Novo Nordisk has secured a legal victory after the District Court of The Hague issued a preliminary injunction against Ceban Ziekenhuisfarmacie B.V., ordering the company to immediately stop selling a compounded semaglutide nasal spray found to infringe Novo Nordisk's intellectual property rights. The ruling reinforces the protection of pharmaceutical innovation while underscoring the importance of ensuring patients receive medicines that meet established regulatory standards for safety, quality and efficacy.

The court concluded that Ceban had infringed Novo Nordisk's supplementary protection certificate covering semaglutide. Along with ordering the immediate cessation of sales, the court directed the company to remove all references to the product from its websites and other commercial listings, disclose details of its supply chain and reimburse Novo Nordisk's legal expenses.

Commenting on the decision, John F. Kuckelman, Group General Counsel at Novo Nordisk, said the ruling sends a strong message that intellectual property rights safeguarding pharmaceutical innovation will be enforced. He added that the company remains committed to taking legal action against organisations marketing unauthorised semaglutide products that may compromise patient safety and undermine established regulatory systems.

Novo Nordisk emphasised that compounded medicines are pharmacy-prepared formulations that are not reviewed or approved by regulatory authorities such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As a result, these products have not undergone the rigorous clinical testing required to establish their safety, efficacy, manufacturing quality or consistency. The company also reiterated that it neither manufactures nor endorses compounded versions of semaglutide and confirmed that no semaglutide nasal spray has been approved by any regulatory authority worldwide.

The company highlighted that protecting intellectual property remains essential to sustaining long-term investments in research and development. Novo Nordisk stated that patent protections enable continued scientific innovation and the development of new therapies for chronic diseases while supporting regulatory frameworks designed to ensure patients receive medicines that meet stringent quality standards.

According to the company, the court's judgment represents an important milestone in protecting its semaglutide-related intellectual property and reinforces its commitment to safeguarding innovations that support future medical advances and improved patient care.

Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist discovered and developed by Novo Nordisk, is the active ingredient in several approved therapies, including Wegovy for chronic weight management, Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk reduction in eligible patients, and Rybelsus for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Novo Nordisk stressed that no nasal spray formulation of semaglutide has received regulatory approval and advised patients seeking semaglutide treatment to consult licensed healthcare professionals and use only medicines approved by their respective national regulatory authorities.