SHANGHAI, July 19 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly ( LLY ) said in

a social media post Friday its weight loss drug tirzepatide had

received approval from Chinese regulators, further intensifying

competition with its Danish rival Novo Nordisk in the

key Asian market.

Novo's weight loss drug Wegovy won approval from China,

the world's second-largest economy and the country estimated to

hold the highest number of overweight or obese people, in June

in a move that sent its share price soaring.

A spokesperson for Eli Lily did not immediately respond to a

request for comment on when its own drug's sales would begin in

China or how many doses would be supplied. Tirzepatide is the

active ingredient in the U.S. firm's diabetes drug Mounjaro,

also approved in China, and weight-loss drug Zepbound.

Eli Lilly ( LLY ) and Novo Nordisk are racing to increase production

in a weight-loss market estimated to reach at least $100 billion

globally by the end of the decade. Both companies' obesity

treatments belong to a class of drugs originally developed for

diabetes known as GLP-1 agonists.

GLP-1 drugs have been shown to help patients lose on average

as much as 20% of their weight, fuelling unparalleled demand.

($1 = 6.8673 Danish crowns)