Semaglutide, the weight-loss and diabetes drug better known as Ozempic and Wegovy, will soon be available in generic form for 40% of the world’s population.
The widely popular medication briefly made manufacturer Novo Nordisk Europe’s most valuable firm. Pharma regulations in China, India, Turkey, and elsewhere mean that Novo’s patent, and thus its monopoly, expires Saturday, and manufacturers are racing to produce low-cost versions.
It is bad news for Novo, but good news for patients: A course of Wegovy costs hundreds of dollars a month; that figure could drop to $15, The New York Times reported. India and China are home to 800 million overweight adults and 360 million with diabetes. The drug’s US patent expires in the 2030s.
