By Brazil Stock Guide – Novo Nordisk is offering Brazilian patients a free starter dose of Wegovy just as patent protection for semaglutide — both injectable and oral formulations — is set to expire on March 20, potentially opening the market to generic competition.
Under the company’s NovoDia program, patients prescribed Wegovy receive the 0.25 mg initiation dose at no cost when the prescription also includes a maintenance dosage. The introductory pen typically carries a list price of R$ 1,299.70. Higher doses, including the 2.4 mg therapeutic version, remain paid but are offered at discounts that can exceed R$ 800 per month depending on the channel.
“The goal is to expand access and allow physicians to tailor treatment according to each patient’s clinical response while maintaining financial balance,” said Allan Finkel, general manager of Novo Nordisk in Brazil.
The timing is strategic. At least 20 companies have already filed applications with Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Anvisa), Brazil’s health regulator, seeking approval to market medicines containing semaglutide or liraglutide as active ingredients. Brazil’s Health Ministry has formally asked the agency to accelerate the review process, although it remains unclear when — or if — those products will be approved.
Novo Nordisk has also reduced prices for Rybelsus, the oral form of semaglutide, offering monthly treatment starting at R$ 565 online when two boxes are purchased.
The company’s strategy mirrors a classic defense ahead of a patent cliff: subsidize the start of therapy, strengthen loyalty through its patient-support ecosystem, and expand market share before lower-cost rivals arrive. In Brazil’s fast-growing obesity and diabetes market, pricing is quickly becoming as decisive as clinical innovation.