat account today.

Semaglutide can help people lose on average 17 percent of their body weight and give them multiple health benefits beyond weight loss, the Bagsvaerd-based company said. The drug promotes insulin secretion by activating glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors which help regulate blood sugar and control the appetite, especially among people with type 2 diabetes.

"Only a handful of obesity drugs have been approved in China in the last 20 odd years,” said Chen Wei, a professor at the department of clinical nutrition at Peking Union Medical College University. "This new type of slimming drug can provide patients with safe, effective and convenient treatment," he said.

"There is not enough knowledge in the public about obesity-related health problems, and so few people seek help," said Mu Yiming, a professor at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital's No. 1 Medical Center. “But judging from the number of follow-up visits, the possibility of health complications in overweight people is high.”

Editors: Liao Shumin, Kim Taylor