{"id":22673,"date":"2026-07-24T11:01:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/?p=22673"},"modified":"2026-07-24T15:49:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T11:49:41","slug":"the-expiration-of-semaglutide-s-primary-patents-will-it-reduce-the-cost-of-the-medication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/the-expiration-of-semaglutide-s-primary-patents-will-it-reduce-the-cost-of-the-medication\/","title":{"rendered":"The Expiration of Semaglutide\u2019s Primary Patents: Will It Reduce the Cost of the Medication?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Semaglutide is considered one of the most effective medications in modern medicine for the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, its high cost and limited accessibility remain major challenges, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. In April 2026, the primary patents for semaglutide expired, a development that may facilitate the entry of generic products into the market and influence the medication\u2019s price and accessibility.<\/p>\n

This issue is the focus of a large-scale study published in the journal Obesity<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/a>, conducted by a research team from the NHS Royal Free Hospital Trust in London. The study aimed to evaluate the potential impact of the expiration of semaglutide\u2019s primary patents on the availability of generic products and on the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

The study methodology was based on World Bank demographic data and data from the World Obesity and Diabetes Atlas<\/em>. Using these sources, the researchers estimated the prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes in countries where generic semaglutide may become available. In addition, they separately estimated the potential market price of the generic medication following patent expiration.<\/p>\n

To determine patent expiration dates, the researchers used a global database of pharmaceutical patents and cross-checked the findings against regional patent registries. They then analyzed shipment records of semaglutide\u2019s active pharmaceutical ingredient transported to and from India between November 2024 and November 2025 in order to calculate the weighted mean cost per kilogram of the active ingredient.<\/p>\n

The pricing model developed by the researchers incorporated not only the cost of the active pharmaceutical ingredient but also formulation, packaging, labor, and transportation costs, as well as a 27% profit markup and a 30% trade margin.<\/p>\n

According to the predictive model, following patent expiration, the estimated annual cost of generic injectable semaglutide could be approximately US$28 per patient, making it around ten times less expensive than the current branded products.<\/p>\n

In 2026, semaglutide patents expire in 12 countries, which together account for 47% of the global obesity burden and 49% of type 2 diabetes cases, while no patent applications for the drug were identified in an additional 150 countries. By the end of 2026, generic injectable semaglutide is expected to become available in 162 countries, covering approximately 69% of the global burden of type 2 diabetes and 84% of clinical obesity cases. During treatment initiation, the estimated annual cost of generic injectable semaglutide is projected to range from US$28 to US$134 per patient for the 1.7 mg dose, and from US$29 to US$138 per patient for the 2.4 mg dose.<\/p>\n

Regarding oral formulations (tablets), their production is associated with higher costs because they require higher doses of the active ingredient. The estimated annual cost of a 7 mg once-daily dose is approximately US$186 per patient, while the 14 mg once-daily dose is estimated at US$344 per patient per year. The study also demonstrated that the manufacturing cost of the active pharmaceutical ingredient is minimal, amounting to only a few cents per dose, whereas the cost of disposable injection pens ranges from US$0.30 to US$2.50 per device. Consequently, the cost of the injection device alone may be 8 to 68 times higher than the combined cost of the active ingredient and the other manufacturing components.<\/p>\n

According to the authors, increased access to generic medicines could significantly transform the clinical management of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Such changes could enable healthcare systems to strengthen early obesity prevention programs, diagnosis, and treatment, integrate pharmacological therapy into primary healthcare, and shift from managing long-term complications to more effective preventive approaches. However, achieving sustainable outcomes will require coordinated policies that ensure fair medicine pricing, strengthen primary healthcare systems, promote healthy lifestyles, and support large-scale public health interventions.<\/p>\n

Despite its promising projections, the study has several limitations. Actual production costs may vary depending on manufacturing scale, production conditions, and procurement arrangements, while trade shipment prices to and from India reflect current market conditions rather than the minimum production costs that could be achieved through large-scale generic semaglutide manufacturing. In addition, pricing data for injection pens were less transparent than the available information on the manufacturing cost of semaglutide\u2019s active pharmaceutical ingredient. It is also noteworthy that the study was funded by the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), and one of the authors disclosed receiving lecture honoraria and research grants from pharmaceutical companies.<\/p>\n

Source: www.medscape.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Semaglutide is considered one of the most effective medications in modern medicine for the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, its high cost and limited accessibility remain major challenges, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. In April 2026, the primary patents for semaglutide expired, a development that may facilitate the entry of generic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":22672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1594,1668,1665],"tags":[6479,6480,1628,6478,5415],"class_list":["post-22673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-pharmacy","category-public-health","tag-medication-cost","tag-nhs-royal-free-hospital-trust","tag-obesity","tag-semaglutide","tag-type-2-diabetes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22674,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22673\/revisions\/22674"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}