Novo Nordisk settles U.S. semaglutide patent infringement dispute, but denied Indian interim injunction again

Context:

• Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide is at the core of its most successful weightloss drugs, Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. This year, the company expects sales to fall as it begins to face harsh competition, partly because of a deal it signed with President Trump, and partly because patents related to the active pharmaceutical ingredient are approaching their expiry date. While it reported a revenue of $49 billion in 2025 (10% up from 2024), this could fall by 13% this year, it warned in its annual financial report (February 4, 2026 Novo Nordisk 2025 annual report).
• Last month, the company sued telehealth medication provider Hims & Hers Health in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, seeking a permanent injunction (February 10, 2026 ip fray article).
• And, last May, it also sought an interim injunction against Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in the Delhi High Court (HC), to restrain it from the alleged infringement of one of its semaglutide-related patents. The patent, which was granted in March 2006, expires on March 20, 2026. However, in December, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora of the Delhi HC ruled that Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories may continue to manufacture and export its semaglutide drug from India to other countries, and will continue to be barred from domestic sales until March 20, 2026 (December 4, 2025 ip fray article). Novo Nordisk appealed that ruling.

What’s new: 

• Novo Nordisk has signed an agreement with Hims & Hers, allowing the latter to offer access to several doses of its Ozempic and Wegovy products for the same prices as other telehealth platforms, effective later this month (March 9, 2026 Novo Nordisk press release). Novo Nordisk has dismissed its case against Hims & Hers in the District of Delaware (notice of voluntary dismissal below box), after the latter agreed to no longer advertise compounded GLP-1 offerings on its platform or in its marketing.
• Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk has failed to overturn the order allowing pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to enter the semaglutide market in 10 days, according to a decision handed down by the  Division Bench of the Delhi HC. Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla dismissed Novo Nordisk’s appeal against the single-judge ruling, finding that it saw no grounds to interfere with the December order. The finding on obviousness by itself was sufficient to sustain the initial order, they held.

Direct impact: The settlement with Hims & Hers means the platform’s customers will have access to Ozempic and Wegovy injectables and pills. Hims & Hers has already benefited from this, with reports estimating a 40% surge in its stock following the announcement yesterday.

Wider ramifications: The settlement also marks a much-needed win for Novo Nordisk, which is currently enforcing the same patent it had asserted against Hims & Hers (United States Patent No. 8,129,343 (“Acylated GLP-1 compounds”)) in a case against Viatris in the District of Delaware (July 25, 2025 ip fray article). Further, the Indian ruling, while appealable, will set it back in India, which is one of the company’s key jurisdictions, Novo Nordisk’s Associate General Counsel Raquel Frisardi told ip fray earlier this year (January 28, 2026 ip fray article).