Context:
- Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, are the highest-selling type 2 diabetes and weight-loss medications in history. Ahead of a crucial patent expiring in March 2026, Novo Nordisk has been actively enforcing its patents globally. But it has been met with pushback in China (January 5, 2026 ip fray article) and Brazil (December 22, 2025 ip fray article), and it let a patent lapse in Canada (June 16, 2025 ip fray article). India continues to be a crucial battlefield. The Delhi High Court permitted Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to produce and export semaglutide while limiting domestic sales until the patent expired (December 4, 2025 ip fray article).
- In a case against local generics maker Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk claimed the infringement of IN 325669 (“SNAC (Sodium N-(8-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)amino) caprylate”), a formulation patent valid until 2031, whereas the defendant argued non-infringement. Novo Nordisk requested an ex parte injunction prior to the product patent’s (IN262697B) expiration (March 20, 2026).
What’s new: Torrent’s generic form of semaglutide has effectively been given the green light to enter the Indian market hours ahead of the product patent’s expiration, after the Delhi High Court directed an interim solution without issuing an injunction.
Direct impact: Torrent is the second domestic Indian player to launch its semaglutide products (Sembolic and Semalix) just before Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide patent expired, increasing competition among domestic generic players․ This is another blow to Novo Nordisk’s business in India‚ as local courts have generally been reluctant to grant wide-ranging interim injunctions late in a patent infringement case when validity is at issue․
Wider ramifications: When it comes to last-minute pharmaceutical injunctions, India continues to show caution, particularly where access and competition issues are involved. This emphasizes to innovators the importance of taking action early in the patent lifecycle as opposed to depending solely on end-stage enforcement. More generally, the disparate results in different jurisdictions highlight how disjointed pharmaceutical patent enforcement is worldwide.
This is the Delhi High Court order (dated March 20, 2026):
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Novo Nordisk was represented by Dr. Abhishekh Manu Singhvi and Amit Sibal, as well as Inttl Advocare’s Hemant Singh, Mamta Jha, Rishabh Paliwal, Shreyansh Gupta, Sanchit Sharma, Saksham Dhingra, Smriti Nair, Ankit Handa, and Amit Bhandari.
Torrent Pharmaceuticals was represented by Mukul Rohtagi, Rajiv Nayyar, Dayan Krishnan, J. Sai Deepak, as well as Singh & Singh’s Bitika Sharma, Vrinda Pathak, Kapil Midha, P.S Manjunathan, Sandhya Kukreti, Rajnish Kumar, Sreedhar Kala, Manjeera, Keshav, and Aditya Prakash.