Low-cost Ozempic copies launch in India as Novo Nordisk’s patent expires

Published Sun, Mar 22, 2026 · 04:41 PM

INDIAN drugmakers seized on the patent expiry for Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes medication to roll out cut-price generic versions in a nation with the third-largest overweight population.

Natco Pharma plans to make an injection for semaglutide – the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy – at one of the lowest starting prices of 1,290 rupees (S$17.66) a month. Its pen device is expected to launch by April and cost about 4,500 rupees a month, it said in a filing. 

By comparison, Novo’s Wegovy pen starts at about 10,480 rupees in India and about US$199 in the US under the self-pay model. Monthly prices for semaglutide products at others, such as Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, range from about 1,300 to 8,000 rupees.

While Canada was the first to lose patent protection for semaglutide in January, the Canadian health regulator has not approved any generics so far, effectively making India the first major market to see a flood of copycat versions.

The ensuing price war will be closely watched as the Danish drugmaker faces patent expiries in key markets including China, Brazil and Turkey.

Bloomberg News parsed company filings and earnings call transcripts to identify at least 12 large drugmakers that have plans to sell generic semaglutide soon after patent expiry. But the true scale of competition will be much higher. 

About 42 drug manufacturers, including smaller ones, are expected to launch products under more than 50 brand names this year, said Sheetal Sapale, a researcher at market data firm Pharmarack.

“Important case study”

India is “an important case study for the future” loss of exclusivity on semaglutide, Jefferies analysts led by James Vane-Tempest wrote in a Feb 12 note. The brokerage estimates India’s weight-loss market at about US$500 million, which “could rise to US$1 billion with the right pricing, adoption and government incentives”.

Demand for these weight-loss drugs is also high as India’s population of more than 1.4 billion faces a higher burden of diabetes and cardiovascular ailments, largely due to increasingly sedentary urban lifestyles.

High-calorie diets have led to a large overweight population that trails only the US and China.

Company filings show that generic drugmakers are also experimenting with a range of delivery formats, including syringes, injectors, vials and reusable pens with adjustable dosing.

These are aimed at giving patients more flexibility, reducing the cost burden and making adoption of these anti-obesity therapies easier. Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly & Co’s Mounjaro in India currently come in a pre-filled pen with four shots.

The tweaked delivery methods can also build brand loyalty. Pharmarack’s Sapale said that if a patient gets comfortable using a particular device, they usually wouldn’t switch.

“The reputation of the company in this therapy category, as well as the delivery system, will be the differentiators now,” she added, since the underlying semaglutide molecule is the same.

Patient programmes 

Indian firms are also rolling out programmes to boost uptake of the drug. Dr Reddy’s Semakare assistance app, as well as metabolic centres, will give it an edge over peers, its CEO for branded markets MV Ramana told reporters on Saturday (Mar 21). It will open 65 obesity clinics in the coming few months, he said. 

Drugmakers have also started forging alliances. Zydus Lifesciences has announced a licensing partnership with Lupin and Torrent Pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, Eris Lifesciences has tied up with Natco Pharma for the marketing of the drug.

Ramana said that Dr Reddy’s is in partnership with two top Indian firms. 

The generic drugmakers will also focus more on smaller cities where innovator firms have not established a widespread presence, Sapale said. “There will be a lot of noise” in the market as firms fight for share, she added. BLOOMBERG