In a significant legal escalation, Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma Ltd has approached the Delhi High Court seeking to revoke the Indian patent held by Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk for the blockbuster weight-loss drug semaglutide, sold under the brand Wegovy.
Legal Battle Intensifies Over Semaglutide
A single-judge bench of Justice Jyoti Singh issued a formal notice to Novo Nordisk on 6 January, directing the company to file its response within two weeks. The court has scheduled the next hearing for February. A patent revocation petition, if successful, cancels an existing patent, stripping the holder of exclusive rights and opening the door for competitors to manufacture and sell the product.
This move by Natco adds a new front to the ongoing high-stakes litigation surrounding semaglutide, one of the world's most valuable drugs. Indian generic manufacturers are positioning themselves to enter the lucrative market as Novo Nordisk's Indian patent for the molecule approaches its expiry in March 2026.
Novo Nordisk had previously approached the Delhi High Court to restrain Indian companies like Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd from producing and exporting semaglutide, alleging patent infringement. In a separate suit filed in August 2025, Natco itself had sought a declaration that its version of semaglutide did not infringe on Novo's device or process patents. That case is currently under court-directed mediation.
Recent Court Rulings Favor Indian Exporters
Natco's latest revocation petition follows a series of favorable rulings for Indian manufacturers from Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora. In a pivotal decision on 2 December 2025, concerning a patent revocation case filed by Dr Reddy's in May 2025, the court rejected Novo Nordisk's plea for an interim injunction on exports. The judge ruled that Novo failed to establish a strong prima facie case.
The court permitted Dr Reddy's to continue manufacturing and exporting semaglutide to countries where Novo Nordisk lacks patent protection, while blocking domestic sales in India until 2026. This reasoning was extended to Sun Pharmaceutical Industries in a similar order on 10 December.
Novo Nordisk has challenged these rulings before a division bench of the Delhi High Court, with an appeal set for hearing later in January. The final outcome will critically shape the export strategies of Indian pharma majors and define the competitive landscape for semaglutide post-2026.
Fierce Competition in India's Booming GLP-1 Market
The legal wrangling unfolds against the backdrop of India's rapidly expanding market for GLP-1 receptor agonists, used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. According to Pharmarack data, this market has skyrocketed from ₹186 crore in November 2022 to ₹1,047 crore in November 2025.
Currently, US-based Eli Lilly's tirzepatide (Mounjaro), launched in March 2025, dominates with over ₹100 crore in monthly sales as of October and an 86% market share by doses. Wegovy holds most of the remaining share, aided by recent price cuts by Novo Nordisk in India which boosted its dose share by around five percentage points.
As innovators like Novo Nordisk also launch other brands like Ozempic (for diabetes) to capitalize on their remaining monopoly period, Indian firms are on fast-forward. Companies including Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy's, and Natco are accelerating plans for generic launches after March 2026. Others, such as Cipla Ltd and Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd, have chosen the path of distribution partnerships with innovator companies.
The battle in the courtroom is, in essence, a prelude to the intense battle for market share that will define India's affordable weight-loss and diabetes care segment in the coming years.
