The drug that revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry and forever changed the paradigm of the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes, as is Ozempicfaces its biggest challenge: the end of its marketing patent. Specifically, the patent of the semaglutidewhich is the active ingredient behind Ozempic and wegovyexpires in March 2026 in several international markets, opening the door to production of the famous generic drugs which are more affordable.
The success of Ozempic. Developed by fDanish firm Novo Nordiskhas been meteoric and originally approved in 2017 for type 2 diabetes, what has really surprised is that its use outside the technical indication is what has exploded: weight loss. And many do not know that it is actually a treatment for diabetes.
And it is logical, because the figures that have remained in our conscience are that there are losses of up to 15-20% of body weightwith proven cardiovascular benefits and a multimillion-dollar business behind it. The problem is that the price of this treatment is not at all accessible, even with a medical prescription, and that is why the possibility of developing generics will make it possible to democratize this medication for the most serious cases of obesity.
The patents. Developing a drug is not cheap for pharmaceutical companies and that is why, when it is marketed, large companies want to make as much money as possible with the exclusivity that no other laboratory can produce and sell it. But these pharmaceutical patents have a standard life of 20 years, and when they are met, other laboratories can take the ‘recipe’ and create their medications with this active ingredient, but at a lower price as if it were the white label.
The map of expiration. In this way, since Novo Nordisk applied for the base patent around 2006, the clock stops in March 2026 for demographic giants like India, China and Brazil. And here there are no extensions that extend commercial exclusivity, so the season automatically begins to open so that any laboratory can begin to produce its own brand.
And the impact is immediate in places like India, which are already preparing to immediately market genetics like Obeda or GLIPIQ. The result will be a drop in costs between 80 and 90% to have a price of just 15 to 30 dollars per month for the treatment. Although they are not the first countries to integrate it because in Canada the monopoly fell prematurely in January 2026 due to an administrative error: non-payment of the corresponding fees.
What happens in Spain? The ‘cheap Ozempic’ will take longer to reach us, since in the European Union and the United States there are legal mechanisms to compensate for the long clinical trial and regulatory approval times that are imposed. In the particular European case, which is the one that affects us, it is known as Complementary Protection Certificate.
Thanks to this exception, Novo Nordisk’s monopoly in Spain and the rest of Europe extends until March 2031, and in the United States it can even be extended until 2033. And it is bad news, because right now in Spain there are 19% of adults with obesity (and it is increasing), so the tension on the public system to finance this treatment does not stop growing.
Novo Nordisk’s counterattack. The Danish company is not going to sit idly by watching its goose that lays golden eggs lose market share to Indian and Chinese generics. To maintain part of the economic pie, the company is developing more effective oral versions as they have a higher concentration of semaglutide.
On the other hand, their big bet is called CagriSema, which is a combination of GLP-1 and amylin to further enhance weight reduction. All this in order to survive the end of its patent, which now begins in 2026 in large markets and which must be compensated with other alternatives beyond another presentation.
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