This State Passed A Bill to Make Their Own Ozempic!

Connecticut just passed a law that could completely change the game when it comes the affordability and patents of GLP-1 drugs.

Tucked into a bipartisan prescription drug affordability bill was a line that got almost no national coverage but could blow the lid off how we think about access to GLP-1s like Ozempic and Mounjaro. The law sets the stage for Connecticut to petition the federal government to let them bypass drug patents. Yes, including the patents protecting GLP-1s.

In plain English, they want to make their own Ozempic.

And they are not just talking. This is now law.

Governor Ned Lamont signed the bill this week. Inside it is a mandate for Connecticut to study whether they can centralize drug contracts across all public entities and join with other states to negotiate drug prices and purchase generics in bulk. It also includes a drug discount card program, new rules on pharmaceutical marketing, and a directive to investigate how to push doctors toward generics the moment a patent expires.

This is a full-court press.

But the headline moment came from a state official who said the quiet part out loud. During a press conference, they acknowledged what millions of us already know. GLP-1s are truly miracle drugs for hundreds of thousands, but many people cannot afford them. Connecticut spends roughly $150,000,000 per year on Ozempic alone through its Medicaid program. They are federally required to cover the drug, but the feds are not picking up the bill. The state is.

So they went looking for a way out.

What they found was a rarely used federal provision that allows the government to override patents if it serves the public interest. That power has been used before. During health crises. During war. Now, Connecticut wants to use it to take on the obesity crisis.

They say they will ask the Trump administration to let them invoke this power so they can partner with a manufacturer and produce generic GLP-1s themselves.

This has never been done by a state.

Louisiana once threatened to do it. North Carolina flirted with the idea. But Connecticut put it into law and went public with their intent to act. This is not lobbying. This is not a committee hearing. This is a battle plan.

And it could force a reckoning.

Imagine if this actually works. Generics could show up a lot sooner than expected. Prices could drop. Coverage could expand. But it also opens a can of worms. If a state can override patents for GLP-1s, what does that mean for other drugs? For innovation? For the balance between public need and private ownership? The pharmaceutical industry will not let this slide. And patients could end up caught in the middle, again. Still, the fact that we are even asking these questions means the landscape is shifting. The bottom line is, it seems to have taken extraordinarily effective and Exorbitantly expensive obesity medicines to force a reckoning. Connecticut just became ground zero.

Of course, it might not work.

Lilly and Novo Nordisk are not going to sit quietly while a state tries to crack open their billion dollar vaults. Lawsuits will fly. Lobbyists will swarm. But the conversation has shifted. Because Connecticut asked a question that too few in government have had the courage to ask: Why are we always protecting patents over people? Over an epidemic? Over the very future of our country?

It is not a done deal. But it is a massive shot across the bow of a system that has left too many on the margins for far too long.

Stay tuned to OnThePen.com for more updates and in-depth analysis on the latest developments in weight loss and diabetes treatments. Sharing this article is a powerful form of advocacy that brings us closer to our goal of educating the masses and reducing the stigma of obesity. If you found this article insightful, please share it within your networks, especially in Facebook groups and Reddit forums dedicated to GLP-1 medications and diabetes management. Together, we can make a difference.