Dr. Reddy's plans generic semaglutide launches in 87 countries

India's Dr. Reddy's Laboratories plans to launch its generic version of semaglutide — the molecule in Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic — in 87 countries during 2026, starting with Canada, India, Brazil, Turkey and other emerging markets as patents expire there ^[1]. For patients in the United States, the timeline is much longer: Dr. Reddy's CEO Erez Israeli said the "U.S. and Europe will open later… (and) all the other Western markets will be open between 2029 to 2033" ^[1].

The comments were reported by Reuters on July 23, 2025, and summarized the following day by the patent law firm Pearce IP ^[1]. Israeli said he expects the company's generic semaglutide to generate "hundreds of millions of dollars" in sales ^[1].

A wave of generic entrants, but not in the US

Dr. Reddy's is not alone. Other Indian drugmakers, including Cipla, Lupin, Biocon and Sun Pharma, also plan to launch generic weight-loss drugs following the commercial success of Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro (tirzepatide), according to Reuters ^[1].

The scale of the coming patent cliff outside the US is large. Semaglutide had combined Ozempic and Wegovy sales of $26 billion in 2024, making it the world's second-best-selling prescription medicine, and it was growing about 40% a year, according to an IQVIA analysis ^[2]. IQVIA notes semaglutide remains under patent in many countries until the early 2030s, but that protection lapses starting in 2026 in India, Canada, China, Brazil and Turkey — countries that together account for about 40% of the world's population and an estimated 33% of the world's adults living with obesity ^[2].

In India alone, more than 10 companies have filed Subject Expert Committee submissions to run Phase 3 studies of semaglutide, seven of them focused on oral semaglutide ^[2]. In China, 17 candidates have reached Phase 3 trials or the pre-market application stage, with nine running obesity trials ^[2]. Biocon has partnered with Biomm to file and commercialize an off-patent candidate in Brazil ^[2].

Cheaper does not automatically mean cheap

IQVIA's analysts caution that prices may not collapse everywhere at once. In Turkey, off-patent versions are initially expected to price close to the originator in the out-of-pocket market, with meaningful price competition arriving only with the second and third generics — and even then not projected to fall more than 50% below the starting price ^[2]. Hypera, a company preparing to launch semaglutide in Brazil, said discounts there would be smaller than usual for generics because of high production costs and limited availability of injection pens ^[2].

Canada could go a different way. IQVIA suggests that if the product is classified as a generic rather than a biosimilar — a distinction that may hinge on whether the drug is made synthetically or by recombinant methods — Canadian pricing rules could require discounts of up to 75% versus the originator, which could open the door to broader public and private coverage ^[2].

Why it matters for patients

For people in the US taking or considering semaglutide, the practical takeaway is that this development does not change American prices or supply in the near term. The company's own guidance points to Western markets opening between 2029 and 2033 ^[1]. Exactly when a generic semaglutide could be approved and sold in the US is not stated in these sources, and the specific US patents that control that timing are not detailed beyond one prior dispute: in October 2024, Novo Nordisk settled litigation with Mylan (a Viatris subsidiary), Dr. Reddy's, Apotex and Sun Pharma over US patent no. 10,335,462, which covers specific semaglutide dosages used to treat type 2 diabetes ^[1]. The settlement terms and any agreed entry dates are not disclosed in these sources.

Cost is a real driver of patient behavior. IQVIA's review of 11,431 social media conversations found that a third of all negative experiences with modern anti-obesity medications were tied to cost concerns ^[2]. Lower-priced semaglutide abroad may also change how the drug is used — IQVIA outlines scenarios in which it becomes a lower-cost maintenance option after weight loss, or a "starter" drug before patients move to newer agents such as tirzepatide or Lilly's oral orforglipron ^[2].

What happens next

Patents lapse and first launches are expected in 2026 in markets including India, Canada, Brazil and Turkey ^[1][2]. Western markets, per Dr. Reddy's CEO, follow in 2029 to 2033 ^[1].