MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories will have 30 days to sell existing stock of its semaglutide drug branded “Olymviq” before discontinuing the name, after the Delhi High Court recorded the company’s undertaking to cease its use in a trademark dispute with Novo Nordisk.
The reprieve allows the company to clear inventory while shifting to a new brand, “OLYMRA”, in a fast-growing market for semaglutide-based diabetes and weight-loss treatments.
In a written order dated 27 March, reviewed by Mint, the court noted that Dr. Reddy’s will cease all use of the mark, including manufacture, sale, supply, distribution, promotion, advertising and any commercial use, both online and offline, while being permitted to exhaust its existing inventory within 30 days.
“The affidavit of undertaking shall be filed. However, the defendant may be permitted to exhaust the existing stock of the products in question, including already billed and manufactured stock, within 30 days, details of which have been handed over in court and shared with counsel for the plaintiffs,” the order noted.
The matter is listed for further hearing 30 March.
Dr. Reddy’s has also agreed to change the impugned trademark “Olymviq” to “OLYMRA” and will file an affidavit of undertaking to that effect, while withdrawing its pending trademark applications for “Olymviq” from the Trade Marks Registry.
Emailed queries sent to Dr. Reddy’s and Novo Nordisk earlier today remained unanswered till press time.
The dispute
The development follows a hearing in a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which alleged that “Olymviq” infringes its well-known trademark “Ozempic”, arguing the names are deceptively similar. Novo had sought directions for destruction or repackaging of the inventory manufactured in February by Dr. Reddy’s.
However, as Mint reported on 27 March, the court appeared disinclined to order destruction, noting that the product is used by diabetic patients and that such a step would not be in public interest. It also expressed reservations about relabelling, questioning whether such products would be commercially viable in the market.
At the centre of the dispute is semaglutide, a drug used to treat type-2 diabetes and manage weight, marketed globally by Novo Nordisk under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. The drug lost patent exclusivity in India on 20 March, triggering a surge of generics, with companies such as Dr. Reddy’s entering the market with their own versions.
Several drugmakers are looking to gain a leg up in the competitive weight-loss generics market, where the key differentiators are price and patient preference, given that each brand’s molecule is the same.
“Patients often don’t know the difference between generics and innovator drugs…they know the popular brand names and ultimately rely on doctors or pharmacists,” noted a senior diabetologist, who did not wish to be quoted as the matter is subjudice.
A review of applications on the trademark registry shows Dr. Reddy’s first filing for “Olymviq” in July 2025 was objected to, while subsequent applications made on 10 March and 23 March cleared preliminary checks and were awaiting assessment. The company had filed for a trademark for the proposed new brand name “Olymra” on 8 December 2025.
It is unclear how Dr. Reddy’s plans to differentiate “Olymviq” from its other semaglutide brand, Obeda, which was launched on 21 March and indicated for type-2 diabetes. While “Olymviq” was not officially launched, doctors Mint spoke to confirmed having been made aware of it.
Novo Nordisk has argued that “Ozempic” is a coined and well-known trademark with global sales of over $63 billion in the past five years, and that allowing similar names in the same therapeutic segment would dilute its brand and risk confusion.
The company is also engaged in a separate legal dispute with Novo Nordisk since May 2025 over alleged infringement of the semaglutide patent.
