Semaglutide patent goof in Canada?!

[HeartCoffee]

https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/novo-nordisk-s-canadian-mistake

Great summary on a tech site:

Pharmaceutical giant messed up patent protection for semaglutide in Canada by not paying a small maintenance fee in 2019. They'd been paying, then asked for a refund for 2017, and just never paid the 2019 fee. Canada's a big market for these drugs. A generic company may be able to launch a version in 2026, while the U.S. patent lasts longer.

 

[Veggie_Guy]

Someone got a serious reprimand for that blunder!

 

[CompoundLoss]

Oops! That's like me forgetting to water my plants for six months.

 

[ByeByeBelly77]

This could shake things up! Compounding pharmacies have been skirting the rules anyway, so maybe this levels the playing field a bit.

 

[Gene_Sis]

Maybe I should start investing in Canadian dollars instead of crypto?

 

[Wise-Path]

If generics actually become available there, I bet there will be a lot more people flying to Canada.

 

[Georgie1993]

This is huge. If Canada gets affordable generics, it'll be harder for the US to justify charging us 10x more. GLP-1s are life-changing, but only affordable for the rich right now, or those willing to go to questionable sources.

 

[HeartCoffee]

Interesting. I wonder how quickly generic semaglutide will actually hit the Canadian market. Are there any regulatory hurdles?

 

[ByeByeBelly77]

I heard a rumor that the generic version might be available as early as January, but now it's almost May! Anyone know what's going on? I saw something about production delays.

 

[Veggie_Guy]

I heard a rumor that the generic version might be available as early as January, but now it's almost May! Anyone know what's going on? I saw something about production delays.

I heard from my friend in the industry that they are expecting it to be available in early 2026, and that the price might be around $120-$150 per pen. Fingers crossed!

 

[CompoundLoss]

Will my insurance even cover it? I'm relatively new to this whole GLP-1 thing...

 

[Gene_Sis]

I've read some chatter online that the generic formulations aren't quite replicating the original. Something about issues with the method they used to create it. Seems like they're having to resubmit applications.

 

[Wise-Path]

Do you need a script for the name brand or the knockoff? I'd like to trim down some fluff, but I don't have diabetes.

 

[Georgie1993]

I've seen some people say that the generic doesn't work as well. Maybe it's just big pharma FUD.