STORY: Novo Nordisk, maker of blockbuster drug Ozempic, may face serious competition in China.
Drugmakers are now developing 15 generic versions of its popular diabetes drug – and weight loss treatment Wegovy.
That’s according to clinical trial records.
The Danish company had high hopes that the drugs would boom in the promising Chinese market…
Which is estimated to have the highest number of obese and overweight people in the world.
In 2021, Ozempic won approval from China, and last year Novo Nordisk saw sales of the drug there double to almost $700 million.
It’s expecting Wegovy to be approved this year.
But the patent on semaglutide, the active ingredient in both medicines, expires in China in 2026…
Which is far ahead of the expiry in other key markets like Japan, Europe and the U.S..
Novo is in a legal fight over the patent in China – but an adverse court ruling could mean the company loses its semaglutide exclusivity even sooner.
Those circumstances have drawn several of the country’s drugmakers to the fray.
Records show at least 11 semaglutide drug candidates from Chinese firms are in the final stages of clinical trials.
And one company said it had developed a drug that has “similar clinical efficacy and safety” as Ozempic.
In April, it applied for approval for sale, which it has said could come in the second half of 2025, with plans to sell the drug the following year.
That’s unless Novo loses its patent battle sooner.
A Novo spokesperson said it “welcomes healthy competition” and was awaiting a court decision on its patent case.
