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Health Canada Reviews 9 Generic Ozempic Applications as Patients Await Lower Costs
Health Canada is reviewing nine generic semaglutide applications as patients without drug coverage hope lower prices will make obesity treatment affordable.
Canadians without drug coverage await Health Canada's approval of generic Ozempic to access affordable weight-management treatments.
Public drug systems spent $807 million on Ozempic out of $20.1 billion total, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information , yet many patients without diabetes diagnoses cannot access public funding.
University of Toronto pharmaceutical policy expert Mina Tadrous explained the first generic could cost 75 to 85 per cent of brand-name prices, dropping to about 35 per cent once three options enter the Canadian market.
Health Canada spokesperson Marie-Pier Burelle said on Friday the agency is "on track to meet review targets for generic semaglutide drug submissions," noting an initial review timeline of about six months.