After Dr Reddy’s, Sun Pharma Gets Court Nod to Export Weight-Loss Drug

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed Sun Pharma to manufacture and export weight-loss drugs containing the active ingredient semaglutide until Novo Nordisk’s patent expires in March 2026. The order followed the company’s assurance that it would not market any anti-obesity products in India until the patent lapses.

The court had granted similar relief to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories earlier this month in a case filed by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk.

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s widely used Ozempic and Wegovy, has become central to global patent disputes as demand for diabetes and weight-loss treatments surges.

In its latest case, Novo Nordisk accused Sun Pharma of infringing its patent. When Sun Pharma referred to the December 2 order concerning the same patent, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora reminded the company that any benefit from that ruling was subject to compliance conditions, reported Bar and Bench.

The Court also noted Sun Pharma’s undertaking that its semaglutide supplies would be limited to markets where the substance is not protected by a patent.

“Export to countries in which they don’t have a patent. That is the affidavit in that matter,” the judge said, as per the report, directing Sun Pharma to file an affidavit within two weeks to formally confirm the commitment.

During the hearing, Sun Pharma confirmed that it is already manufacturing the drug, prompting Justice Arora to instruct the company to submit quarterly account statements detailing exports and other relevant data until March 2026, mirroring directions issued in the earlier case.

On 2 December, the Court had rejected Novo Nordisk’s request to stop Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and OneSource Specialty Pharma from producing and exporting semaglutide, after finding that Dr Reddy’s had raised a credible challenge to the patent’s validity on grounds of prior claiming and obviousness.

Dr Reddy’s was permitted to continue manufacturing the drug in India for export to non-patent-protected markets, provided it maintains proper accounting records.