BREAKING: Novo Goofs, Canada Expires the Ozempic Patent

Could This Mean Generics for U.S. Patients in 2026?

Friends, this is one of those updates that’ll have your jaw on the floor.

The Canadian patent for semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegvoy) was supposed to lock down exclusivity until 2026, plus a Certificate of Supplementary Protection, they were positioned to stretch it even further, all the way to 2028.

But you know what happened?

They forgot to pay the renewal fee.

I’m not kidding. A company that made over $12 billion off GLP-1 drugs last year let its primary Canadian patent lapse over a $250 maintenance fee. And in Canada, once you miss it, that’s it. You can’t get it back. No extensions, no do-overs. The door is officially open.

Now let’s talk about the part no one’s covering: what this could mean for us in the USA.

Because if generics hit the Canadian market, American patients are going to start asking questions. Telehealth platforms might start sourcing differently. Pharmacy tourists might start taking that drive north again. And maybe, just maybe, policy makers will stop pretending that over $1,000 a month list price is a reasonable cost for a medication that half the country needs.

This wasn’t the result of a lawsuit or a government crackdown. It was Novo Nordisk fumbling a $250 renewal. And that small mistake could become the first domino in something big.

The semaglutide patent in the US? Novo owns it through 2032.

So now, we watch closely. How fast can Sandoz get this to market? How long until someone smart figures out how to bring it south, aye? As we reported at the end of May, the FDA has already begun to streamline the process by which large institutions can import cheaper approved drugs from Canada.

I’ll be watching. I’ll be reporting. And you better believe I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops. Gosh, it feels nice to bring good news once in a while :)

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