Novo rebrands diabetes pill as Ozempic to tap blockbuster name

Novo Nordisk A/S is rebranding an existing, less-popular diabetes tablet as Ozempic in the US in a bid to capitalize on the brand recognition of one of the world's best-selling drugs.

The Danish drugmaker will start selling Ozempic pills in doses of 1.5 milligram, 4 mg and 9 mg to adults from Monday through more than 70,000 pharmacies across the US, according to a statement Friday.

Novo said the relaunched Ozempic pills are as safe and effective as tablets sold under the name Rybelsus, which have the same main ingredient, semaglutide, but in a different formulation and set of doses. Rybelsus will continue to be marketed outside the US.


Novo is trying to win back market share from rival Eli Lilly & Co., pinning its comeback on new formulations of its top-selling medicines and a more direct-to-consumer approach. A Wegovy pill introduced in January has had the strongest launch of any obesity drug to date, while Novo has also introduced a subscription program offering lower monthly prices for the drug.