Labos: Ozempic is now generic. The consequences are weighty |
The big medical news of 2026 is about the big blockbuster drug of 2025. Semaglutide (a.k.a. Ozempic, a.k.a. Wegovy) is now off patent in Canada.
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In the U.S. and the rest of the world, patent protection remains in place. But in Canada, generic drug makers can now start producing the drug domestically. That means this once prohibitively expensive medication may now become much more accessible for the many people who need it but cannot afford it. The implications for public policy are huge.
Although patent law is complex, the basic sequence of events is fairly straightforward. When a new medication is developed, companies can patent this new discovery and therefore have a monopoly on its sale, thereby allowing them to recoup the costs of development.
The standard length of a drug patent in Canada and the United States is 20 years. Drug companies still need to do human trials and get regulatory approval before they can bring a new drug to market, so their 20-year monopoly is much shorter in practice. However, they can also apply for extensions to........