The patent for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy slimming pens, expired in Brazil on March 20th. The Danish pharmaceutical company, which attempted to extend the patent through legal means, is now seeking to gain market share before the arrival of new versions of the medications and the ensuing battle for dominance in this segment.
One of these plans is directly related to the partnership established with the pharmaceutical company Eurofarma, responsible for marketing the Poviztra and Extensior pens in the country, which are also produced by Novo Nordisk, but at lower prices than the original products.
To that end, Eurofarma has just launched a program in which, for the first two months of treatment, the patient pays R$ 599 for two boxes of Poviztra (a version of Wegovy), one with a dose of 0.25 milligrams (mg) and the other with 0.5 mg. This means that each pen for one month, during this period, costs R$ 299.50.
The price per box is 60% cheaper than the average price of R$750 for Poviztra, found in major retail chains. And almost 70% lower than Ozempic itself, at the initial dosage.
The issue is that this benefit only lasts for the first three months of treatment. After that, the patient will receive a 17% discount.
In practice, this is a way for Eurofarma to enter the fray strongly and for Novo Nordisk to recover some of the market share lost to Monjauro, from its American competitor Eli Lilly, which uses tinzepide as its active ingredient and has become the sales leader in Brazil.
Eurofarma expects to gain market share, even with the arrival of new players following approval from the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
“It’s the only pharmaceutical company in Brazil that will have both original semaglutide brands, identical to Novo Nordisk’s, at a more affordable price. And with all the safety backed by studies. That’s the big difference,” says Andréa Frazão, director of medical prescriptions at Eurofarma, to NeoFeed .
Manufactured by Novo Nordisk, the Poviztra pen, identical to the Wegovy, is marketed by Eurofarma.
Eurofarma plans to leverage its sales force in Brazil to boost the market presence of these two brands, also produced by the Danish company. By 2025, the Brazilian pharmaceutical company will have conducted over nine million medical visits. The company has 4,300 representatives serving approximately 4,700 Brazilian municipalities.
The company executive says, however, that the launch of the price reduction plan was not commercially connected to the expiration of the Ozempic and Wegovy patents in Brazil, but rather to the time needed to develop the distribution strategy.
“There was no direct link to the patent expiration. There is a necessary timeframe to implement this program with partners and for it to be available in pharmacies,” says Frazão. “And, even with little time, we already have feedback that the initiative has been very well received by the medical community.”
Eurofarma is entering a race in a billion-dollar market that, in 2025 alone, generated R$ 10 billion from the sale of slimming pens in pharmacies. The forecast is that it should reach R$ 15.6 billion in 2026, mainly with the arrival of new products in the second half of the year.
According to Anvisa (Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency), there are currently three registration requests for the manufacture of semaglutide in an advanced stage, close to approval. The expectation is that the first approval will be granted by the end of May. Ávita Care, EMS, and Megalabs are the companies awaiting the decision from the regulatory agency's technicians.
At the end of March, NeoFeed revealed that the pharmaceutical company controlled by the Sanchez family is expected to be the first to launch its own version of Ozempic in pharmacies, manufactured in-house. With the process a little further along at Anvisa (the Brazilian health regulatory agency), the semaglutide from EMS is expected to reach pharmacies at the beginning of the second half of the year.
The company, led by Carlos Sanchez, plans to produce one million semaglutide pens between July and December of this year. The product is expected to cost between R$500 and R$600. This will represent a reduction of almost 50% compared to the current price of Ozempic.
Eurofarma, controlled by the Billi family, had submitted a registration request to Anvisa (Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency) for the manufacture of the slimming pen, but abandoned the move after partnering with Novo Nordisk to market the new pens manufactured by the same company. The dossier, which was already underway, was then transferred to Ávita Care.
The executive does not see Eurofarma's plan as direct competition with the owner of Ozempic. "The essence is to expand the market, not to compete. And each has its own commercial strategy," she says.
Last year, the prescription drug segment, which includes slimming pens, accounted for 58% of Eurofarma's revenue. Net revenue in 2025 was R$ 12.5 billion, a 13.7% increase. Net profit reached R$ 593.5 million, 116.8% higher than the previous year.
