Novo Nordisk is launching a cheaper authorised version of its blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic in South Africa, intensifying its fight against unregulated compounded medicines, lower-cost generics and Eli Lilly’s fast-growing Mounjaro.
The Danish drugmaker said the product, called Extensior, would become available on July 27 through a partnership with Swiss pharmaceutical company Acino.
Extensior contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient used in Ozempic, and will be sold in the same 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg doses.
Unlike a conventional generic, the authorised copy is made by Novo Nordisk using the same active ingredient, production process and injection device as Ozempic but marketed under a different name.
Novo has not disclosed the price. Sara Norcross, general manager of Novo Nordisk South Africa, told Reuters that the company would announce pricing before the launch but confirmed that Extensior would cost less than branded semaglutide for type 2 diabetes.
