Hi readers,
This week, Feline Business Brief looks at an exciting development in the feline obesity space: China-based Huadong Medicine’s advance of a GLP-1 weight-loss drug for cats.
On December 26, Huadong Medicine filed for regulatory approval in China for its treatment candidate, putting the company ahead of its US-based competitors, Akston and Okava.
We take a look at what this means for the global feline therapeutics space, in terms of speed, pricing, and where future innovation in pet medicine may come from.
What we’re watching
What China’s entry into the feline GLP-1 race means for cat therapeutics
Last week, Chinese pharma company Huadong Medicine leapfrogged to the front of the global race to develop a GLP-1 weight-loss drug for cats.
The company announced that it had successfully filed a marketing approval application for pribopeptide (long-acting injectable), specifically for feline weight management.
The filing was backed by Phase III clinical trial data demonstrating:
Cats lost an average of nearly 10% of their baseline body weight over six weeks at the recommended dose;
72% of treated cats lost over 5% of their weight during the study;
The treatment was well-tolerated and led to no adverse reactions, according to Huadong Medicine.
Why this development is notable
Faster innovation cycle and early regulatory momentum: By filing for regulatory approval in China, Huadong Medicine appears to have overtaken the two high-profile US-based companies developing GLP-1s for felines; Okava OKV-119 and Akston Biosciences’s AKS-562C are at earlier stages of development.
Potential pricing advantage: Chinese pet pharma companies have shown they can bring innovative products to market at lower price points than Western competitors. This could impact assumptions around premium pricing for GLP-1 therapies.
First-mover positioning: Speed and cost could allow Huadong Medicine to secure early adoption in China’s fast-growing pet healthcare market.
Main contenders in the global feline GLP-1 race
Website of Huadong Medicine (founded in 1993).
Huadong Medicine (China): pribopeptide
Candidate: Pribopeptide injection, a long-acting dual agonist targeting the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor; ie. same category as Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide.
Stage: Filed for regulatory approval in China (December 2025)
Akston (US): AKS-562C
Candidate: FcRn recycled GLP-1 for once-a-week dosing
Stage: Initiated clinical trial of candidate (November 2025).
Okava Pharmaceuticals (US): OKV-119
Candidate: OKV-119 (subdermal exenatide implant)
Stage: First cat dosed in Phase 1 MEOW-1 Study for chronic weight management (December 2025).
Potential limits to Huadong Medicine’s lead
While Huadong Medicine’s filing has brought it ahead in terms of regulatory momentum, translating that advantage outside China will be more complex:
Regulatory barriers in Western markets: Approval pathways in the USA and Europe are significantly more stringent. Long-term feline safety data is critical and currently limited.
Scientific and welfare scrutiny: Feline GLP-1 therapies raise unresolved questions around long-term use, side effects, and appropriateness.
Competitive pressure from larger players: Human pharma giants such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are not yet active in veterinary GLP-1s, but their eventual entry could reshape the market.
What to watch next
Huadong Medicine’s regulatory filing reflects a wider shift in China’s pet pharma sector:
Domestic players are moving beyond generics into novel therapeutics;
Pet healthcare is becoming increasingly medicalised; and
Demand for advanced treatments is rising alongside pet ownership and spend per animal.
China’s pet pharmaceutical market grew from approximately CNY 9.4 billion in 2020 to CNY 21 billion (US$3 billion) in 2024, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~22.2%, and is expected to exceed CNY 35.4 billion (US$5 billion) by 2029 (sources: China Pet Industry White Papers, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, and Frost & Sullivan).
This growth reflects expanding pet populations and rising health awareness, with China reporting approximately 124 million pets in 2024 and pet medical consumption accounting for 25.1% of the overall pet industry.
Looking ahead, it is possible that Huadong Medicine will pursue overseas expansion via partnerships or licensing agreements with Western partners.
Last month, for example, Yao Pharma and Pfizer announced an agreement to jointly develop, manufacture and commercialise YP05002, a GLP-1 receptor agonist for chronic weight management in both humans and animals.
Overall, it is clear that innovation in feline therapeutics is no longer predictably Western-led. Huadong Medicine’s advance suggests that competition within the feline therapeutics space will be fiercer than expected.
Next week, we’re launching the Q1 Feline Business Monitor, a quarterly market intelligence report analysing these and other commercial signals shaping the global feline economy.
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Why this matters
For decades, China’s premium pet pharma market has been dominated by multinational players such as Zoetis and Boehringer Ingelheim. This is changing.
International animal health giants hold more than 60% of China’s high-end pet pharma sector, with companies such as Zoetis and Boehringer Ingelheim historically holding near-monopolistic positions in vaccines.
That balance is now shifting:
In 2024, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) approved 52 pet pharmaceuticals, of which almost 60% were domestically developed.
In terms of feline vaccines, at least 11 domestic trivalent vaccines were launched in China in 2025.
Zoetis’ feline trivalent vaccine (Nobivac Tricat), for example, has long set the benchmark in the category in China.
In August 2024, Chinese company Pulike received approval for Meowonder / Miao Yi Duo, the first fully indigenous triple feline vaccine developed using contemporary Chinese isolates of FCV, FHV-1, and FPV.
Human to feline spillover is accelerating:
Human pharma companies such as Hansoh and Huadong Medicine are repurposing human R&D platforms for companion animals, shortening R&D timelines and lowering unit costs.
For example, Hansoh Animal Health now derives over half of its revenue from pet pharmaceuticals, according to the company.
Chinese policy is reinforcing this shift:
MARA’s streamlined pathway for converting human drugs to veterinary use is reducing regulatory friction, while China’s 24,000+ registered pet clinics provide the infrastructure to scale distribution rapidly.
Huadong Medicine’s GLP-1 advance is therefore an indication of accelerating domestic substitution at the high end of China’s pet pharma market, with more such developments anticipated.
Feline Business Brief provides market intelligence on the global feline economy. We analyse early signals, emerging risks and structural shifts across feline nutrition, health, therapeutics, diagnostics, technology and retail.
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