On Wednesday, DRL gave an undertaking to the Delhi High Court that it will maintain status quo — that is, no further manufacturing or release in the market — until March 27.Several cheaper generics of semaglutide, the blockbuster weight-loss drug, launched in India this week, though Dr Reddy’s Laboratories’ (DRL) generic version, under the Olymviq brand, will not hit the market until Friday.On Wednesday, DRL gave an oral undertaking to the Delhi High Court that it will maintain status quo — that is, no further manufacturing or release in the market — until March 27. Last week, it launched its generic semaglutide formulation in India under three brand names.The oral assurance given by the Indian generic drugmaker came in a suit by Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk filed before the HC. Alleging trademark infringement of its blockbuster semaglutide drug ‘Ozempic’, Novo Nordisk flagged that DRL has released its generic version of the injectable semaglutide under the branding of ‘Olymviq’.By maintaining a status quo, DRL will effectively not be able to manufacture and release in the market, either directly or indirectly, until Friday, under the brand name of ‘Olymviq’. However, DRL can sell the drug under the other two brand names — Obeda and Mashlo.A question of phoneticsSenior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Novo Nordisk before Justice Jyoti Singh on Wednesday, sought an immediate interim injunction, objecting to the phonetically similar sounding brand name DRL has chosen for the product.According to DRL, it has launched the drug under three brand names though it had only mentioned the brand name ‘Obeda’ in its public announcement of the launch of the drug on March 21.Arguing that “there can’t be a more blatant, over-clever way of doing it”, the Danish firm accused DRL that there “cannot be a more dishonest” way of branding the product.Citing that Novo Nordisk has enjoyed the trademark from 2014, including in India where it launched in December last year, Singhvi further argued, “Clearly, you’re following my invention (of the word)… it is an invented word, not a common parlance… [The syllables of] ‘O-im-ic’… I ask the question, why would anyone have this after my transborder reputation, after my launch in India? Common sense must prevail.”Story continues below this adSenior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for DRL, however, contended that it is not an ordinary drug that is purchased over the counter that it will cause confusion.Further, he said, there cannot be any confusion as “even if the trademark is identical, which is not the case here, the house mark, particularly well-known housemark [of DRL] will make the distinction”.“This [Olymviq] might give an idea of the Olympics, not really Ozempic,” Sethi added.Justice Singh, however, orally indicated that in the court’s opinion, there is a phonetic similarity.Story continues below this adAddressing Sethi, Justice Singh orally opined, “Why have you chosen to come so close [to the Ozempic mark]? I’ll share this with you. According to me, there’s a phonetic similarity [with the Ozempic mark] and in pharma, it’s a threshold I would not like to cross.”Orally inquiring about DRL’s stance, on whether it is amenable to changing its name or to maintain status quo, the court indicated that if not, it will pass an order staying the use of DRL’s mark of Olymviq for the drug.With the court urging the two companies to “co-exist peacefully” in the market, DRL gave the court an oral assurance that it will maintain status quo until the next hearing on Friday and will not release more of the injectables under the branding of ‘Olymviq’ in the market or among distributors.The patent held over the GLP-1 class of drugs’ semaglutide by Novo Nordisk in India expired on March 20. The very next day, DRL announced the launch of its generic version of the blockbuster drug for Diabetes Type-2 and obesity, branded as ‘Obeda’, in the Indian market.Story continues below this adNot only DRL, a slew of Indian generic drugmakers are in the race to launch their versions of the semaglutide. Prior to that, since last year, the two pharma companies have been locked in litigation over patent infringement of the drug.Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd