Novo Rebrands Diabetes Pill as Ozempic to Tap Blockbuster Name, Bloomberg Reports

Novo Nordisk 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, Bloomberg reported.

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 Nordisk shares rose 2.8% in premarket trading.

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.