3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Dec 10, 2025 10:58 AM IST
Justice Karia, noting that the subject matter is already being dealt with by the court of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, transferred the suit for hearing by the same court. (File)
Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk has moved the Delhi High Court seeking to restrain Indian company, Sun Pharmaceutical, from directly or indirectly dealing in semaglutide, an active pharmaceutical ingredient in the blockbuster drug Ozempic, or any product derived from it.
The fresh plea comes on the heels of the HC allowing Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) to continue manufacturing and exporting its version of the GLP-1 drug that contains semaglutide. The drug, marketed globally by Novo Nordisk as Ozempic for Type 2 diabetes and for obesity, has been at the centre of a patent dispute in India.
Last week, a single judge bench had refused to grant any interim injunction in favour of Novo Nordisk, while making a prima facie conclusion that DRL has put up a credible challenge to the validity of the patent over semaglutide held by Novo Nordisk in India until March 2026.
The court had thus allowed DRL to continue manufacturing and exporting the drug, while barring DRL from selling it in India until the patent held by Novo Nordisk expires.
On Tuesday, Novo Nordisk told the Delhi HC that it is in the process of challenging the single judge’s order.
The fresh suit by Novo Nordisk against Sun Pharma was taken up before Justice Tejas Karia. The counsel appearing for the Danish pharma giant told the court, “[in single judge’s order from December 2]… to balance equities, the court maintained the status quo — that is, whatever you’re doing, the defendant (DRL) in that case was permitted to do [manufacture and export], whatever they were not doing [sell in India], they were asked to hold on… I’m only requesting that [for Sun Pharma as well]. I’m not challenging the findings [of the December 2 verdict in this suit]…”
“The suit is pending… we’re in the process of challenging it [the December 2 verdict],” the counsel said.
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Sun Pharma, in a November earnings call, termed the GLP-1 market — the class of drugs to which semaglutide belongs — as “exciting”, adding that it wants to “participate in the market whenever the first opportunity is available”.
Justice Karia, noting that the subject matter is already being dealt with by the court of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, transferred the suit for hearing by the same court.
The suit is expected to be heard by Justice Arora on Wednesday.
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide products are covered by two main Indian patents:
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-Indian Patent No. 275964 covers the composition of semaglutide itself, which was filed in March 2006 and expired in September 2024.
-Indian Patent No. 262697, covers specific formulations and delivery devices designed to improve stability and administration. It was filed in March 2007, and is scheduled to expire in March 2026.
The expiry of the basic composition patent in 2024 opened the door to potential generic development.
The Delhi HC’s ruling in Novo Nordisk’s case against DRL indicates a victory for other generic drug makers. Apart from DRL, companies like Mankind Pharma, Cipla and Sun Pharma are contemplating introducing GLP-1 products in India.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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