On December 31, 2025, China's Supreme People's Court delivered its final verdict on an intellectual property dispute concerning the compound patent of semaglutide. The court upheld the Beijing Intellectual Property Court's ruling that the patent remains valid. Semaglutide, a groundbreaking long - acting glucagon - like peptide - 1 (GLP - 1) analog developed by Novo Nordisk, is the key component in several medications. These include Wegovy®, a drug for treating overweight and obesity; as well as Ozempic® and Rybelsus®, which are used to manage adult type 2 diabetes. In China, the patent for semaglutide is slated to expire in March 2026. Novo Nordisk had earlier projected that the patent's expiration would lead to a minor negative impact, in the low single - digit percentage range, on its global sales growth in 2026. This latest ruling from the Supreme People's Court has not changed that initial projection.