Indian online marketplace IndiaMART has been removing unauthorized listings of Novo Nordisk's blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy after holding talks with the Danish drugmaker in early October, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The drugmaker's India legal team held discussions with IndiaMART's top executives to develop a "framework" for regularly alerting the online marketplace about listings by counterfeiters in an effort to curtail illegal sales, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Novo Nordisk is the sole patent holder of semaglutide, the active ingredient in both Wegovy and Novo's diabetes drug Ozempic, which are not yet approved for sale in India. A spokesman for Novo India did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment.
"Dozens of such listings have been removed from the platform after Novo reached out to IndiaMART saying the sellers do not hold the trademark for Wegovy," the source said without providing a specific number.
Extraordinary demand for Novo's weight-loss drugs has been fueling a global surge in counterfeit versions.
Novo's global spokesperson said the drugmaker regularly looks for suspicious or illegal online sales and "where possible" engages with these platforms on a protocol to ensure they work to prevent or respond to such illegal offers. The company did not comment on specific efforts in India.
In late September, Novo Nordisk's India Managing Director Vikrant Shrotriya told Reuters the illegal sellers were "difficult to trace."
IndiaMART, one of India's top online marketplaces, allows dealers to sell on its website after a nominal background check and says it has minimal control over what is advertised and sold.
A leading U.S. government agency named IndiaMART on its 'Notorious Markets' list for 2022, highlighting how counterfeit goods on the marketplace remained "a serious concern".
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