China just gave the green light to a new use for a familiar weight-loss drug. Wegovy, the brand name for semaglutide, is now approved to treat a serious form of fatty liver disease. This matters because millions of people in China have this illness, and doctors have had very few good drug options until now.

Quick Take

• China's National Medical Products Administration approved Wegovy on Sept. 10 for MASH, a severe fatty liver disease.
• It's the first GLP-1 drug approved in China for this condition.
• The approval covers adults with moderate to advanced liver damage but no cirrhosis (permanent scarring).
• About one in three adults in China has fatty liver disease; 6.7% have the severe MASH form.
• A trial of nearly 1,200 patients showed strong results, with two-thirds seeing their disease resolve.

What Is MASH, and Why It's a Big Deal

MASH stands for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. In plain terms, it's fatty liver disease that has turned into inflammation and damage. Left untreated, it can lead to permanent scarring called cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.

China has one of the highest rates of fatty liver disease in the world. It affects about one in three adults, and more than 80% of people with obesity. An estimated 6.7% of adults have the more dangerous MASH form.

The Lancet Commission on liver cancer predicts MASH-related liver cancer cases will grow from 8% to 11% of the global total by 2050.

That means more people getting sick from a disease many don't even know they have.

Why This Approval Matters Now

Until now, doctors mostly told MASH patients to change their diet and exercise more. There weren't many drugs that actually worked. Jia Jidong, a liver disease expert at Beijing Friendship Hospital, says this approval could also help more people notice they have the disease early, since it often shows no symptoms at first.

The approval came from strong trial data. Doctors tested semaglutide on 1,197 patients with moderate to advanced liver scarring. About two out of three patients saw their MASH go away. More than a third saw their liver scarring actually shrink.

The Bigger Race Among Drugmakers

Wegovy isn't the only obesity drug now chasing liver disease. Other companies want in too.

Wegovy was already approved in China for weight management back in June 2024. Semaglutide works by copying a natural hormone called GLP-1, which curbs appetite after eating.

What's Next

This approval gives doctors in China a real drug option for a disease that used to have almost none. As more companies test their own GLP-1 drugs for liver disease, patients could soon have even more choices. That's good news for a country where fatty liver disease is already alarmingly common.