Geropharm will bring to the Russian market an analogue of the popular weight loss drug Vegovi
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In 2025, Geropharm plans to bring to market an analogue of Vegovi – a drug with semaglutide, like the famous Ozempic, but with an indication for the treatment of obesity. The original Vegovi from Novo Nordisk is not registered in Russia, but is probably protected by a patent, which could complicate Geropharm’s bringing the drug to market, experts say. Geropharm’s competitor in this segment, Promomed, does not rule out the development of an analogue of Vegovi.
On March 27, Geropharm received permission from the Ministry of Health for a clinical study of comparative pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of its drug and Vegovi from the Danish Novo Nordisk. Kommersant found this information in the register of clinical trials.
Geropharm confirmed to Kommersant that they are developing a drug for the treatment of obesity. They reported that tests of the Vegovi analogue would be carried out at the Clinical Hospital No. 3 in Yaroslavl. The launch of the drug on the market, according to a representative of Geropharm, is planned for early 2025.
Vegovi contains semaglutide, developed by Novo Nordisk and launched in the US in 2021. In March 2024, Vegovi received a new indication – reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults with such diseases or excess weight. In addition to the USA, the drug is approved in the EU, UK, and UAE. Its sales worldwide in 2023 increased fivefold, to 31.3 billion Danish kroner ($4.57 billion), according to a report from Novo Nordisk.
Vegovi is not registered in Russia. But Ozempic is registered in the country from the same Danish company. It also contains semaglutide, but is used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Novo Nordisk stopped supplying Ozempic to the Russian market in 2023. In October, its analogues were registered by Geropharm and Promomed. The drug is protected by a patent, but at the very end of 2023, the Russian government allowed the two companies mentioned to use Novo Nordisk patents.
Despite the lack of indications related to weight control, Ozempic was prescribed for these purposes outside the instructions. According to RNC Pharma, in December, Geropharm and Promomed delivered a total of 350 thousand packages of their Ozempic analogues, which is approximately seven to eight months of shipments of the original drug. And in January, Promomed supplied another 10.3 thousand packages.
Geropharm added that the company is “working through legal issues to provide patients with therapy within the legal framework.”
The government order to issue a compulsory license does not mention all patents related to the use of semaglutide for the treatment of obesity, notes Alexey Mikhailov, head of the patent practice of the Patentus bureau. At the same time, according to him, Novo Nordisk has at least one patent missing from the resolution, which almost certainly prevents the release of the drug semaglutide for the treatment of obesity, and there may be more applications that potentially overlap Vegovi in the future. Therefore, most likely, the expert concludes, Geropharm will not be able to sell the drug based on the existing compulsory license.
In Russia, about 50 million citizens are obese, said Natalya Mokrysheva, director of the National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology, in March. According to her, 5 million of them have diabetes, and another 5 million do not yet know about diabetes.
The average cost of a monthly course of Vegovi abroad exceeds $1 thousand, and in the USA, for example, $1.3 thousand. The Russian analogue will be “much more affordable,” Geropharm notes. They plan to include a generic drug in the list of vital drugs (their prices are regulated by the state). An analogue of Ozempic from Geropharm is registered at a price that is a quarter less than the original drug.
Promomed, which produces an analogue of Ozempic, told Kommersant that the development of a portfolio of drugs for the treatment of endocrinological diseases is a strategic direction of the company. They added that they will report on existing developments of “known and innovative drugs” upon receipt of a regulatory certificate.
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