Ozempic Is About to Go Generic for Billions of People

(nytimes.com)

46 points | by jmsflknr 12 hours ago

10 comments

  • Uncle_Clark 12 hours ago
    This will be huge. Companies like Hims and Ro charge thousands of dollars a month with drugs that don't have the patents expire. I'm hopeful this will expand the ability to receive treatment and also allow trials to be tested at greater length to understand long-term effects.
  • androiddrew 31 minutes ago
    Good, because it’s fucking ridiculous that pharma gets special patent loop holes to maintain a monopoly beyond what the basic protection grants.
  • misiek08 9 hours ago
    When I first saw ads of "lost weight magic drug in a syringe" in NY Subway I thought it was some intelligent, sarcastic and learning campaign. Then I realized US is selling strong, sometimes dangerous diabetes drug as "eat more, weigh less" spell. I’m more than I amazed! Freedom is awesome.
    • rolls-reus 8 hours ago
      i don’t think it’s “eat more, weigh less”. they are appetite suppressants, so you’ll eat less, weigh less.
  • therealpygon 4 hours ago
    > That delay is due to special regulatory protections that are intended to encourage innovation by extending a brand-name drugmaker’s monopoly.

    Pure profit protection when they make back enough money to fund every one of their drugs off a single patent that they continue to renew for 20 years by slightly modifying the syringe to now have an amazing new innovation like an integrated safety cap, or some other drug-irrelevant bs.

    Both Copyright and Patents in the US need 21st century reform to something that is reasonable for the speed of modern technology.

    • Schiendelman 35 minutes ago
      Can you show me a specific example of a syringe modification like you're suggesting? I haven't seen evidence of this, though I've heard the claim.
  • thewhitetulip 11 hours ago
    It just did. The patent expired on March 20 in India.

    There are 10+ firms vying ro bring a generic glp1 anywhere the patent has expired. How effective these generics will be is yet to be seen.

    This might cause a lot of problems because some people are taking glp1 for "my wedding is in 1 month and I gotta reduce 10kg by then"

    • tmottabr 11 hours ago
      In Brasil the patent also expired on March 20, and already there are a dozen of generics that have already applied to get approval, but none got it so far.

      So Novo Nordisk itself droped the price a LOT in the last weeks, and even after the price drop you can get the first month free at a lower dosage when starting with a higher one.. Like if you got the 5ml prescripted to you would they send firs month of the 2.5ml for free..

      Even the propspect of having generics in the market is already making the price drop..

      • thewhitetulip 10 hours ago
        In India they (novodisk and other patent holders) have ruled out price reduction.

        But I suppose they also have to reduce price some or the other day.

        In India a few glp1 drugs are launching tomorrow. So I think they already got approval

  • ChrisArchitect 9 hours ago
    Related:

    Discontinuation and reinitiation of dual-labeled GLP-1 receptor agonists

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47461018

  • aaron695 8 hours ago
    [dead]
  • metalman 5 hours ago
    whats the tell?
  • yvdriess 3 hours ago
    Anyone else clicked on this expecting an article about Go Generics?