Novo Nordisk has asked the FDA to add semaglutide to a list that would effectively block manufacturing of copycat versions of Wegovy and Ozempic.

Novo Nordisk is among global pharma leaders in the diabetes and weight loss segments. Read why I think NVO stock is a hold.

Novo Nordisk wants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent compounding pharmacies from manufacturing their own versions of the company’s popular weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes

The Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk contends that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, is too complex for those manufacturers to make safely.

Novo Nordisk on Tuesday asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban compounding pharmacies from making copycat versions of its popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs, which it said were too complex for those manufacturers to produce safely.

Novo Nordisk is pushing the FDA to block compounders from making copies of its Ozempic and Wegovy, saying the weight-loss treatments are too complex to safely replicate. Why it matters: It's the latest twist in the battle between pharma giants and compounders over the law that allows copies of patent-protected drugs amid shortages.