The Delhi high court on Wednesday allowed Sun Pharma to manufacture and export its semaglutide-based weight-loss drugs, but restricted its sale in India till Novo Nordisk's secondary patent expires in March 2026.
Sun Pharma has been allowed to export the semaglutide-based weight-loss drugs only to jurisdictions where Novo Nordisk, the Danish firm that manufactures Ozempic, does not hold a patent.
Delivering the order, Justice Pritam Singh Arora directed Sun Pharma to give an undertaking confirming this to the court in two weeks.
The court has also directed the company to file details of the accounts related to exports. The matter will come up for hearing on February 19.
Novo Nordisk had approached the Delhi high court to stop Sun Pharmaceuticals from manufacturing, distributing, or dealing in semaglutide, the active ingredient used in Ozempic, or any products derived from it.
The petition follows the court's recent decision to allow Hyderabad-based Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL) to continue manufacturing and exporting its version of the GLP-1 drug, which contains semaglutide.
GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) medications, or agonists, are a class of drugs that mimic a natural hormone to help manage blood sugar in Type-2 diabetes and promote significant weight loss by regulating appetite, slowing digestion, and increasing insulin release.
The dispute centres on Novo Nordisks Indian patents for semaglutide, which it markets globally as Ozempic and Wegovy for Type-2 diabetes and weight management.
Last week, the court refused to grant interim relief to Novo Nordisk against DRL, holding that the Hyderabad-based company had raised a credible challenge to the validity of the patent covering semaglutide, which is valid until March 2026.
While DRL was allowed to continue production and export, the court barred it from selling the drug within India until the patent expires.
Novo Nordisk holds two key Indian patents linked to semaglutide. Patent No. 275964, filed in 2006 and now expired as of September 2024, covered the compound itself. Patent No. 262697, filed in 2007 and valid until March 2026, relates to specific formulations and delivery mechanisms designed to enhance the drugs stability and administration.
With the expiry of the base patent last year, Indian pharmaceutical companies have been preparing to develop and export generic versions.
The courts ruling in the DRL case is viewed as a favourable signal for other drugmakers, including Mankind Pharma, Cipla, and Sun Pharma that are exploring entry into the GLP-1 segment.
As global demand for next-generation therapies on diabetes and weight loss surges, Indian pharmaceutical companies are laying the groundwork for Day 1 launches, ramping up peptide manufacturing, forging device partnerships and aligning regulatory strategies.
The weight loss market in India stands at around Rs 1,109 crore on a moving annual turnover (MAT) level, with semaglutide-based drugs cornering Rs 427 crore as MAT as of November 2025.
Currently, India has two available forms of semaglutide -- Rybelsus (oral) and Wegovy (injectable) -- both manufactured and marketed by Novo Nordisk.
While the former is approved to treat Type-2 diabetes, Wegovy was launched for weight management in June. Ozempic has not yet been launched for the Indian market.
The other obesity management drug available in India is America-based Eli Lilly's Mounjaro (tirzepatide).
-- Bhavini Mishra & Sanket Koul, Business Standard
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