Generic Ozempic is now on Canadian shelves. Is it the same as the brand name version? – CBC

Health Canada has approved two generics, one of which is already in some pharmacies

May 20, 2026

Some Canadian pharmacists are already stocking their shelves with generic versions of semaglutide, more commonly known by the brand name Ozempic. But will these generics be just as good, and how much will the cost come down?

Three weeks ago, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Apotex Inc. received Health Canada approval to start producing generic semaglutide, a type of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). That’s the main ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic products, which are prescribed for people with Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Generics were able to get the green light after Novo Nordisk’s regulatory exclusivity, which protected it from generic competition, ended in January.

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for Dr. Reddy’s said its generic version launched in Canada last week and is now available in select pharmacies to patients with a valid perscription, with “broader distribution anticipated nationwide in the coming days.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/generic-semaglutide-ozempic-wegovy-9.7204671