The District Court of The Hague has granted Novo Nordisk a preliminary injunction against Ceban Ziekenhuisfarmacie, ordering the latter to immediately stop selling a compounded semaglutide nasal spray that infringes Novo Nordisk’s intellectual property rights.

 

The ruling marks a significant legal victory for Novo Nordisk in its efforts to protect its semaglutide-related innovations and reinforces the regulatory standards designed to ensure medicines meet requirements for quality, safety and efficacy.

 

The court determined that Ceban had infringed Novo Nordisk’s supplementary protection certificate covering semaglutide. Alongside the sales ban, the ruling requires Ceban to remove references to the product from relevant listings and websites, disclose information about its commercial supply chain, and reimburse Novo Nordisk’s legal costs.

 

"Protecting patients means protecting the integrity of the medicines they rely on,” said John F. Kuckelman, Group General Counsel, Novo Nordisk. "This decision sends a clear message that intellectual property rights protecting pharmaceutical innovation will be enforced. We will continue to take decisive legal action against those who unlawfully exploit our innovations or market unapproved semaglutide products in ways that jeopardise patient safety and undermine the regulatory framework that protects patients."

 

Novo Nordisk said the ruling highlights concerns around compounded medicines — pharmacy-prepared formulations that have not been reviewed or approved by regulatory authorities such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

 

The company said compounded medicines have not undergone the clinical trials required to demonstrate safety, efficacy, quality or consistent manufacturing standards. Novo Nordisk does not manufacture, distribute or endorse any compounded version of semaglutide, and no nasal spray formulation of semaglutide has been approved by any regulatory authority.

 

The company said it continues to invest heavily in research and development to create new treatments for people living with serious chronic diseases, adding that intellectual property protections are essential to supporting pharmaceutical innovation.

 

Novo Nordisk said it will continue to protect its intellectual property rights where appropriate and support regulatory systems intended to ensure patients receive medicines that meet established standards for quality, safety and efficacy.