In case you missed it, a new report from the Initiative for Medicine, Access
and Knowledge (I-MAK) highlights how Big Pharma giants Novo Nordisk and Eli
Lilly are gaming the U.S. patent system to extend monopolies and keep prices
high on blockbuster GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.





 

April 28, 2025



TOPLINE



In case you missed it, a new report
<[link removed]>
from the Initiative for Medicine, Access and Knowledge (I-MAK) highlights how
Big Pharma giants Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are gaming the U.S. patent system
to extend monopolies and keep prices high on blockbuster GLP-1 drugs like
Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.



Novo Nordisk has filed 320 U.S. patent applications, with 154 being granted
for semaglutide, the same active ingredient in Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy.
The report found that “the main compound patent for semaglutide as used in the
three drugs was set to expire in March 2026, it said, but regulatory extensions
have lengthened Novo’s exclusivity until December 2031.” I-MAK estimates that
this five-year period will grant Novo Nordisk an additional $166 billion.



The report also found, “Eli Lilly has filed 53 U.S. patent applications and
been granted 16 patents,” on its two blockbuster GLP-1 products, Mounjaro and
Zepbound, which also rely on the same active ingredient.



And while gaming the patent system to block competition and extend monopolies,
these Big Pharma giants are also prioritizing profits over research and
development (R&D). For example, Novo Nordisk has spent 41 percent more on
dividends and buybacks than R&D, according to the report.



Read the full report from I-MAK HERE
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and read more about Big Pharma’s patent abuseHERE
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. Read more on bipartisan, market-based solutions to hold Big Pharma accountable
HERE <[link removed]>.



QUOTE OF THE WEEK



“By leveraging patent thickets aimed at extending the market monopolies on
their blockbuster drugs, these companies seek to maximize revenue streams while
delaying the entry of low-cost generic alternatives. And where does all that
revenue go? More was spent by Novo Nordisk on shareholder enrichment in the
form of stock buybacks and dividends than on R&D, a hallmark of the
financialized pharmaceutical business model. “

- Tahir Amin, CEO, Initiative for Medicine, Access and Knowledge (I-MAK)
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DATA POINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW



41%



The amount Novo Nordisk spent on dividends and buybacks compared to research
and development over the past five years, according to ananalysis
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from I-IMAK.



TWEETS OF THE WEEK



@FiercePharma <[link removed]>: “TV
drug ad spending continues upward climb, logging nearly 30% growth in Q1
[link removed]

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”



@P4ADNOW <[link removed]>: “Last week, the
Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a slate of bipartisan, pro-competition
bills aimed at cracking down on patent abuses and lowering drug prices. This
vote marks a significant step forward to enacting reforms that deliver relief
to patients and taxpayers.”



ROAD TO RECOVERY



Reuters: Trump Looking At Cutting US Drug Prices To International Levels,
Sources Say
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Drugmakers have been warned that the Trump Administration is considering
linking U.S. medicine prices to lower amounts paid by other developed
countries, according to two company sources who called the option the
pharmaceutical industry's top concern. Both sources, who were not authorized to
speak publicly, said they expected the policy to come from the agency that
oversees Medicare and Medicaid health programs.



The National Law Review: New Rx for High Drug Prices? Senate Judiciary
Committee Advances Six Bills With Heavy Dose of Options
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The US Senate Judiciary Committee advanced to the full Senate six bills
intended to reduce pharmaceutical prices and enhance market competitiveness…
The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act, if passed, would limit how many
patents a reference product sponsor can assert in a Biologics Price Competition
and Innovation Act (BPCIA) litigation against a biosimilar applicant, although
such limits could be surpassed with court approval. A biologics license holder
could assert up to 20 patents in a BPCIA case. Certain patents, such as method
of treatment patents, would fall outside the limitation.



AJMC | The Center for Biosimilars: Addressing Patent Abuse, Reimbursement
Models Key To Sustainable Biosimilar Market
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Streamlining regulatory processes, addressing patent abuse, and evolving
reimbursement models to ensure sustainability can help overcome barriers and
expand biosimilars into new therapeutic areas, according to Sonia T. Oskouei,
PharmD, vice president of biosimilars and specialty at Sandoz… Patent thickets
and anticompetitive tactics by originator companies delay biosimilar entry,
prioritizing profits over patients, Oskouei said, which remains another
challenge of patent abuse. Policy makers can implement legislative or
regulatory solutions to stop delay tactics that ultimately limit access to
affordable treatments.



PHARMA’S POOR PROGNOSIS



Politico: Once All-Powerful, Pharma’s Allies In Washington Are Fleeting
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Big Pharma isn’t sure how to handle Donald Trump’s Republican Party. Trump is
pledging to impose tariffs on drug imports, while Health Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. has vilified the drug industry’s profits and questioned the safety
of its products. Long a lobbying powerhouse in Washington, pharma’s struggling
to settle on a strategy for defending itself, according to six industry
lobbyists and three company officials who spoke to POLITICO. All were granted
anonymity to reveal internal discussions. “It’s just paralyzing. You don’t know
what’s going to happen next,” said one of the lobbyists. The industry’s plight
marks a remarkable turn, given how close it once was with Republicans, and
shows how Trump has upended alliances that were once a bedrock of the GOP.



Fierce Pharma: TV Drug Ad Spending Continues Upward Climb, Logging Nearly 30%
Growth In Q1
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Pharma advertisers have kicked off 2025 with a bang, with the top 10 spenders
throwing almost 30% more money behind their TV commercials in the first quarter
compared to the same period a year ago. Across the first three months of this
year, according to iSpot.TV, drugmakers have spent a combined $729.4 million to
air commercials for the top 10 brands, up from $567.3 million in the first
quarter of 2024. That represents a slight sequential increase, too, growing
close to 2% over the $717.4 million outlay from the biggest spenders in the
fourth quarter of 2024. The spending spree was helped along by several major
broadcast events throughout the period.

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