April 28 (Reuters) – Health Canada has approved the first generic version of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic made by Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, its website showed on Tuesday.
Several drugmakers have been developing lower-cost versions of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic, driving down monthly prices for some users.
In March, India became the first major market to introduce copycat versions of semaglutide following the expiry of certain patent protections, prompting Novo Nordisk to cut prices for Ozempic and its obesity drug Wegovy in the country.
Health Canada said it is reviewing eight other applications for generic semaglutide from different companies and expects to make more decisions in the coming weeks and months.
In Canada, many generic medications are 45 to 90 percent cheaper than the brand-name versions.
Dr Reddy’s and Novo Nordisk did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
(Reporting by Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
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