A legal tangle hovers over Novo Nordisk’s diabetes and weightloss drug semaglutide, just weeks ahead of the possible launch of its injectible version Wegovy in India.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in the drug that’s globally popular as Ozempic / Wegovy, and the Danish company making the drug is presently locked in a patent infringement suit with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) and Once Source Specialty Pharma. On Friday, DRL told the Delhi High Court that it would not sell the drug in India, because it did not have a license to sell locally, till date, according to details available from a Bar & Bench report.
The company’s counsel, pointed out, they had a license to make the product (since December 2024), and have been doing so since April 2025. “However, the defendants reserve their right to export the impugned drug in countries where the plaintiff has not been granted a patent yet,” DRL said. According to the legal report, DRL had earlier challenged the patent on semaglutide.
A handful of Indian drugmakers have publically stated their interest in participating in the opportunity opening up when some semaglutide patents expire, next year. They include Cipla, Lupin and Glenmark, for example. Novo Nordisk presently sells its oral semaglutide in India.
Exports submission
Intellectual property rights (IPR) experts watch with interest, DRL’s submission on exporting the drug where Novo Nordisk does not have a patent. That would set a new benchmark, an IP expert told businessline.
Novo Nordisk’s counsel, had objected to this in Court and said, that according to the Indian Patent Act (1970) “the export of an infringing product amounts to infringement.” The case is listed for August 19.
In its offical statement, Novo Nordisk said, it was taking active steps to protect it’s inventions in India. “Novo Nordisk Semaglutide patents are protected in India and Novo Nordisk expects continued support and protection of innovation in India as this will stimulate companies’ motivation to develop innovative medicines and bring new treatments to patients. However, we would not like to comment on a sub-judice matter.” DRL also did not comment on the issue, as the case was in court.
DRL did not comment on the issue, as the case was in court.
Public health lawyer Leena Menghaney urged the Government to step in to ensure that the breakthrough drug and delivery devices are available to those with Type II diabetes and serious obesity problems, who really need it. Institutes like the Indian Council of Medical Research should define these conditions, so it can included in the essential drugs list and the Centre’s non-communicable disease programmes, she said.
In 2024, a host of people living with diabetes (including those from India) and health organisations wrote to the World Health Organization to endorse the inclusion of rapid-acting insulin analogues and GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs) on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (WHO EML). “This inclusion is crucial for improving the accessibility of effective diabetes treatments in LMICs (low and middle income countries),” they said.
Published on May 31, 2025
