Sandoz targets unbranded semaglutide in Canada by mid-2026

Sandoz intends to sell unbranded semaglutide in Canada by the end of June 2026, chief executive Richard Saynor told Reuters, putting the generic drugmaker in line to become an early challenger to Novo Nordisk's Ozempic in that market ^[1].

The opening rests on a Canadian patent for semaglutide in diabetes that expires in January ^[1]. Regulators there have not yet cleared any copy of the medicine, but Sandoz has a submission under review, according to Saynor ^[1]. Even with the patent gone, he said a January debut by anyone is improbable. "It's unlikely people will launch in January next year, to be brutally honest. I think it'll probably be quarter one, quarter two," he said ^[1].

Commercial details remain undisclosed. Saynor declined to say how much Sandoz would supply, and the company has given no sales forecast. "I know whatever I say is going to be wrong," he said. He added that Sandoz would treat only diabetes patients, even though Ozempic carries the same active ingredient as Novo's weight-loss injection Wegovy and is sometimes used as an unofficial substitute for it ^[1].

Saynor described the product as unusually demanding to make and ship. "This is a complicated product. It's a cold chain. There's storage issues, transport issues. It's a device. And no one's ever launched a GLP in a regulated market. So no one's got a clue how big the market is," he said ^[1]. He expects supply to run short of demand, echoing the shortages that have hit Novo's and Eli Lilly's branded GLP-1 drugs in recent years. "I genuinely think the product will be constrained. I don't think there is enough capacity," he said ^[1].

Patents fall away outside the U.S. first

Multiple countries lose semaglutide patent protection beginning next year, including Canada, India and China. American patents on Ozempic and Wegovy are not scheduled to expire until 2032 ^[1]. The shifts arrive as Novo Nordisk loses ground to Eli Lilly in a weight-loss treatment market worth $150 billion ^[1]. In the week before the interview, the two rivals struck U.S. agreements to lower GLP-1 prices and secure Medicare coverage ^[1].

Saynor cast Canada as an experiment rather than a turning point. "This is a 10, 15-year journey. Everyone's super excited because of Canada. But Canada is just one market," he said ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Nothing about the Canadian plans changes what is sold in the United States. Because semaglutide's U.S. patents run to 2032, a lower-cost copy of Ozempic or Wegovy cannot be legally marketed here on that basis before then ^[1].

Canada is already a source of some prescription medicines for Americans, who often pay less there. Cheap Ozempic copies north of the border could prompt U.S. regulatory questions about importing such products, even after the newly announced pricing deals involving Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly ^[1]. Saynor said Sandoz does not intend to pursue that business. "I have no desire to be litigated by an originator for trying to sell off-label or off-country," he said ^[1].

Several things also have not been reported: the price of a Canadian unbranded version, how much of it would be made, and whether any of it would reach weight-loss patients. Sandoz has said it would serve diabetes patients only ^[1].

What happens next

Novo Nordisk's Canadian semaglutide patent for diabetes lapses in January 2026, and Sandoz is aiming to launch by the end of June 2026 ^[1]. Canadian approval has not been granted, and Sandoz has not disclosed volumes, pricing or expected sales ^[1].