SHANGHAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly ( LLY ) said on

Tuesday its tirzepatide drug has received approval from Chinese

regulators for use to treat type-2 diabetes.

Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in the U.S. firm's

diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight-loss drug Zepbound.

Eli Lilly ( LLY ) did not say when sales would begin in China and

how many doses would be supplied.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said last month that

most doses of Mounjaro and Zepbound would be in limited supply

through the second quarter of this year due to increased demand.

Mounjaro has been approved in the U.S. since 2022 for

patients with type-2 diabetes to control their blood sugar

levels. It was approved in the U.S. for weight loss under the

brand name Zepbound late last year.

(Reporting by Andrew Silver; Editing by Muralikumar

Anantharaman)