The city of Rio de Janeiro intends to start, in 2026, the treatment of patients with diabetes and obesity using semaglutide, the drug’s active ingredient. Ozempic .
The substance is produced by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, which holds the patent for the medicine.
The breach of the patent Ozempic scheduled for 2026, should make treatment more accessible to the population.
Currently, the Ozempic It is found in pharmacies for prices ranging from R$929 to R$1,063, depending on the dosage.
The availability of a generic version of the drug has the potential to significantly reduce the price, as happened with Viagra after its patents .
The reference Viagra tablet cost R$50, and today the generic is sold at R$0.90
The municipal secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz, confirmed the campaign promise of re-elected mayor Eduardo Paes (PSD).
“The expectation is that we will purchase three thousand doses starting in January 2026,” said the secretary.
Last year, pharmaceutical company Prati-Donaduzzi began research into manufacturing a generic version of Ozempic. The company’s expectation is that the studies will be completed as soon as the generic is permitted in Brazil.
According to a press release from Prati-Donaduzzi, the raw material for the medicine will be imported from Asia, while the application device was negotiated in Europe.
Active ingredient
Ozempic is a medicine made from semaglutide an analogous component of the GLP-1 hormone that acts directly on insulin secretion from the pancreas helping to regulate blood glucose levels. Therefore, the medicine is indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
However, its use has also become popular for weight loss, as the molecule helps to delay gastric emptying, promoting a longer feeling of satiety. Furthermore, the GLP-1 analogue also acts in the central nervous system, in the appetite regulation pathways.
Public treatment from January 2026 in Rio
The purchase of generic medicine will be possible after the patent of the Ozempic scheduled for 2026. The expectation is that the city hall will acquire 3 thousand doses of the medicine, negotiated with four companies that manufacture semaglutide.
Soranz stated that the city hall seeks to increase purchasing power through negotiations with other cities and with the Unified Health System (SUS) . The objective is to increase the capacity to negotiate with companies and reduce costs for the state.
“We can use the purchasing power of Unified Health System (SUS) to further reduce the price, increase the state’s purchasing power and our ability to negotiate with companies that will sell semaglutide”, he added.
The secretary highlighted the importance of the medicine in combating obesity, one of the main causes of loss of years of life in the city.
The city’s program will include complete treatment with medical monitoring, which will define the criteria for the use of semaglutide, and physical activities.
“Ozempic is a medication used to obesity and diabetes Around the world, the United States and Europe already use it on a large scale. It is super important to combat the main cause of loss of years of life, which is obesity in Rio de Janeiro,” he said.
(With information from Gabriela Maraccini, Rachel Amorim and Marcos Guedes, from CNN)
This content was originally published in When does Ozempic get cheaper? Rio will use an active ingredient after patent loss on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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