This content originally appeared on diaTribe. Republished with permission.
By April Hopcroft
Key takeaways:
The launch of generic Victoza comes amid shortages for many different GLP-1 and incretin medications for type 2 diabetes and weight loss.
Generic Victoza will cost $469.60 for a 2-pack and $704.40 for a three-pack.
Two other generic Victoza options are being developed and could launch in December 2024. Patents for newer GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy won’t expire until several years down the road.
Teva Pharmaceuticals has launched the first ever generic GLP-1 receptor agonist in the U.S. The launch comes just as many people with diabetes have struggled to access incretin medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro amid supply shortages. In addition to lowering blood sugar, GLP-1s and other incretins lead to weight loss and improve heart and kidney disease.
Generic Victoza (liraglutide injection 1.8 mg) is a once-daily injection approved to treat type 2 diabetes along with diet and physical activity in adults and children aged 10 and older. It is also approved to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks and stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Compared to newer GLP-1s, Victoza leads to modest A1C lowering and weight loss. In the SUSTAIN 10 study, Victoza reduced A1C by 1%, while Ozempic reduced A1C by 1.7%. Participants lost about 4 pounds on Victoza, compared to 13 pounds on Ozempic.
Victoza was the second GLP-1 medication to be approved in the U.S. for type 2 diabetes in 2010. In 2014, the drug was approved for weight loss under the brand name Saxenda. Victoza’s patent in the US and Europe expired in late 2023, paving the way for companies like Teva to pursue generic versions.
How much will generic Victoza cost?
Generic Victoza will cost $469.60 for a pack of two pens and $704.40 for a pack of three pens. According to GoodRx, Victoza typically costs around $560 for a two-pack and $850 for a three-pack, so this is about a 16% to 17% reduction in price.
What other generic GLP-1s could we see in the U.S.?
Two other drug makers are also working on generic Victoza: Sandoz and Viatris (formerly Mylan). For the first six months, only the first generic – Teva’s generic Victoza – will be available on the market.
The next Victoza generics could launch as soon as December 2024. Once multiple Victoza generics are on the market, competition will further reduce prices.
It’s unlikely that generic versions of other GLP-1 medications will be available soon, because many of these drugs have patents that will last for several more years. For instance, the patent for Lilly’s Trulicity (dulaglutide) will expire in 2027.
Novo Nordisk’s patents for the weight loss medication semaglutide (brand names Wegovy and Ozempic) will expire in Europe and Japan in 2031 and in the U.S. in 2032. In China, the patent expires slightly earlier, in 2026.
Tirzepatide (brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound) was only approved last year, so its patent has many more years. It is slated to expire in 2039.
The bottom line
Currently, there are several generic diabetes medications available. Metformin is available as either generic or brand-name drugs. Other glucose-lowering drugs, such as various formulations of sulfonylureas, are also available as generics.
However, most of the newer diabetes medications – like GLP-1s and SGLT-2 inhibitors – remain under patent for several more years. As a result, these drugs remain very costly even for people with insurance coverage.
The first generic GLP-1 is a major milestone in improving access to diabetes drugs. With the launch of additional Victoza generics in 2025 and beyond, prices should continue to fall even further, helping more people to access these important medications.
Learn more about GLP-1 medications:
Ozempic Slows Kidney Disease, Cuts Cardiorenal Death Risk in Type 2 Diabetes, FLOW Study Finds
How People With Diabetes Are Getting By During the Ozempic Shortage