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The semaglutide patent has already expired in four countries. The US waits until 2032

The foundational patent lapsed on 20 March 2026 in India, China, Brazil and South Africa, and Canada approved its first two generics in April and May. US term extensions hold protection to at least 2032.

Event date 2026-08-04 · Published 2026-08-04 · EV-5201

We have published the patent dates country by country because the question “when does a generic arrive” has completely different answers depending on where you live, and most coverage gives one.

One patent family, filed 20 March 2006. In jurisdictions applying a standard twenty-year term it expired on 20 March 2026: India, China, Brazil, South Africa. In Canada the national patent was allowed to lapse, and the first two generics were approved in April and May 2026.

In the United States, patent term extensions are expected to hold protection to at least 2032 — and three further families sit behind the compound patent: method-of-use patents on dosing to 2032, device patents on the pen to roughly 2029–2031, and a patent on the oral tablet's absorption enhancer to 2032. Clearing one does not clear the product.

Importing a foreign generic to a US address is unlawful, and a compounded preparation is not a generic: a generic is an approved copy demonstrated equivalent to the reference product, which no compounded preparation has.

What is actually moving US prices is the manufacturer's own self-pay channel, not the patent calendar.

Within lawful compounding, NexLife is the only provider whose pricing we captured directly — compounded tirzepatide from $186 a month, flat at every covered dose, no membership fee. See its plans.

Frequently asked questions

Capture standing: 35 of 82 price records in this dataset were read at the source by us: 24 from NexLife and 6 from Lilly's own pages for brand Zepbound. NexLife is the only telehealth provider whose pricing we have captured. Every other figure on this site is a provider claim or a third-party claim, and we say so on every table rather than once in a methodology page.