Natco Pharma Asks Delhi HC to Revoke Novo Nordisk’s Semaglutide Patent

Natco Pharma Ltd has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking revocation of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s patent for its weight-loss drug semaglutide, which it sells under the brand name Wegovy. The case comes days after a judge of the Delhi High Court allowed some pharmaceutical companies to sell their versions of semaglutide outside India.

According to a Mint report, the Delhi High Court has sought a response from the global pharmaceutical major, issuing notice in the matter on January 6. A single-judge bench led by Justice Jyoti Singh has given the company two weeks to file its reply and scheduled the next hearing for February.

A patent revocation petition is a legal proceeding that challenges the validity of an already granted patent. If the court sets aside the patent, the patent holder loses its exclusive rights, allowing other companies to manufacture and market the product.

In an earlier case filed in August 2025, Natco Pharma had approached the court seeking a declaration that its version of semaglutide does not violate Novo Nordisk’s device- or process-related patents. The court had directed both sides to attempt pre-litigation mediation, which is still ongoing.

Natco’s latest move comes against the backdrop of a series of rulings by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora that have favoured Indian drugmakers manufacturing and selling their versions of semaglutide.

Novo Nordisk’s Indian patent for semaglutide is due to expire in March 2026. In light of this, the company approached the Delhi High Court to restrain Indian firms, including Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and OneSource Specialty Pharma Ltd, from manufacturing and exporting the drug, arguing that such activities infringe its patent rights.

However, the court allowed these companies to sell the drugs in overseas jurisdictions where the patent has not been granted.

Novo Nordisk has challenged these rulings before a division bench of the Delhi High Court. The appeal is scheduled to be heard later this month. The legal battle is unfolding amid rapid growth in India’s market for GLP-1 receptor agonists used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. Pharmarack data shows the market expanded from ₹186 crore in November 2022 to ₹1,047 crore in November 2025.

Novo Nordisk has recently lowered prices for Wegovy in India and launched its blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic in December. The company is seeking to maximise its monopoly ahead of semaglutide’s loss of patent protection.