Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma Ltd has filed a patent revocation petition before the Delhi high court against Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which sells weight-loss drug semaglutide under the brand name Wegovy.
The Delhi high court single bench of Justice Jyoti Singh on 6 January issued notice to the global pharmaceutical giant, seeking its response within two weeks, and listed the matter for further hearing in February.
A patent revocation is a legal challenge seeking cancellation of an already granted patent on the ground that it is invalid. If a patent is revoked, the patent holder loses exclusive rights over the invention, allowing competitors to manufacture and sell the product.
Indian firms’ patent challenge
Natco’s petition escalates the ongoing legal battle over semaglutide, one of the world’s most valuable and closely contested pharmaceutical drugs, as Indian companies prepare to enter the market with generics once the patent expires.
Novo Nordisk, whose Indian patent for semaglutide nears expiry in March 2026, has already approached the Delhi high court seeking to restrain Indian manufacturers, including Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, from producing and exporting semaglutide, arguing that such activities infringe its patent rights.
In August 2025, Natco sued Novo Nordisk seeking a declaration that its version of semaglutide does not infringe the multinational’s device- or process-related patent technology. In that matter, the court directed the parties to undergo pre-litigation mediation. The case is still under mediation.
However, Natco’s latest revocation move follows a series of significant rulings by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora that have tilted the scales in favour of Indian manufacturers, particularly with respect to exports.
In a key ruling delivered on 2 December 2025 in the Dr Reddy’s patent revocation case filed in May 2025, the court rejected Novo Nordisk’s plea for an interim injunction on exports, holding that the company had failed to establish a strong prima facie case.
The court allowed Dr Reddy’s to continue manufacturing and exporting semaglutide to jurisdictions where Novo Nordisk does not enjoy patent protection, while restraining domestic sales until 2026.
That reasoning was extended on 10 December, when Justice Arora applied the same approach to Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, allowing the company to manufacture and export semaglutide to non-patent countries while continuing to block domestic sales.
Novo Nordisk later challenged these rulings before a division bench of the Delhi high court. and the appeal will be heard later in January.
The outcome is expected to shape not only the export prospects of Dr Reddy’s and Sun Pharma but also the broader strategies of Indian companies preparing to enter the semaglutide market once Novo Nordisk’s Indian patent expires in March 2026.
Novo Nordisk India declined to comment on the matter as it is subjudice. Mint‘s emailed queries to Natco Pharma remained unanswered.
Battle for market share
The litigation is unfolding against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding Indian market for GLP-1 receptor agonists used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. According to data from Pharmarack, India’s GLP-1 market has grown sharply from ₹186 crore in November 2022 to ₹1,047 crore in November 2025.
US-based Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, sold under the brand Mounjaro and launched in March 2025, now dominates the segment, crossing ₹100 crore in monthly sales in October. Mounjaro accounts for about 86% of the market by doses, with Wegovy making up most of the remaining share.
Novo Nordisk has recently cut prices for Wegovy in India, a move that has helped the drug gain around five percentage points in absolute doses. At the same time, Indian drugmakers, including Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy’s, and Natco, are accelerating preparations for generic launches after March 2026, while others, such as Cipla Ltd and Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd, have opted for distribution partnerships with innovator companies.
Novo Nordisk also launched its blockbuster brand Ozempic in December, which is indicated for type 2 diabetes. The innovator is attempting to capitalize on its monopoly before semaglutide loses patent exclusivity.
