Delhi HC division bench refuses stay on Dr Reddy’s semaglutide exports
A division bench of the Delhi High Court on Friday refused to sustain a single-judge order allowing Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to export its domestic blockbuster weight loss and diabetes drug semaglutide to countries not under patent protection.
The high council refused to grant interim relief to Novo Nordisk, which was trying to stop Dr Reddy from manufacturing and exporting the drug.
In rejecting the interim relief, the panel issued a notice of Novo’s objection and listed final disposition of the matter in the second week of January, likely on January 15. A bench comprising Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla said after hearing the arguments that they were not inclined to intervene at this stage.
The judges noted that Novo’s appeal challenged the single judge’s finding that semaglutide was not sufficiently different from earlier inventions. If this view holds, the previous regulation allowing exports will remain intact. Given this situation, the division bench chose to hear and finalize the appeal in January rather than grant interim relief now.
For now, Dr Reddy’s can continue to produce semaglutide domestically for export to off-patent jurisdictions until the patent expires in late January 2026 and the division bench next hears the case.
Background to the objection
Novo’s appeal was based on a ruling by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora on December 2 and Dr. Reddy’s order allowing it to continue producing and exporting semaglutide to off-patent territories while restricting domestic sales until 2026. Judge Arora had rejected Novo’s request for a temporary ban on exports.
The court found that Novo did not establish a strong prima facie case for injunctive relief and noted that if Novo was successful at trial, any business losses could be recovered.
The order also stated that Novo imported semaglutide to India instead of producing it locally, while Dr Reddy had been producing the drug since April.
Dr Reddy has given an undertaking that he will not sell semaglutide in India until the patent expires. The company was directed to file production and export data for April 2025. All observations were made at first glance.
Wider impact on Indian drugmakers
Novo’s appeal is closely followed in the domestic pharmaceutical industry. The outcome will shape Dr Reddy’s export prospects as well as the strategies of companies preparing to enter the semaglutide market.
On December 10, Justice Arora, Dr. It applied Reddy’s decision to Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, allowing Sun to manufacture and export semaglutide to off-patent countries while blocking domestic sales. Novo filed the lawsuit shortly before the expected early launch of a generic version of Sun.
A rapidly expanding market
The patent war is evolving as India becomes one of the most competitive emerging markets for the GLP-1 agonist class of drugs. Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy’s and Natco Pharma are set to launch generic semaglutide when the patent expires in 2026. Others, such as Cipla and Emcure, have entered into distribution partnerships with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
India’s GLP-1 market has grown sharply; ₹186 crore in November 2022 ₹1,047 crore by November 2025, according to Pharmarack. Eli Lilly’s tirzepatid (Mounjaro), launched in March 2025, now tops the category ₹100 crore in monthly sales in October.
Novo’s recent price cut helped Wegovy increase its share by about 5% in absolute doses. As of November 2025, Mounjaro held 86 percent of the market, with Wegovy accounting for most of the remaining share.
The division bench’s decision in January will be critical for Indian manufacturers looking to resume export activities and prepare for generic launches after Novo’s India patent expires in March 2026.
