FDA approves generic version of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 diabetes drug Victoza

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ generic version of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Victoza, which is currently in shortage in the country.

The agency said it prioritizes review of generic versions of the drugs that are in short supply. Victoza, or liraglutide, has been on the FDA’s shortage list since 2023.

“Generic drugs provide additional treatment options which are generally more affordable for patients,” said Iilun Murphy, FDA’s director of the Office of Generic Drugs.

Hikma’s generic drug first received tentative approval in June. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the drug’s pricing.

Earlier this year, Teva Pharmaceuticals had launched an authorized generic version of Victoza in the U.S.

Victoza is a once-daily injection approved for use in adults and children aged 10 years or older with type 2 diabetes.

Demand for the drug, a first generation GLP-1, has been falling with the loss of patent protection last year and as patients move to more effective and once-weekly treatments such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro.

Both Ozempic and Mounjaro belong to the same class of treatments, called GLP-1 agonists, which were initially developed to treat diabetes, but are also approved for obesity.