GLP-1 TV · News & media · views checked Oct 2026
Novo Nordisk’s Canadian drug patent lapses, opening market for Hims & Her Health
News & media
Our summary
According to this CNBC segment, Novo Nordisk will lose its exclusive Canadian patent on semaglutide, the ingredient in its top-selling drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, next January. The reporter, Brandon Gomez, says the cause was an unpaid $450 licensing fee. The patent could have lasted until 2032 if the annual fee had been kept up, but Canadian patent database records show the last payment was made in 2018.
General education as published by the channel. Not medical advice, and not an endorsement.
Where semaglutide costs least today
The three cheapest partner programs for semaglutide, all in per month, checked weekly. Brand Ozempic and compounded versions are different products; each row says which it is.
What else the video covers
The video describes the sequence of events. In 2019, Novo received a letter saying the fee was due and that it had one year to pay. No payment came in 2020, so the patent lapsed. The reporter says Hims & Hers announced the same day that it will expand to Canada in 2026 and offer a generic semaglutide drug, which he describes as an exact copy of Novo Nordisk's drugs.
The segment also gives market figures. It says the semaglutide market generated revenue of 1.18 billion in 2024, and that some estimate it will top 4 billion in the next decade. Both companies responded to the reporter. Novo would not call the lapse a mistake and said exclusivity ending is part of a drug's normal life cycle. Hims & Hers said it is working with an approved partner to follow local laws and regulations in Canada. The video says there is no confirmation yet that Hims & Hers has a drug ready for the market in 2026, though that is the expectation.
Our summary of what is said, in our words. Doses, results and prices are the speaker’s, not advice.
Takeaways
The main points, in the order they come up. Tap a time to play from there.
- 0:15 Novo Nordisk will lose its exclusive Canadian patent on semaglutide next January, according to the report, because a $450 licensing fee went unpaid.
- 0:30 The video says the last fee payment was in 2018, a 2019 letter gave Novo one year to pay, and the patent lapsed in 2020.
- 0:45 Hims & Hers announced it will expand to Canada in 2026 and offer a generic semaglutide drug, per the report.
- 1:00 The report cites semaglutide market revenue of 1.18 billion in 2024, with some estimates topping 4 billion in the next decade.
- 1:15 Novo says exclusivity ending is part of a normal drug life cycle, and Hims & Hers says it is working with an approved partner under Canadian rules.
Key moments
From the creator's own chapters. Tap one to play from there.
What the video says
As stated in the video, not checked by us. Doses and results are the speaker’s, not advice.
- Who is speaking
- News or media
Questions this video answers
Why is Novo Nordisk losing its semaglutide patent in Canada?
According to the video, a $450 licensing fee was not paid on time. The last payment recorded in the Canadian patent database was in 2018, and the patent lapsed in 2020 after Novo was given one year to pay.
When will generic semaglutide be available in Canada from Hims & Hers?
The video says Hims & Hers announced it will expand to Canada in 2026 and offer a generic semaglutide drug. It adds that there is no confirmation yet that a drug will reach the market in 2026, though that is the expectation.
How big is the semaglutide market according to this report?
The report says the semaglutide market generated revenue of 1.18 billion in 2024. It adds that some estimate the market will top 4 billion in the next decade.
How did Novo Nordisk respond to the patent lapse?
According to the reporter, Novo would not call it a mistake. The company said exclusivity ends as part of a drug's normal life cycle.
Videos on the same question
The closest videos in the library by what is said in them, not by title.
Growing concerns over semaglutide weight loss drugs as patents set to expireThis CTV News Toronto report looks at what could change for semaglutide in Canada when its patent expires.
GLP1 GLOVES ARE OFF: Wegovy Deal From Novo Nordisk vs Semaglutide Compound Hims And HersAccording to the video, Novo Nordisk is ending its working relationship with Hims and Hers because the telehealth company continues to sell compounded semaglutide.
HIMS: Compound Semaglutide OUT, Branded InThe host of On The Pen opens this March 9 live stream with news that Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers have reached a deal.
Semaglutide Wars: Novo Sues Hims over Patent InfringementThe host of On The Pen says a lot happened in the three days before this February 9, 2026 live stream.
About CNBC Television
News & media, 3.4M subscribers. 9 of their videos are in GLP-1 TV, 160K views between them, mostly on Ozempic, Wegovy, Wegovy pill.
- Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Novo Nordisk vs. Hims & Hers: We have a drug approval process for a reason
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Read next
Our guides closest to what this video covers, with prices checked weekly.
- CagriSema: FDA decision due by the end of 2026, no price yet, and how it compares with Zepbound and Wegovy
CagriSema is not FDA-approved and has no price yet. Novo Nordisk filed it with the FDA on December 18, 2025 and expects a decision in the fourth quarter of 2026, with a full US launch at the start of 2027. In REDEFINE 1 it cut weight by 20.4% at 68 weeks, but head to head it trailed tirzepatide, 20.2% against 23.6%. Until it launches, compounded semaglutide starts at $69 a month on our board.
- Semaglutide online: the six versions you can be prescribed, what the rules now allow, and what each costs
You can get semaglutide online with a prescription from a telehealth clinician, and it comes in six versions: Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic, each as a weekly pen or a daily pill, plus compounded injections and compounded oral forms made by pharmacies. Compounded semaglutide starts at $69 a month on our board. Novo sells its own brands for cash from $149 a month for a pill and $199 for a starter pen. Compounded versions are not FDA approved.
- Generic Ozempic: none in the US until December 2031, where generics already sell, and what to buy instead
No. There is no FDA-approved generic Ozempic or Wegovy in the US, and the FDA Orange Book lists Novo Nordisk's semaglutide compound patent until 5 December 2031. Generics went on sale in India in March 2026 and in Canada in May, but a US buyer cannot legally import them. What you can buy today: compounded semaglutide from $69 a month on our board, or Novo's own self-pay Wegovy at $349 a month for the pen and from $149 for the pill.
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