LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk said

on Monday it has launched its popular obesity drug Wegovy in

China, the world's second-largest pharmaceuticals market.

A spokesperson for the Danish drugmaker confirmed the news

to Reuters after it was first reported by China-based financial

media outlet Yicai.

The price for a month's supply of the starter dose of Wegovy

will be 1,400 yuan ($193.27), Yicai reported. The list price of

Wegovy in the U.S. is about $1,349 for a month's supply.

The Novo spokesperson did not comment on the price.

Novo launched Wegovy in the U.S. in 2021. Strong sales

there and in the 15 other countries where Wegovy has since

launched, have propelled Novo's shares to record highs. The

company has a market capitalisation of about $449 billion.

Chinese authorities approved the medicine nearly five months

ago.

Wegovy will not be reimbursed by China's national healthcare

insurance, which provides basic coverage for most of the

country's 1.4 billion people. Novo is looking for ways to make

the medicine more affordable, such as through commercial

insurance, an executive was quoted as saying in the Yicai

report.

Novo said in a statement it posted to its WeChat account

that about 180 million adults in China are obese. The company is

launching a "digital patient service platform" for patients

taking the medicine, it said.