Her website was placed on a laptop in New York, USA on Wednesday, February 12th, 2025.
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Hims & Hers Health Offering semaglutide, a common in Canada announced on Wednesday Novo NordiskBrand Drug Osenepic and Wegovy patents are expected to expire in January.
“Canada is a major opportunity to show what affordable, high-quality weight loss care looks like,” Andrew Dudum, co-founder and CEO of HIMS & HERS, said in a press release. “When generic semaglutide becomes available for the first time worldwide, we focus on making it truly accessible by combining affordable prices with reliable, personalized care on a large scale.”
Hims, a Telehealth platform, is on the growth list of drugmakers looking to acquire Novo Nordisk’s lapsed patents on the GLP-1. This is the first time my company has been operating in Canada.
Generics are basically copies of branded drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which provide the same efficacy, follow the same safety standards, and are permitted when the patent expires. These drugs differ from the compound version of the compound. These are individualized treatments that have been altered or provided at different dosage levels than commercially available dosages.
The Canadian semaglutide market in 2024 generates revenue of $1.18 billion, and is expected to reach $4.03 billion by 2035.
There is still no popular version of Semaglutide in the market approved by the Canadian health agency, but for some in the industry the approval process has begun.
Sandoz, a global leader in generic medicine manufacturing, told Science in early June that he asked Canadian regulatory health agencies to approve a generic version of semaglutide. HIMS did not say in its announcement if it launched a similar application for review, but has worked with the “approved partner” to ensure that it complies with all local laws and regulations.
Some in the industry have raised concerns about Novo’s patent lapse and it comes as Wegovy has lost the ground Eli LilyTreating with US rivals, Zepbound told CNBC that all intellectual property decisions are “going carefully,” adding that “periods of drug exclusivity will end as part of the normal life cycle and general treatments may become available over time.”
The announcement by HIMS follows the closure of the recent acquisition of European telehealth platform Zava, which expands its European health platform to Ireland, France and Germany.
This also happened after Novo Nordisk ended its collaboration with Hims & Hers, citing concerns about the sale and promotion of the company’s cheap counterfeits of weight loss drugs.
How Novo lost Canadian patent
NOVO held Semaglutide’s patents, but it was in 2018 that the company last paid annual maintenance fees, according to documents filed in Canada’s patent database.
According to a letter contained in the document, Novo Nordisk’s lawyers requested a refund of the paid 2017 maintenance fee ($185) of $250 Canadian dollars ($185).
Two years later, the office sent a letter saying it included fees including late fees that totaled $450.
Novo Nordisk was paid a grace period of one year, but never did, and the patent expired in Canada. It expired in 2020 when the fees were not received, but will not expire until January.
Canadian authorities confirmed in their report that “if the patent expires it will not be able to be revived.”
“Ensuring access to holistic obesity treatments at an affordable price can bolster our local health system and unlock the possibility of millions of Canadians living healthier and more fulfilling lives,” said David Meinertz, general manager of international business at HIMS & HERS.
