Generic semaglutide launches abroad; US patients wait until 2031
Indian generics started near $8 a month in March. The FDA has tentatively approved a US version that cannot legally be sold for years.
Indian generics started near $8 a month in March. The FDA has tentatively approved a US version that cannot legally be sold for years.
All-in monthly cost at 10 mg
Semaglutide patents expired in India on 20 March 2026 and generics launched within weeks. Health Canada approved two in April and May. By year end core patents lapse in around ten countries.
The US is not among them: the core compound patent runs to December 2031 with formulation patents into 2032. Apotex received the first FDA tentative approval in April 2026 and still cannot sell.
Tirzepatide is a newer molecule with later expiry, so no comparable generic wave is near it.
What this changes for what you pay
Most developments in this category move one of three things: the price of the branded product, which programmes are operating, or what may lawfully be compounded. Very few change the prescription requirement, the pharmacy licensing framework or the clinical review behind a prescription.
The cheapest verified compounded route we track currently sits at $215 a month all-in at a 10 mg maintenance dose, about $2,580 for a first year. Where a development moves that figure, our tables move with it on the next build.
How to verify this yourself
Regulatory claims should be checked against the agency rather than against coverage of the agency. FDA publishes warning letters searchable by company name, a shortage database, and its compounding pages. Trial claims should be checked against the registry entry rather than a press release.
Every source behind this item is linked below, and where a story is still moving we say so rather than implying it is settled.
Open these rather than taking our word for it. Every one is a regulator, a trial registry, a label, an accreditor or the manufacturer.
Compare every programme on one screen
The matrix carries all-in price at every dose, fee structure, commitment terms, pharmacy disclosure and verification status for every programme we track.