Novo Nordisk wins website blocking order against fake Ozempic and Wegovy sellers
Novo NordiskvBritish Telecommunications
- Court
- High Court
- Judgment
- 13 May 2026
- Citation
- [2026] EWHC 1094 (Ch)
A trademark case can also lean on other laws, here medicines regulation, to get a stronger remedy.
Novo Nordisk asked the High Court to force major UK internet providers to block four websites selling counterfeit Ozempic, Wegovy and related medicines. The court granted the blocking order.
What happened
Novo Nordisk makes the diabetes and weight-loss medicines sold under the names Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Victoza and Saxenda. It found four websites selling counterfeit and unlicensed versions of these medicines, using its trademarks without permission. Rather than chasing the website operators directly, which is often difficult when sites are hard to trace or based outside the UK, Novo Nordisk asked the court to order British Telecommunications and other internet service providers to block UK customers from reaching the sites at all.
What did the court decide in Novo Nordisk v British Telecommunications?
The court agreed it had the power to grant a website blocking order based not just on trademark infringement and passing off, but also on the fact that the websites were committing criminal offences under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 by selling prescription-only and unauthorised medicines. The court found the order was proportionate because of the scale of the counterfeiting, the serious health risks involved, the fact that other enforcement steps hadn't worked, and because no legitimate trade was being disrupted by the block.
What we learned from this
- What I'd take from this is that courts will look beyond trademark law alone when the wrongdoing also breaks other rules, especially where public safety is at stake.,A website blocking order can be a practical remedy when the people actually running infringing sites are hard to identify or reach.,Showing that other enforcement attempts failed, and that no genuine business would be harmed by a block, helped make the order proportionate.
Things to be aware of
- The court was clear it wasn't creating a general new type of injunction, so this approach may not apply easily outside medicines or similarly regulated products.,Novo Nordisk's position as the sole UK holder of the marketing authorisation for these medicines, and the backing of the regulator, the MHRA, was central to the reasoning.,This remedy targets access to websites rather than the people running them, so it reduces visibility of the sites without necessarily stopping the sellers' operations elsewhere.
The businesses involved
Novo Nordisk A/S
Pharmaceutical company based outside the UK that makes the diabetes and weight-loss medicines Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Victoza and Saxenda, sold under those trademarks.
British Telecommunications
UK internet service provider named as a defendant along with other ISPs, not accused of any wrongdoing but required to implement the website blocking order.
What happened next
- Separately from this case, some users of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have turned to unregulated dietary supplements, prompting concern from doctors and regulators about safety risks.Source: Reuters
- Thousands of Novo Nordisk insulin pens were stolen from a wholesaler, an incident the company disclosed around the same period.Source: NL Times, October 2026
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This page is for information purposes only and does not constitute trademark advice or guidance. Summary drafted with AI assistance from the published judgment and checked by The Trademark Helpline (how we write these). Judgment: [2026] EWHC 1094 (Ch) on Find Case Law, published under the Open Justice Licence. Company details from Companies House; trademark counts from the UK trademark register. Last reviewed 26 October 2026. Report an error.
