Delhi High Court stops Dr. Reddy’s from selling Ozempic-like drug after Novo Nordisk claims patent infringement. The case now awaits a detailed hearing in August 2025.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on May 29 heard a case between global pharma company Novo Nordisk A/S and India-based Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. This case is about a patent fight over a famous diabetes drug called Semaglutide, used in brands like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus.
These drugs are used all over the world to treat type 2 diabetes and also for weight loss.
Dr. Reddy’s told the court that it had started making the Semaglutide drug in April 2025 after getting a licence for manufacturing in December 2024.
But their senior lawyers, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mukul Rohatgi, clearly said-
“The company does not have a licence to sell the impugned drug in India till date.”
So, Dr. Reddy’s gave a promise in court that it will not sell the drug in India. However, they also added that they may send (export) the drug to other countries where Novo Nordisk doesn’t have a patent. They said they want to keep this right.
Justice Amit Bansal accepted their statement and said these conditions “shall bind the defendants (Dr. Reddy’s) till the next date of hearing.”
The court fixed August 19 as the next hearing date.
But Novo Nordisk was not happy with Dr. Reddy’s plan to export the drug. Their senior lawyer, Sandeep Sethi, argued that under the Patents Act, 1970, even exporting a product that breaks a patent is also illegal. He said this kind of export is also considered infringement.
The court listened to this objection and said it will look into this issue “on the next date once pleadings are complete.”
Novo Nordisk has blamed Dr. Reddy’s and its affiliate company for breaking their patent by making and handling the Semaglutide drug without taking permission. Novo Nordisk said this was unauthorised and illegal.
Earlier in May, Dr. Reddy’s had already filed a petition to cancel (revoke) Novo Nordisk’s Indian patent for Semaglutide.
They claimed that the patent is not new (lacks novelty), doesn’t involve a real invention (inventive step), is not properly disclosed, and was granted due to misrepresentation.
Dr. Reddy’s said that Novo Nordisk had already talked about Semaglutide in an older patent. The only change in the new one is a substitution of Alanine with Aib at the 8th position, which they called a “standard, well-known modification” to improve the drug’s stability.
They also accused Novo Nordisk of using evergreening tactics, meaning that they are trying to keep their monopoly by making small, unimportant changes to the drug to get a fresh patent and stop competition.
In India, Novo Nordisk had filed its first patent application in 2006, which got approved in 2016 and expired in September 2024. Their second patent, which Dr. Reddy’s is now challenging, was granted in 2014 and will expire in March 2026.
The legal team for Novo Nordisk included-
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi and lawyers Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari, Deepa K. Tiku, Amrish Tiwari, Abhishek Jan, Shatadal Ghosh, and Pramod Kumar.
Dr. Reddy’s was represented by a team of top senior lawyers-
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mukul Rohatgi, Gaurav Pachnanda, Chander M. Lall, and J Sai Deepak, along with lawyers Mohit Goel, Sidhant Goel, Aditya Goel, Deepankar Mishra, Kartikeya Tandon, Amit Sharma, T. Lawrence, Avinash K. Sharma, Mr. Keshav, and Annanya Mohan from Sim & San.
CASE TITLE:
Novo Nordisk Vs Dr.Reddy’s
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