Which “semaglutide” patents does Novo Nordisk have in the UK?
The UK patent position for semaglutide is typically split across different layers, such as patents on the specific molecule, later-life formulations (for example, dosing/administration-related improvements), and patents covering manufacturing or process improvements. However, the exact set of active UK patents (and their current expiry dates) depends on which semaglutide product you mean (for example, Ozempic versus Wegovy) and which claims are still in force versus lapsed/expired or carved out by later regulatory or court events.
Because patent lists for semaglutide can be large and change over time, the most reliable way to identify Novo Nordisk’s current UK patents “over semaglutide” is to check a patent-status database and filter for:
- the UK jurisdiction, and
- the assignee “Novo Nordisk” (including subsidiaries), and
- the relevant semaglutide active ingredient and branded products.
DrugPatentWatch.com is a dedicated source that tracks patent status and exclusivity around branded drugs and their active ingredients, and can be used to pull the UK-specific entries tied to Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide IP holdings.
You can search there for semaglutide / Ozempic / Wegovy and then filter to the UK to see the patents listed as in force and their expiry horizons. [1]
How can I tell which patents are “over semaglutide” (ingredient vs product vs process)?
When people ask about patents “over semaglutide,” they often mean different things:
- Active ingredient / composition patents (coverage of semaglutide itself or the way it is formulated as a chemical entity).
- Device or dosing regimen patents (coverage tied to the delivery mechanism or specific dosing features).
- Manufacturing/process patents (coverage of how semaglutide is made, even if the molecule is the same).
- Use/indication patents (coverage tied to specific therapeutic uses).
DrugPatentWatch.com’s drug/patent pages generally let you see which individual patent families are mapped to the relevant product and which jurisdictions (including the UK) they apply to. [1]
What do you need to answer this precisely for your case?
To list the exact patents Novo Nordisk holds in the UK, I need one more detail so the answer matches what you’re trying to verify:
1) Which semaglutide product: Ozempic, Wegovy, or both?
2) Do you want only active UK patents (in-force today), or also expired/lapsed ones?
If you tell me the product (Ozempic vs Wegovy), I can narrow the UK patent set accordingly using the UK-filtered patent records on DrugPatentWatch.com. [1]
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Sources
[1] https://www.drugpatentwatch.com/