Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is ready to enter the Indian market and different markets with its blockbuster drug Ozempic, regardless of shedding patent exclusivity early subsequent 12 months.
“Whilst we face patent expiration for Semaglutide, we’ll most likely nonetheless launch the product in markets and [drive] quantity development, and to do this we have to have a really massive manufacturing footprint,” Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, Novo Nordisk’s chief government officer, stated in a press briefing on Thursday.
“We’re utilizing the years of profitable development to spend money on that capability,” he added.
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Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 drug Semaglutide, bought underneath model names Ozempic and Wegovy, has been hailed as a miracle drug for treating weight problems, with demand outpacing provide in key markets.
Whereas the drug has not been launched in India but, it’s shortly approaching patent expiry in January 2026. India’s high generics gamers like Dr Reddy’s, Solar Pharma, Biocon, Cipla and extra are speeding to develop variations of GLP-1 medicine, together with generic copies of Semaglutide.
The drug will lose exclusivity within the US in 2032.
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US innovator Eli Lilly can also be planning to launch its anti-obesity drug Tirzepatide (one other GLP-1 receptor agonist like Semaglutide) in India this 12 months.
No clear timeline
“It’s troublesome to information on precisely when Ozempic is coming to what international locations,” Camilla Sylvest, government vice chairman at Novo Nordisk, stated on the briefing, addressing a query on the model’s potential India launch.
“We’re already out there in additional than 80 international locations…in these international locations [with patent expiry], we’re additionally able to proceed to be a frontrunner in the best way we go to the market with Semaglutide, we’re ready for that,” Sylvest stated.
“We’ve many alternatives to make sure that Semaglutide can get to many extra sufferers additionally in these international locations…we’ll proceed to be very targeted on Semaglutide for a few years to return, together with in international locations the place we’ll see a lack of exclusivity,” she added.
Additionally Learn | Novo Nordisk India execs urge early Wegovy launch as weight-loss rival looms
The corporate had confronted early lack of exclusivity earlier, with its GLP-1 drug Victoza, which expired within the US in November 2024. “This was the identical, the place we have been additionally able to have the ability to compete even after lack of exclusivity,” Sylvest stated.
In response to Goldman Sachs, the marketplace for GLP-1 medicine is anticipated to achieve $100 billion by 2030.
Indian corporations are gearing as much as money in on the blockbuster alternative.
Hyderabad-headquartered Natco pharma has secured first-to-file exclusivity underneath Paragraph IV for all strengths of Wegovy and key strengths of Ozempic, which might give it a 180-day exclusivity to market generic variants, if the corporate clears all authorized and regulatory hurdles.
Dr Reddy’s plans to launch in India, Canada and Brazil in addition to different rising markets the place patents are expiring or do not exist. Solar Pharma has already undertaken scientific trials for Semaglutide, whereas Biocon inked a pact for Semaglutide commercialization in Brazil with Biomm final 12 months.
In the meantime within the US, Novo Nordisk minimize costs of Wegovy to $499 monthly for money paying sufferers, because it moved out of FDA’s scarcity listing. This comes on the heels of rival Eli Lilly slicing costs of its weight-loss drug Zepbound.
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