NBC News 5/13/26: Cheaper Generic Ozempic (semaglutide) Is Coming Soon — But Not for Americans

An excerpt:

Outside the U.S., approved generic versions of semaglutide are beginning to hit the market. India and Canada recently approved their first generic versions of Ozempic, and countries including China, Brazil and South Africa are expected to soon follow…The U.S., however, remains on a very different timeline.

Evergreening

The standard length of a drug patent in the U.S. is 20 years from the filing date. Novo Nordisk first applied for a U.S. patent on semaglutide in 2006. Due to patent extensions, approved generic versions of semaglutide aren’t expected in the U.S. until at least the end of 2031…

Drugmakers often file additional, secondary patents — a tactic known as evergreening — to extend their monopoly on their product and delay generics. The additional patents can include new doses, formulations or delivery devices…

Novo Nordisk has filed at least 49 semaglutide patents… 

Drugmakers’ use of the patent system has delayed cheaper competition and kept prices high for patients.

My take: This is a bad deal for U.S. There is no good reason why patients in the U.S. need to be paying 5-10 times as much for semaglutide as patients in Europe.

Related blog post: “Gaming” U.S. Patent System by Big Pharma