Supreme Court ends Novo Nordisk's Inflation Reduction Act challenge

The development described — that the U.S. Supreme Court denied Novo Nordisk's petition for certiorari, ending its challenge to the Inflation Reduction Act's drug pricing provisions after the Third Circuit dismissed the case — is not addressed in the source material available for this report. The only document provided is Novo Nordisk's Form 6-K interim financial report covering January through June 2026, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ^[1]. That filing does not mention the Supreme Court, the Third Circuit, or any certiorari petition. So details such as the exact date of the denial, the vote, or the court's reasoning are not confirmed here and should be treated as not yet established from these sources.

What the filing does show is a company still expanding rapidly in the U.S. obesity market while navigating federal pricing policy in other forms. Novo Nordisk reported net sales of DKK 78,488 million for the second quarter of 2026, up 3% at constant exchange rates, and adjusted operating profit of DKK 33,389 million, up 11% at constant exchange rates ^[1]. The company raised its full-year 2026 outlook, now projecting adjusted sales growth of 0% to -6% at constant exchange rates, citing stronger-than-expected GLP-1 product sales ^[1].

The filing also references a different federal pricing mechanism than the IRA's negotiation provisions: the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Novo Nordisk noted that its Q2 2025 results had included a DKK 2.6 billion rebate provision reversal tied to 340B, which made year-over-year comparisons for Q2 2026 look weaker on a reported basis even though adjusted sales grew ^[1]. This is a separate program from the Medicare price negotiation authority created under the IRA, and the filing does not connect the two or discuss the Supreme Court matter at all.

On the commercial side, Novo Nordisk said U.S. weekly prescriptions for its Wegovy pill exceeded 265,000 for the week ending July 17, and that the pill has surpassed 5 million total prescriptions since launch ^[1]. Total Wegovy prescriptions across all forms in the U.S. were around 575,000 per week in that same period, and the company said Wegovy remains the market leader among branded obesity medications by new patient starts ^[1]. Adjusted obesity care sales grew 19% at constant exchange rates in the first half of 2026 ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

For people taking or considering semaglutide products like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus, the underlying legal fight over IRA drug pricing matters because it touches how Medicare negotiates prices for certain high-cost drugs, which can affect what patients and the government pay over time. But because the source available here is a financial earnings report rather than a court filing or legal analysis, it does not explain what a denial of certiorari means practically for semaglutide pricing, Medicare negotiation timelines, or patient costs. That connection is not yet known from what is provided.

What is clear from the financial filing is that demand for Novo Nordisk's obesity drugs remains strong in the U.S., with prescription volumes for the Wegovy pill and injectable formulations continuing to climb through mid-2026 ^[1]. Patients weighing cost and access questions should know that broader pricing policy, insurance coverage, and any Medicare negotiation outcomes tied to the IRA are separate from the day-to-day prescription and manufacturing data reported by the company.

What happens next

The source provided does not include information about next steps following the reported Supreme Court decision, such as whether Novo Nordisk or other manufacturers plan further legal or regulatory responses, or how this affects upcoming Medicare price negotiation rounds. Those details are not available in the material reviewed for this report and remain to be confirmed through additional reporting.