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Title: Novo Nordisk Loses Canadian Patent Protection For Blockbuster Diabetes
Drug Over Unpaid $450 Fee

Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/06/16/1...

Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk forfeited patent protection for semaglutide
-- the active ingredient in blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs
Ozempic and Wegovy -- in Canada after failing to pay a $450 maintenance fee
in 2019. The company had paid maintenance fees through 2018 but requested a
refund for the 2017 fee, apparently seeking more time to decide whether to
continue protecting the patent. When the 2019 fee came due at $450 with late
penalties, Novo never paid despite having a one-year grace period. Canadian
patent authorities confirmed the patent "cannot be revived" once lapsed. The
oversight is particularly costly given Canada represents the world's second-
largest semaglutide market, worth billions annually. Generic drugmaker Sandoz
plans to launch a competing version in early 2026, while Novo's U.S. patent
protection extends until at least 2032.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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