The GLP-1 Patent Split: A Contrast of How Major Markets Deal With The Loss of Exclusivity [Analysis]

Newsletter Edition #377 [The Files In-Depth]

Readers,

In today's edition, my colleague Anne Jomard sinks her teeth into examining the moat of intellectual property protection for weight loss drugs in some jurisdictions.

Generic semaglutide in India is now available for a fraction of the branded price, around $15 for the lowest dose, compared to over US $1,000 in the U.S. Analysts have noted this as one of the fastest generic rollouts in recent pharmaceutical history.

Jomard, a scientist who writes on health policy says, "The divergence is not a market accident. It is the deliberate outcome of a patent system that allows the same molecule to be public property in one jurisdiction and a protected monopoly in another."

In her analysis she presents a picture of "stark contrasts in how major markets handle the loss of exclusivity", as some experts have described the situation.

We hope you find this useful. Write to us with your feedback. Jomard is part of our annual fellowship program this year.

(Also see below, our pharma litigation tracker , published a few months ago, carefully researched by my colleague Khushi Makwana.)

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Priti Patnaik, Founder & Publisher, Geneva Health Files

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I. GHF ANALYSIS

The GLP-1 Patent Split: A Contrast of How Major Markets Deal With The Loss of Exclusivity

By Anne Jomard

Jomard is a biological research scientist, who has made a transition into journalism, focusing on stories that link science, public health and policy. She is a Geneva Health Files Fellow for 2026. She can be reached at: write@annejomard.com

When India's patent on semaglutide expired in March 2026, more than 50 generic versions were ready to launch. In the United States, patients will wait until at least 2031.

Within days of GLP-1 agonists — drugs that mimic a gut hormone controlling appetite and blood sugar — patent expiry, Indian pharmaceutical companies including Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Sun Pharma and Zydus Lifesciences had introduced their own versions of semaglutide — the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, and the world's second-best-selling prescription medicine — in what analysts have described as one of the fastest generic rollouts in recent pharmaceutical history. In Brazil and China, core molecule patents expired on the same legal schedule. Meanwhile Canada had already seen key semaglutide patents lapse in January, and by April had approved a generic version, followed by a second and third Health Canada approval by June.

Together, these markets represent roughly 40 percent of the global population and an estimated one-third of adults living with obesity worldwide. The price impact has been immediate: generic semaglutide in India is now available for a fraction of the branded price, around $15 for the lowest dose, compared to $1,350 a month for Wegovy and about $1,027 for Ozempic in the United States.

The divergence is not a market accident. It is the deliberate outcome of a patent system that allows the same molecule to be public property in one jurisdiction and a protected monopoly in another.