Geropharm registers generic of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic in Russia

The first generic version of the popular drug for controlling glucose levels, Ozempic (semaglutide), which is produced by the Danish diabetes care giant Novo Nordisk (NOV: N), has been registered in Russia by a local drugmaker, the Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports.

Geropharm plans to produce the copy drug under the Semavik brand, however, a compulsory license will be required for sale, since Ozempic is protected by a patent until 2035. Semaglutide is also the active ingredient of Novo Nordisk’s much in demand obesity treatment Wegovy.

So far, the Russian Ministry of Health issued a registration certificate for the drug on October 6, as follows from the data of the Russian state register of medicines.