Injectable prescription drugs, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, and the pill Rybelsus all contain the ingredient semaglutide. This class of medication, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1s), regulate blood sugar levels and appetite.

Health Canada previously approved Ozempic to treat diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss. Nearly 33 per cent of Canadians (10.6 million people) were obese in 2023, according to a recent study.

Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, will effectively lose its price protection on those drugs in Canada in January, opening the door to generic versions.

Mina Tadrous, an associate professor who evaluates pharmaceutical prices at the University of Toronto, says three or four companies have them in development or are starting the paperwork.

Tadrous says the number of companies affects pricing.

“The classic framework is that if you only have one, it comes down from the list price to 75 per cent,” Tadrous said. “If we have two, it goes down to 50 per cent and if we have three it hits 25 per cent.”

Three manufacturers could bring the price down to $100 from $400 for the same strength of semaglutide product, Tadrous estimates.

Canadians could get more affordable version of Ozempic in early 2026. Here's how | CBC News

Cheaper versions of medications to treat obesity, like Ozempic and Wegovy, could be on the market in Canada as soon as January.

CBC (www.cbc.ca)

Injectable prescription drugs, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, and the pill Rybelsus all contain the ingredient semaglutide. This class of medication, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1s), regulate blood sugar levels and appetite.

Health Canada previously approved Ozempic to treat diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss. Nearly 33 per cent of Canadians (10.6 million people) were obese in 2023, according to a recent study.

Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, will effectively lose its price protection on those drugs in Canada in January, opening the door to generic versions.

Mina Tadrous, an associate professor who evaluates pharmaceutical prices at the University of Toronto, says three or four companies have them in development or are starting the paperwork.

Tadrous says the number of companies affects pricing.

“The classic framework is that if you only have one, it comes down from the list price to 75 per cent,” Tadrous said. “If we have two, it goes down to 50 per cent and if we have three it hits 25 per cent.”

Three manufacturers could bring the price down to $100 from $400 for the same strength of semaglutide product, Tadrous estimates.

Canadians could get more affordable version of Ozempic in early 2026. Here's how | CBC News

Cheaper versions of medications to treat obesity, like Ozempic and Wegovy, could be on the market in Canada as soon as January.

CBC (www.cbc.ca)

The reason why these drugs are going generic way before they usually do (it’s supposed to be 20 years from initial market introduction) is that someone at Novo Nordisk fucked up and didn’t file their exclusivity paperwork properly. Just FYI since it’s not in the article.

Really? Interesting. Do you have more info?

I don’t have details, but my wife is a pharmacy assistant and I’m only relaying what her boss (pharmacist and pharmacy owner) told her. This has been ongoing for close to a year, when the manufacturers in the article first filed their applications to produce generic versions of these medications.

This is all public record if you want to look into it.