Novo Nordisk moves Delhi HC division bench to block Dr Reddy’s semaglutide exports

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has moved Delhi High Court’s division bench seeking to restrain Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories from domestically manufacturing and exporting semaglutide—the blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drug—to non-patent countries until its patent expires in March 2026.

According to the court’s cause list, Novo’s appeal is listed for Friday before a division bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla.

The appeal challenges the 2 December order of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, which allowed Dr. Reddy’s to continue manufacturing and exporting semaglutide to non-patent countries until the patent expires, while restraining domestic sales until 2026. Justice Arora had declined Novo’s request for an interim injunction blocking these exports.

In that ruling, the court held that Novo had not established a strong enough prima facie case to justify an interim ban and observed that any financial losses could be compensated if Novo ultimately succeeds at trial. The court also noted that Novo imports semaglutide into India and does not manufacture it locally, and therefore, Dr. Reddy’s export operations could continue.

The court had recorded Dr. Reddy’s undertaking not to sell semaglutide in India and directed the company to place on record manufacturing and export details dating back to April, when production began. It clarified Dr. Reddy’s cannot sell semaglutide domestically until the patent expires in March 2026. All observations were made on a prima facie basis.

The outcome of Novo’s appeal before the division bench is likely to have wider implications, not only for Dr. Reddy’s export plans but also for other Indian drugmakers preparing to enter the semaglutide market.

On 10 December, the same single-judge bench applied the Dr. Reddy’s ruling to Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, allowing the company to manufacture and export semaglutide to non-patent countries until March 2026, while restraining domestic sales. This came after Novo dragged Sun Pharma to court to stop an anticipated early launch of its generic version of the drug.

The patent dispute is unfolding as India becomes one of the most competitive emerging markets for GLP-1 agonists. Several domestic companies, including Sun Pharma, Dr. Reddy’s and Natco Pharma, are gearing up to launch generic semaglutide once the patent expires. Others, such as Cipla and Emcure Pharma, have entered distribution partnerships with global innovators Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

India’s GLP-1 market has grown sharply, rising from ₹186 crore in November 2022 to ₹1,047 crore in November 2025, according to Pharmarack. Lilly’s tirzepatide (Mounjaro) has led the market since its launch in March 2025, crossing ₹100 crore in monthly sales by October. Novo’s recent price cut helped its Wegovy gain 5% market share in absolute doses in November. As of November 2025, Mounjaro held 86% of the market share in doses, while Wegovy accounted for the remaining share.