The government allowed the pharmaceutical company Geropharm to produce an analogue of the Danish drug Ozempic without the consent of the patent owner. The press service of Geropharm reported this to TASS.
The Russian analogue of Ozempic is called Semavik.
“The Government of the Russian Federation issued "Geropharm" compulsory license for the drug «Semavik». <…> "Geropharm" within one year will be able to produce a drug with semaglutide without the consent of the patent owner,” the pharmaceutical company said in a statement.
According to TASS, Geropharm contacted the owner of the patent for Ozempic, Novo Nordisk, with letters about concluding a licensing contract. Having received no response, the Russian pharmaceutical company asked the government for a compulsory license.
Semavik will be available in pharmacies this year. The price of a package of the drug should be 4,279 rubles, which, as TASS writes, is 26% lower than the price of the original drug.
Ozempic was formally created as a medicine for people suffering from diabetes, but its frequent use can radically reduce weight. The popularity of the drug is related to this.